Last Call: What Will the Gibson Les Paul Standard 100th Anniversary Model Look Like?

My ’52 was later upgraded with innovations like the then-new Bigsby vibrato (introduced in 1951), a Tune-o-matic bridge (1953 technology), and a humbucker in the bridge position (circa 1957). Numerous other guitar innovations have emerged over the past seven decades. And some stuck, including:

• The compound radius fretboard, pioneered by luthier Denny Rauen in 1978.
• Locking tremolo systems, invented by Floyd Rose in the 1970s and widespread by the 1980s.
• Hybrid acoustic/electric designs that blend electric pickups with undersaddle piezo pickups. (With a toggle flip, my PRS can shift from angry distorted humbucker to a convincing, warm acoustic sound—or blend both.)

Other innovations fared less well, like Gibson’s ill-fated Firebird X, of 2011. This ambitious, controversial solidbody electric guitar aimed to modernize the iconic Firebird with digital technology. Originally priced at $5,570, its standout features included three FBX mini-humbuckers, a piezo pickup, and onboard effects (reverb, delay, distortion) via a pure analog DSP engine, controlled by complex toggle pots, sliders, and a gear shift knob. It also had robot tuners with 11 preset tunings, Bluetooth footswitches, and a G-Node USB interface, with software (Guitar Rig 4, Ableton Live Lite) for recording and patch creation. While some praised its innovation, many players saw it as a betrayal of Gibson’s heritage. The model performed so poorly that Gibson reportedly destroyed over half the Firebird Xs with an excavator.

Legacy companies like Gibson face a dilemma in evolution. Gibson’s bold innovation made it iconic, giving us the Les Paul, ES-335 (and 330, 345, 355), Flying V, Explorer, Firebird, and SG. Today, most players crave those classic guitars designed 60 to 70 years ago. This raises the question: What will the 2052 Gibson Les Paul, marking its 100th anniversary, be like?