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Gibson Midtown Custom LTD Semi-Hollow Electric - Ebony
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Midtown Custom
Gibson's "thinline semi-hollow" ES models were an instant hit when they made the scene in 1958. The marriage of archtop and solidbody electric designs addressed the needs of countless players of the day, and created instant classics virtually overnight in the process. Gibson USA's Midtown Custom takes all of the legendary ES properties a step further, maximizing each design goal, while adding a rich, deep resonance all its own. With a trimmed-down and more player-friendly body size that still emulates the lines of the ES models, but built with the chambered solid-wood construction (rather than a laminated top and back with solid center block), the Midtown Custom truly embodies the optimum marriage of solidbody and archtop. What's more, it dresses all these tonal advantages in a package worthy of the hallowed "Custom" name.
The Midtown Custom starts with premium tonewoods, using Grade-A timbers beneath the three translucent finish options. A solid mahogany body is strategically chambered for optimum resonance and capped with a solid maple top with traditional f-holes, which is finished in your choice of high-gloss Heritage Sunburst, Vintage Sunburst, Antique Natural or Ebony Black. Its solid mahogany neck is carved to a fast, comfortable '60s-style profile that measures .800" at the 1st fret and .875" at the 12th. The neck is topped with a smooth, hard fingerboard crafted from Richlite, a fabricated material composed of cellulose fiber and phenolic resin, which offers the constructional and resonant properties of fine hardwood, but with improved durability, for a superb playing feel. Tidy white binding accentuates the fingerboard, while multi-ply binding graces the body and headstock. The rich, dark fingerboard is enhanced with acrylic block inlays plus split-diamond inlays dress the headstock in the classic style of upmarket Gibson models.
Plugged in, this elegant hotrod runs the gamut of legendary Les Paul-to-ES tones, thanks to a pair of BurstBucker pickups, two of Gibson's finest vintage-PAF-style humbuckers, and classic four-knob wiring with three-way toggle selector. A BurstBucker 1 in the neck position yields warm, throaty blues and jazz tones with plenty of clarity, while a slightly hotter BurstBucker 2 in the bridge provides more growl and bite for anything from hot country to rock 'n' roll, while together the pair provides round, slinky, funky rhythm tones. These great humbuckers from Gibson USA are made with genuine unpolished Alnico II magnets and wound with 42 AWG wire, just like the legendary PAFs of the late '50s and early '60s. In the hardware department, the Midtown Custom carries the classic pairing of Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece, and a set of premium Grover kidney button tuners up top.
Each guitar comes protected in a plush-lined hardshell case with black exterior, and includes owner's manual and adjustment literature.
Gibson's "thinline semi-hollow" ES models were an instant hit when they made the scene in 1958. The marriage of archtop and solidbody electric designs addressed the needs of countless players of the day, and created instant classics virtually overnight in the process. Gibson USA's Midtown Custom takes all of the legendary ES properties a step further, maximizing each design goal, while adding a rich, deep resonance all its own. With a trimmed-down and more player-friendly body size that still emulates the lines of the ES models, but built with the chambered solid-wood construction (rather than a laminated top and back with solid center block), the Midtown Custom truly embodies the optimum marriage of solidbody and archtop. What's more, it dresses all these tonal advantages in a package worthy of the hallowed "Custom" name.
The Midtown Custom starts with premium tonewoods, using Grade-A timbers beneath the three translucent finish options. A solid mahogany body is strategically chambered for optimum resonance and capped with a solid maple top with traditional f-holes, which is finished in your choice of high-gloss Heritage Sunburst, Vintage Sunburst, Antique Natural or Ebony Black. Its solid mahogany neck is carved to a fast, comfortable '60s-style profile that measures .800" at the 1st fret and .875" at the 12th. The neck is topped with a smooth, hard fingerboard crafted from Richlite, a fabricated material composed of cellulose fiber and phenolic resin, which offers the constructional and resonant properties of fine hardwood, but with improved durability, for a superb playing feel. Tidy white binding accentuates the fingerboard, while multi-ply binding graces the body and headstock. The rich, dark fingerboard is enhanced with acrylic block inlays plus split-diamond inlays dress the headstock in the classic style of upmarket Gibson models.
Plugged in, this elegant hotrod runs the gamut of legendary Les Paul-to-ES tones, thanks to a pair of BurstBucker pickups, two of Gibson's finest vintage-PAF-style humbuckers, and classic four-knob wiring with three-way toggle selector. A BurstBucker 1 in the neck position yields warm, throaty blues and jazz tones with plenty of clarity, while a slightly hotter BurstBucker 2 in the bridge provides more growl and bite for anything from hot country to rock 'n' roll, while together the pair provides round, slinky, funky rhythm tones. These great humbuckers from Gibson USA are made with genuine unpolished Alnico II magnets and wound with 42 AWG wire, just like the legendary PAFs of the late '50s and early '60s. In the hardware department, the Midtown Custom carries the classic pairing of Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece, and a set of premium Grover kidney button tuners up top.
Each guitar comes protected in a plush-lined hardshell case with black exterior, and includes owner's manual and adjustment literature.
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Reviews
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Love it! 0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Ottawa, Ontario
This guitar feels great, sounds great and looks great
Posted by Dave on Jan 22, 2023
Awesome 0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Toronto (Bloor St.), Ontario
Posted by Matt on Jan 21, 2023
Midtown custom 0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Burlington, Ontario
The midtown I've extensively test driven may not be a 335 and was no doubt produced to compete against 335 knock offs. Designed to a lower price point but some of the cost saving construction make it both unique and competitive if not superior to the flagship 335. Flat top allowed for a solid maple top with solid mahogany body, not lamanated Mike the 335. Richlite board w acrylic are absolutely about cost, and not everyone can embrace the change but Martin use it and if you can tell the difference, I'd be shocked. Either way it's nice and maintenance free.
Tonally it's somewhere between a LP and a 335 but I like the uniqueness, soft version of LP. It's expected.
The price point makes it the best guitar for the money period. Look at other scaled down productions and you'll see dull finishes, no binding, etc. Saving cost. I truly believe this guitar was discontinued as it really put a dent in flagship sales. It was too good for its purpose and way to much for price point.
Admittedly any Gibson in this era had quality control issues. Do your due dillagance as you would w any guitar. If you've found one with quality control issues don't buy it. If it's clean, you won't regret it!!
Posted by Matt on Apr 4, 2021
Midtown Custom 0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Peterborough, Ontario
Fantastic guitar that can cover a wide variety of styles.
Posted by Brian on Nov 12, 2014
Poor workmanship from Gibson 0 of 1 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Abbotsford, British Columbia
Cheap finishing, disappointing. Frets have sharp ends, painting job has flaws.
Posted by anonymous on Oct 18, 2014
Extremely disappointing.... 0 of 1 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
Gibson is trying to capitalize on the name by selling a substandard guitar. I went to PoCo store to check this guitar (and to buy it) and now I understand why they stopped producing this guitar and no one is buying the one I saw at the store.
The fretwork is cheap. The edges are very sharp. Not a comfortable fingerboard.
The finishing is poor and I saw a major paint finishing flaw in one of the f-holes (looks like cheap painting job, with the dry paint dripping off the edges of the f-hole).
I bought a $180 Squier a few months ago (for my little daughters) which has better workmanship than this $1,500 Gibson Midtown. You can buy a much better instrument from Asia for way less than that. I have the feeling that they only care about their high end guitars. What a shame Gibson!
Posted by Dr. N on Oct 11, 2014
Gibson Midtown Custom 0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Product Experience I've tried it
Closest Store Grande Prairie, Alberta
I am going to buy one. I tried it and it is great for blues, jazz and rock. The vintage-style P.A.F.'s really impressed me. The fretboard is Richlite and the inlays are acrylic, neither of which detracts from the sound or the looks of the guitar. Very nice workmanship, white binding, ... it looks and sounds like a cross between a Les Paul and an ES-339. Soft gig bag, rather than a case but the price is so right!
Posted by John David Bourgeois on Sep 6, 2014
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A warranty can be a very important factor when making a buying decision. Because repairs can be very expensive in terms of parts and labour costs, manufacturers usually only provide one year limited warranties that generally only cover items that malfunction due to a manufacturer’s defect. With an important purchase such as a musical
instrument or piece of studio gear, however, many people want to have the peace of mind in knowing that their investment will be protected should the product no longer be performing at 100%.
Because of this, Long & McQuade provides our customers with a FREE one-year Performance Warranty on most of our products. The Long & McQuade Performance Warranty supplements the manufacturer’s warranty to ensure that our customers receive complete “no hassle” warranty coverage within their first year.
How does the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty differ from most manufacturers' warranties?
- Performance Guarantee: Normal wear and tear is covered, so your product will be performing as well as the day you purchased it for the entire duration of the coverage. Band and Orchestral Performance Warranty does not include replacing pads or cleaning for woodwind instruments, unless deemed necessary by our repair staff. Ultrasonic cleaning for brass instruments will be provided if deemed necessary by our repair staff, but is not routinely offered under the Performance Warranty.
- Product Replacement: If your product cannot be fixed or costs too much to fix, we will replace it with the equivalent model for no additional charge. If this is not possible, a full refund will be provided.
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- Accessory Coverage: Any peripheral devices or accessories that come with your product (i.e. foot pedal, case) are also covered.
- Commercial Use Coverage: Music and recording professionals who purchase gear for “heavy-use” commercial purposes will still be covered.
Long & McQuade reserves the right to restrict the purchase of additional years of Performance Warranty. Used products come with a 3-month Long & McQuade Performance Warranty. Some products (i.e. computers, software, cymbals and other items) are covered only by the manufacturer‘s warranty. Consumables (i.e. strings, reeds, drum sticks, batteries, tubes, cross faders) are excluded as they are designed to be replaced. Cosmetic Damage, Accidental Damage, or problems caused by Humidity or Temperature Issues are not covered. Speakers damaged by overpowering are generally not covered. Our coverage does not provide compensation for loss of use. As of June 2018 the Performance Warranty is no longer transferable. The warranty is only valid in Canada.
Purchasing additional years of coverage
Some manufacturers provide warranties for longer than 1 year; however, these are usually limited warranties that do not provide the same coverage as the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty. Customers interested in more complete and convenient (but not necessarily longer) coverage are still able to purchase additional years of the Performance Warranty.
If you are interested in receiving this coverage for longer than one year, you have the option of purchasing additional years of the Performance Warranty. The pricing is as follows:
- NEW products: Starting at 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. Starting at 4% for each additional year.
- USED products: Starting at 4% of the current new selling price to increase the warranty from 3 months to 1 year. Starting at 4% for each additional year.
- GUITARS: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year. $45 maximum. An additional free setup is not included with additional purchased years of Performance Warranty.
- BAND and ORCHESTRAL instruments: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year.
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| Product | SKU | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Midtown Custom LTD Semi-Hollow Electric - Ebony | 419816 |
