Gibson’s electric guitar catalog is in no short supply of iconic designs. However, there are a few lesser-loved Gibson creations – such as the wild headless 1981 Futura prototype – that aren’t as well-known.
That’s usually either because of the sheer scarcity of the design, or due to the fact some models are just downright weird.
There are a few of these oddball electrics to choose from, but in the latest issue of Guitarist, Gibson’s Mat Koehler and Jason Davidson named what they believe to be the most unusual custom guitars from the firm’s early experimental era of the ‘50s and ‘60s.
For Davidson – Gibson’s Director of Product Development and Archive Curator – the answer was simple: a quirky Les Paul-style build that was custom-made for Torpedo Joe in 1966.
“I like… what was it, Mat? Torpedo Joe!” he says. “That was an interesting one.”
It certainly was interesting. The Torpedo Joe model is sort of a Les Paul, but it’s slightly bulkier, with more substantial body proportions and a half SG-style pickguard that’s screwed to the body.
It’s also got a Bigsby, and a secondary pickguard emblazoned with Torpedo Joe’s name attached to the upper bout, as well as some not-very-Gibson body mods.
For Koehler, the Torpedo Joe model embodies a rather “dark period” for Gibson, during which the firm had suspended the creation of its standard Les Paul design.
“This was a guitar in that dark period between when the [single-cut] Les Paul was discontinued and when we started making it again in ‘68,” he explains. “So there was this… somewhat Les Paul-shaped solidbody guitar that they made for this musician, Torpedo Joe.”
Sightings of the Torpedo Joe Gibson are quite rare, but back in 2014 it was snapped by First Flight Music store in New York, who can be seen showing the oddball electric to than Billy Gibbons. Some sources claim Gibbons actually owns the guitar, but that much is unconfirmed.
Given Gibbons’ penchant for weird and wonderful guitars, though, it’s probably safe to say he’s certainly at least a firm admirer of Torpedo Joe’s design.
Elsewhere in the Guitarist interview, Koehler names another unusual model that demonstrates how Gibson’s absurd custom builds weren’t exclusively electric in nature.
“There’s the guitar that Kent Westberry ordered,” he goes on. “He was one of a few guys in ’58/’59 who ordered a J-200 with a Bigsby-style, six-in-line headstock. So they just received the order and used an Explorer-style headstock in that instance.”
Again, that guitar is seldom seen in the public eye, though it was the subject of one Facebook post from 2015 that sought to trace the guitar’s origins and whereabouts.
As is the case with all oddball custom guitars from the ‘50s and ‘60s, sourcing pictures and charting stories is tricky, and as Koehler explains, there’s a whole lotta oddball Gibsons out there to wade through.
“There was not a lot of consistency,” Koehler continues. “It was just whoever received the order: ‘Okay, let’s go down to the floor and see what we can make happen.’ Those are obviously very unusual, but you’d see a lot of customer-name inlays in them.”
Visit Magazines Direct to pick up the latest issue of Guitarist, which features the full conversation with Koehler and Davidson, as well as interviews with Junior Marvin and Scott Gorham.
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