Gibson Moderne

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Gibson Moderne
Manufacturer	Gibson
Period	1982-??
Construction
Body type	Moderne
Neck joint	Set-in
Woods
Body	Korina, Mahogany
Neck	Mahogany
Fretboard	Rosewood, Ebony
Hardware
Bridge	Tune-o-Matic
Pickup(s)	2 Humbuckers

The Gibson Moderne is an electric guitar model first designed by Gibson in 1957. It was designed alongside the Flying V and Futura as part of a stylistically advanced line of electric guitars. However, unlike the Flying V and Futura, the Moderne was not put into production until 1982.

[edit] History

By the mid-1950s Gibson Guitar Company had lost considerable market share to rival Fender's Telecaster and Stratocaster models and created three modernistic solid-body guitar concepts in an attempt to strike back. On June 27, 1957 Gibson President Theodore "Ted" McCarty filed three designs with the United States Patent Office named "Flying V," "Futura" (later redesigned and renamed Explorer), and "Moderne." The design patents were issued on January 7, 1958, however, the Moderne was not put into production and it is still not clear whether any were actually created at that time (there is only a vague mention on a shipping list, which some argue applies to an Explorer). Sources claim that Ted McCarty said that a handful of prototypes were built, but there is no conclusive proof either way.

They were reissued by Gibson in 1982 at the NAMM show in Atlanta as part of the "Heritage Series" and later produced in Korea by Epiphone. As of 2008, Gibson does not offer a Moderne model.

Stylistically, Modernes are characterized by an elongated upper treble bout (similar to the Flying V), a scooped-out bass bout (similar to a shark fin), an oblong headstock (similar to Gumby's head) with inverted tuners, and gold hardware.

The Gibson Moderne was featured in the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 video games Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero 2 in 2006 as unlockables. Because of their very limited production and forward design, Modernes are highly sought by collectors.