Gibson Don Felder Guitars: NAMM Show 2011

By: Staff

Gibson featured both the six and six-twelve double neck Don Felder signature guitars at this year’s NAMM show. Both guitars have a great story behind them, told below by the good folks at Gibson, and are modeled after one of the greatest albums of all time. Oh yeah, and they look great too, not a bad combination.

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Don Felder “Hotel California” EDS-1275

History (From Gibson.com)

One of the most recognizable tone monsters of rock, the Gibson Double Neck of the ’60s and ’70s was created in the image of the popular SG solidbody, but adapted to the needs of this extreme design. Following the 1977 specs, the Don Felder “Hotel California” EDS-1275 from Gibson’s Custom Shop begins with a select one-piece mahogany body, and two necks carved from three pieces of maple each for added strength that this guitar demands.

To ensure the neck/body joints remain stable, the neck is set further into the body than that of an SG Standard, with a joint at around the 15th fret. The headstocks of both necks are back angled, a detail that increases string pressure in the nut to improve resonance and sustain, and each carries a set of Kluson tuners.

Other hardware includes a pair of Tune-o-matic bridges, and the chunky top-mounted claw tailpieces that were custom-made for the EDS-1275 model in the ’60s and which are still known for their solidity and sustain. Taking all that sizzling Felder-style tone to the max is a quartet of Gibson’s Burstucker humbucking pickups, with the chromed covers removed on the 6-string pair.

Some of the most accurate PAF-style pickups available today, these are constructed with the original grade of 42-gauge enamel wire and Alnico II magnets, but each coil is gently wax potted to prevent microphonic squeal during high-volume playing. From thick, warm and throaty in the neck position, to singing and aggressive in the bridge, these pickups offer the full spectrum—from wail to jangle—that these two necks can throw at you.

All this sonic goodness is run through a control setup that mirrors Felder’s own performance modifications, including the addition of a second output in place of the original bridge-pickup tone control, to enable the 12-string neck to be routed independently to a Leslie rotating speaker cabinet to produce Felder’s trademark “Hotel California” tone.

With a guitar like this, the look is as iconic as the sound. Gibson’s Custom Shop nails it in this department with a “Aged White” finish in nitrocellulose that is carefully faded, and the entire guitar is aged to echo the look of Felder’s EDS-1275. Each of the two rosewood fingerboards carries accurate split parallelogram inlays, and minimal headstock adornment. Put it all together, and it’s a dead ringer for one of the most distinctive guitars in rock history.

Each Gibson Custom Don Felder “Hotel California” EDS-1275 comes protected in a custom rectangular case, includes numbered Certificate of Authenticity, owner’s manual and adjustment literature, and is covered by Gibson’s Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 Customer Support.

Don Felder Double Neck Gibson

Don Felder Double Neck Gibson

Don Felder Double Neck Gibson

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Don Felder “Hotel California” 1959 Les Paul

History (From Gibson.com)

Like any great Les Paul Standard, the Don Felder “Hotel California” 1959 Les Paul starts with great wood. Gibson Custom selects figured maple for the two-piece top to replicate the look of Felder’s own iconic ‘Burst, and joins each set to a select, lightweight, solid one-piece mahogany back.

Way beyond merely recreating the look of the original instrument, however, this maple/mahogany pairing perpetuates a tonewood match made in heaven: a best-of-both-worlds palette that gives you the perfect blend of maple’s clarity, snap and bite, and mahogany’s warmth, depth and richness.

A one-piece mahogany neck is glued in with the preferred long neck tenon for superior resonance and sustain, and carved to match the neck on Felder’s own ’59 Les Paul Standard. Taking all this tonal goodness to your amp of choice are a pair of BurstBucker pickups, Gibson’s most accurate PAF recreations to date.

It’s all anchored with the rock-solid pairing of a Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece, and topped with a set of vintage Kluson-style green-button tuners. And with a guitar that sounds and feels this good, you want it to look perfect, too.

To get the Don Felder “Hotel California” 1959 Les Paul just right, Gibson Custom has painstakingly formulated a unique “Felder Burst” finish, which accurately matches the mellowed, sand-hued fade of Felder’s own ’59 ‘Burst.

Reproduced in nitrocellulose in a hand-executed process that involves several steps, the results are then treated to either meticulous hand-aging by Gibson Custom (150 guitars, 50 of which also will be signed by Don Felder), or Gibson Custom’s acclaimed VOS process (150 guitars).

All told, it’s a guitar worthy of its namesakes: one of the greatest guitar albums of all time, and player who laid down the leads that helped to make it so. All guitars come with a black, plush-lined Gibson Custom hardshell case, a Certificate of Authenticity, and full owner’s manual and adjustment literature. Each also is covered by Gibson’s Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 Customer Service.

Don Felder Les Paul Gibson

Don Felder Les Paul Gibson

Don Felder Les Paul Gibson