Gibson EDS-1275
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gibson EDS-1275 | |
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| Manufacturer | Gibson |
| Period | 1960 - present |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Solid |
| Neck joint | Set (Twin) |
| Woods | |
| Body | Mahogany |
| Neck | Maple |
| Fretboard | Rosewood |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Fixed |
| Pickup(s) | Two 490R Alnico magnet humbucker Humbuckers (12-String), Two 490T Alnico magnet humbucker Humbuckers (6-String) |
| Colors available | |
| Cherry, Alpine White, Ebony | |
The Gibson EDS-1275 is a doubleneck Gibson guitar introduced in 1958 as a special-order custom instrument.
Contents |
[edit] History
The original models, produced between 1958 and 1962, were basically twin-necked hollow-body instruments, with dual cutaways similar to the ES-175; these models are quite rare. In 1962, the EDS-1275 was changed to a solid-body guitar resembling the SG model; this version of the double-neck is the most common and the best-known among players and collectors.
The guitar features 2 volume and 2 tone control knobs, a 3-way pickup-selector switch, and a 3 way neck -selector switch. It has single-ply white binding, chrome hardware, vintage tulip tuners, pearloid split parallelogram inlays, a black pickguard, 20 frets per neck, a nut width of 1.68 inches, Nashville TOM bridges, stop-plate tailpieces and 490 Alnico (R) and 489 Alnico (T) humbucking pickups. The neck scale length is 24 3/4 inches long, the body is made of solid mahogany, the neck of three-piece maple, and the fretboard rosewood.
The single-ply binding on the EDS-1275 is only on the necks; the body is unbound. In addition to the Heritage Cherry finish of Jimmy Page's 1275, this guitar was also made in alpine white (with gold hardware), tobacco burst (in the early 70s), and ebony (with chrome or gold hardware).
Gibson stopped making this guitar some time in the 1980s and didn't start making them again until the early 1990s, at which time they started marking the serial numbers on the back of the 6-string headstock instead of the 12-string headstock.
The EDS-1275 is now only available in cherry or alpine white through the Gibson Custom Shop and is no longer a regular production model.
Epiphone (a lower-cost subsidiary of Gibson) makes a copy of the classic cherry doubleneck, marketing its version as the G-1275. There is a traditional set-neck and also a cheaper version with a bolt-on neck design.
Both the Gibson and the Epiphone models have sometimes varied the position of the tailpieces. A problem arises with the tailpieces further back on the guitar body, as it is difficult to find strings long enough to reach the furthest tuning pegs on the 12-string headstock.
The most notable clone of the EDS-1275 was made by Ibanez. It has been discontinued.
[edit] Spotlight use by Jimmy Page
The model was popularized by Jimmy Page of English rock group Led Zeppelin. Most notably, he used it when playing live performances of "Stairway to Heaven" so he would not have to pause when switching from a six to a twelve string guitar. Other instances in which he used it on stage were for performances of songs such as "The Song Remains The Same" and "The Rain Song", as can be seen in the Led Zeppelin concert film The Song Remains the Same.
Page used the EDS-1275 primarily for live performances rather than in the studio (one notable exception being the track "Carouselambra" on Zeppelin's 1979 album In Through The Out Door), as he tended to favour other guitars including a number of 1959 Gibson Les Pauls, a 1958 Telecaster, a Danelectro 3021 and, on later albums, 1960s Stratocasters.
At the beginning of "Stairway to Heaven", he used the bottom 6-string neck for the Intro and First Verse. He then switched to the top 12-string neck for the First Bridge, Second through Fourth Verses and Bridges, the Fifth Verse and The Interlude. He used the 6-string neck for the Extended Guitar Solo, and the final chorus were then played with the upper 12-string neck.
Page's EDS-1275 has a slightly different body shape to the current model, as the shape has changed slowly over the years as with other Gibsons such as the SG Standard. Page's model also features one-piece mahogany necks rather than the current three-piece maple, and has tailpieces positioned near the bottom of the body and PAF humbucker pickups (Gibson's most famous type of pickup) (see PAF).
[edit] Notable EDS-1275 users
[edit] Trivia
- This guitar is featured as a weapon in the anime FLCL (aka Fooly Cooly or Furi Kuri), In the final episode when Naota fuses with Atomsk, he also fuses the Gibson EB-0 1961 Model and the Gibson Flying V to form this guitar.
- The Gibson is also featured as an unlockable guitar on Guitar Hero for the PS2, and at $850 is the most expensive of the unlockable guitars featured on that game.
