Gibson In Black

Dressed entirely in black and housing versatile GEM (Gibson Electronics Manufacturing) active pickups, these two sleek new axes are likely to appeal to the rock and metal fraternity and anyone who likes nothing more than a good shredding session.

The SG model, described by Gibson as 'a 21st Century rock weapon', sticks to tradition with a solid mahogany body and neck. Gibson have spared no expense either with its exotic African Obeche fretboard – no inlays, no binding.

Gibson's 'none more black' styling is epitomised by the Satin Ebony nitro finish and follows on for the hardware – a black Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece, black Grovers and black Corian nut.

The Les Paul Studio version shares the same features as the SG but has a carved maple top joined to a chambered mahogany body and a solid mahogany neck with '50's' profile.

The pickups are based on Gibson 'PAF' humbuckers, and have Alnico II magnets and coils wound with 42 AWG enamel wire. They're powered by a 9V battery which promises '1500' hours of uninterrupted riffing and offer Gibson's 'smooth with edge' tonal response.

All the specs are available at www.gibson.com

SG: $1, 599
Les Paul Studio: $1,899