Gibson EDS-1275
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gibson EDS-1275 | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Manufacturer | Gibson |
| Period | 1958 - 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 | |
| Heritage Cherry, Alpine White | |
The Gibson EDS-1275 is a doubleneck Gibson electric 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 design resembling the SG model; this version of the doubleneck is the most common and the best-known among players and collectors. It is interesting to note that while Rickenbacker is usually credited with developing the first production model electric 12-string guitar in 1963, the EDS-1275, which has a 12-string neck, was put into production in 1958, 5 years prior to the introduction of the Rickenbacker 12.
The guitar features two volume and two tone control knobs, a three-way pickup-selector switch, and a three-way neck-selector switch. It has chrome hardware, vintage tulip tuners, pearloid split parallelogram inlays, a black pickguard, twenty frets per neck (bound with single-ply white binding), a nut width of 1.68 inches, Nashville TOM bridges, stop-plate tailpieces and 490 Alnico (R) and 498 Alnico (T) humbucking pickups. The scale length is 24¾ inches, the body is made of solid mahogany, with necks of three-piece maple, topped with rosewood fingerboards.
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 1970s), 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 twelve-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 (Gibson's low-cost subsidiary) makes a version of the classic doubleneck, marketing it as the G-1275. There are two variants- one is a set-neck and the other is a slightly 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 when the tailpieces are further back on the guitar body, as it is difficult to find strings long enough to reach the furthest tuning pegs on the twelve-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 the 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", "Gallows Pole" and "The Rain Song", as can be seen in the Led Zeppelin concert film The Song Remains the Same. Page used the EDS-1275 for live performances exclusively, rather than in the studio (the only exception being the track "Carouselambra" on Led Zeppelin's 1979 album In Through the Out Door), as he tended to favour other guitars including a 1958 & 1959 Gibson Les Paul, 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. The 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 humbucking pickups.
Gibson has recently released a Jimmy Page Signature EDS-1275 model.
Page's guitar tech also added a ground connection between the jack and the 6-string tailpiece, in order to reduce hum. Before that, the guitar gained the nickname "The Aerial" (a British term for "Antenna"), for its ability to pick up all sorts of hum and radio frequency interference.[citation needed]
