10 Unique Gibson Leo Scala Theodore Retroliners

Scala thus brings the Theodore concept into the present day as if Gibson had actually released it in the 1950s, and then evolved it over time with various configurations, modifications and finishes. The series combines classic styling with "Hot Rod" elements, giving each guitar, finished with a hand-aged nitrocellulose lacquer, a distinctive vintage feel.

There are plenty of unique features, such as Bigsby B7 bridge with custom spacers that allow for a wider range of vibrato arm travel, Scala's Retrophonic series hand-wound pickups, custom hardware, carefully selected lacquer and plastic components with a vintage feel, including a new pickguard design, on some models inspired by the design used on the classic ES-335 and Les Paul Special variants.

The profiles of all the necks are also hand-shaped, so each one is an original, with great emphasis on a comfortable playing feel. The pickups consist of a Retrophonic PAF bridge humbucker and a Retrophonic P-90 N neck version. The humbuckers come in the "Vintage Hot '57", "Vault '59", "Big Ed", "Gemini", "Sundance", "Vault '58" and "Calavera" modifications, depending on the particular guitar. The price of each piece in the Theodore Retroliner edition has been set at around 16,000 dollars – despite this cost, the collection is expected to sell out soon.

Although Leo's guitars resemble artistic artefacts, appearance is never the most important factor for Scala. "It's always the sound," he says. "It can be extremely flashy, but if you pick it up and it doesn't do its own thing, then you just missed the whole point. It's not art that should be hanging on a wall; it's a performing piece of art."

Leo Scala, originally from Belgrade, Serbia, has been making unique instruments in his small workshop near Los Angeles for nearly three decades and has earned a reputation for his unrivalled creativity and obsession with detail. The collaboration between Scala and Gibson began when Gibson President and CEO Cesar Gueikian visited his workshop. Scala is credited with custom models for Richard Fortus of Guns N' Roses, Phil X of Bon Jovi, Warren Cuccurullo of Duran Duran, and Doug Aldrich of Whitesnake and Dead Daisies, to name a few.