American Series
The Gibson Spirit is a lesser-known model produced from 1982 to 1986 by Gibson in the Nashville, TN and Kalamazoo, MI factories. It was initially produced in the Kalamazoo factory under the Epiphone nameplate. In response to poor sales, some Epiphone models were changed to Gibson, and a faint Epiphone logo can be seen under the Gibson logo on the peghead. Later models were produced as Gibsons in Nashville. The Spirit appears to have been modelled after the Les Paul Junior double-cutaway model, with the primary differences being the use of modern single-coil and humbucker pickups, and cutaways at the 20th fret rather than the 22nd.
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Models
Spirit I & II
- 1982-1983
- Made in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Body:
- Honduran Mahogany/Alder/Poplar body
- Dual cutaway (DC)
Neck:
- Set Maple/Honduran Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlays
- 22 frets
- Gibson-style open-book headstock
- Scripted "Epiphone USA" logo
- 2-screw truss rod cover with "Spirit" inscription
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- Gibson 1959 Les Paul Reissue humbucker pickups
- 1 Vol. 1 Tone controls (Spirit I)
- 2 Vol. 1 Tone, 3-way toggle switch (Spirit II)
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Vintage-style tuners
- Schaller 455 wraparound tailpiece
- Gold or black speed knobs
- Les Paul Jr. style pickguard (Spirit I)
- No Pickguard (Spirit II)
Colors:
- Ebony (EB)
- Alpine White (AW)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
Special I & II
- 1982-1983
- Made in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Body:
- Honduran Mahogany/Alder/Poplar body
Neck:
- Set Maple/Honduran Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlays
- 2-screw truss rod cover with "Special" printed
- Gibson-style open-book headstock with scriped "Epiphone USA" logo
- 22 frets
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- Gibson 1959 Les Paul Reissue humbucker pickups
- 1 Vol. 1 Tone controls (Special I)
- 2 Vol. 1 Tone, 3-way toggle switch (Special II)
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Set Maple/Honduran Mahogany neck
- Vintage-style tuners
- Schaller 455 wraparound tailpiece
- Black speed knobs
Colors:
- Ferrari Red (FR)
- TV Yellow (TV)
- Alpine White (AW)
- Ebony (EB)
- Antique Sunburst (AS)
- Vintage Cherry Sunburst (VCSB)
USA Map Guitar
- 1982-1983
- Made in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Body:
- 3-piece Mahogany/Maple/Mahogany
- Carved United States shape
Neck:
- Set 3-piece laminated Maple neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- 2-screw truss rod cover with "Special" printed
- Gibson-style open-book headstock with scriped "Epiphone USA" logo
- Pearl crown inlay on headstock
- 22 frets
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- Gibson 1959 Les Paul Reissue humbuckers
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Vintage-style tuners
- Schaller 455 wraparound tailpiece
- Amber speed knobs
Colors:
- Natural Mahogany
See Also:
Electrics | Archtops | Acoustics | Basses | Bluegrass | Amplifiers | Promotional Guitars