Since new management took over in 2018 things have been cooking at Gibson. A recent collaboration with legendary country/blues artist Lee Roy Parnell resulted in the Custom Shop Lee Roy Parnell Signature 1959 Les Paul Standard in Abilene Sunset Burst. The Lee Roy Parnell Signature Gibson Les Paul marks the second collaboration between Gibson and Parnell and is available worldwide at Authorized Gibson Dealers.
Lee Roy Parnell’s immense talent and soulful approach have made him a legend in the music world, but his discriminating taste and emphasis on tone have made him equally renowned in the guitar community. His ’57 Goldtop signature from Gibson Custom Shop became an instant classic for this reason, and it continues to be sought-after by collectors and guitarists worldwide. Parnell and the talented luthiers at Gibson Custom Shop took notice, and so began the process of creating a new version based on a flame top ’59 Burst instead of a ’57 Goldtop.
The construction elements remain the same, from the contoured cutaway edge to the revised pickup routes, which Parnell prefers in order to capture more character from the wood. Each features a hand-picked figured maple top accented by an “Abilene Sunset Fade” burst, inspired by Lee Roy’s hometown in Texas, as Parnell describes the colour here. Under the hood, each guitar features an underwound ’57 Classic humbucker in the neck, an underwound ’57 Classic Plus in the bridge, and the all-new Vintage Tone Circuit which uses paper-in-oil capacitors and vintage taper potentiometers. Every element on this guitar has been given Parnell’s seal of approval. See all the specs here.
“Our job as artists is to mine what lives in us, and you don’t want something fighting you along the way, you want something helping you,” explains Parnell. “This guitar plays like an extension of myself and makes you want to play more of what you naturally do well.”
“Lee Roy is a unique guitarist and songwriter who has had an impact across music genres and inspired generations of musicians to follow in his footsteps,” explains Cesar Gueikian, Chief Merchant Officer, Gibson. “I’ve had the privilege of spending time with Lee Roy, watching him play slide and create amazing sound with his Les Paul’s and all of us at Gibson are excited to see this collaboration come to life as we bring the new Lee Roy Parnell Signature Gibson Les Paul to the market for fans around the world.”
