New London Gibson Garage Store and Special LP Custom
Saturday the 24th of February saw the official opening of Gibson Garage London, the brand's first exclusive store in Europe, located in the city centre (61-62 Eastcastle Street), just a block from the famous Oxford Street. For the occasion, Gibson has produced a special edition 1978 Les Paul Custom, a replica of the Noel Gallagher guitar given to him years ago by Johnny Marr from the iconic The Smiths. With this model, Gallagher recorded a number of Oasis songs, including "What's the Story Morning Glory?" and "Whatever", where the donated LP Custom also appeared in the music video.
Gallagher later replaced the original humbuckers on the Les Paul with a pair of P-90 pickups that he removed from a Gibson Firebird, changed the pickguard and "decorated" the instrument with various stickers. But the new replica is based on the original state of the Marr's guitar, fitted with a cream pickguard and an added coil-tap switch that opens the coils of both humbuckers. Gibson Noel Gallagher's 1978 Les Paul Custom has received a slightly aged Ebony finish from Murphy Lab and the limited edition contains just twenty pieces signed by Gallagher.
The instrument is available exclusively at Gibson's London headquarters, where fans of the brand can also see prototypes of signature models by Tony Iommi, Kirk Hammett, Johnny Winter and BB King, or they can pick up one of the many other guitars on display. These are divided into acoustic and electric sections, Custom Shop, Murphy Lab, etc. Those interested will also find products from Mesa Boogie, Kramer and Epiphone, all of which are under the wing of the Nashville giant.
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