From his work as a heavy-riffin' band leader and rhythm guitarist to his acting and his stint as a radio presenter, Billy Morrison has established a major presence in the rock and entertainment worlds. Audiences around the globe have experienced his searing chops and eviscerating tone through his touring with Circus Diablo, Billy Idol and The Cult. His high-octane all-star cover band Camp Freddy has become a major fixture on Los Angeles' bustling music scene. To honor Billy's achievements,
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Gibson USA unveils the Billy Morrison Les Paul. A top-flight Les Paul Standard with custom-style appointments and high-performance electronics, the Billy Morrison Les Paul offers everything a hard-rocking guitarist needs to get the job done, and to look great in the process.
As Billy himself puts it, "For me, as a kid, the Gibson Les Paul was the guitar that the cool people played. The people that made the music I loved, that were in the bands that turned me on and made me feel alive, from Jimmy Page in Led Zeppelin, through Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Mick Ronson with David Bowie." As such, the Billy Morrison Les Paul is a Les Paul for the ages, primed to rip out the classic rock, but able to handle anything from blues to metal to shred with ease.
Crafted as a Les Paul Standard, the Billy Morrison Les Paul has the classic carved maple top and strategically chambered mahogany body that have helped to make that creamy yet stinging Les Paul tone legendary. Style-wise, however, this instrument gets the Custom treatment all the way, with gold-plated hardware throughout, an ebony fingerboard with pearloid trapezoid inlays, and even gold-colored frets-all dressed in a stunning cream finish. Crowning touches include a matching cream headstock with black-swirl pearloid Gibson logo, and a truss-rod cover with "Billy Morrison" model imprint.
To ram it all home, the Billy Morrison Les Paul is equipped with a pair of Seymour Duncan's most popular humbucking pickups, a high-output JB (model SH-4) in the bridge position, and a more PAF-styled '59 (model SH-1N) in the neck position, Morrison's own pickups of choice. Between them, they offer everything from a throaty roar with unbridled crunch and singing sustain to warm and sultry creaminess, respectively.
A Tone Pro Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece provide enhanced resonance and sustain along with easy and precise action and intonation adjustments, while locking Grover keystone-button tuners with a super-efficient 18:1 gear ratio offer smooth and precise tuning. Finally, a Corian nut cut on Gibson's renowned PLEK machine for optimum precision promises outstanding sustain and hitch-free string slots. Add it all up, and it's a powerful performance axe for the gigging guitarist, as well as an outstanding signature model for the discerning collector.
Every Billy Morrison Les Paul comes protected in a Gibson hardshell case with Union Jack motif, and includes an owner's manual and adjustment literature.
Body and Finish
Crafted from the classic tonewood combination of a carved maple top and a strategically chambered mahogany body in the image of the classic Les Paul Standard, the Billy Morrison Les Paul is finished in high-gloss Cream in nitrocellulose lacquer. Its looks are further enhanced by a multi-ply binding around the body top, which is matched by a multi-ply binding around the color-matched headstock.
Neck, Fingerboard and Headstock
The guitar's neck and headstock are crafted from solid mahogany with a 17-degree back-angled style headstock with holly inlay. The neck is carved in the popular SlimTaper profile and topped with an ebony fingerboard with trapezoid inlays.
Pickups and Electronics
The Billy Morrison Les Paul is equipped with a pair of Seymour Duncan's most popular humbucking pickups, a high-output JB (model SH-4) in the bridge position, and a more PAF-styled '59 (model SH-1N) in the neck position. They are routed through the traditional control array of two volume and two tone pots and three-way selector switch.
Hardware
The Billy Morrison Les Paul is equipped with locking Grover keystone tuners, a Tone Pro Tune-o-matic bridge, and a Tone Pro stop-bar tailpiece, plus the traditional aluminum strap buttons. This hardware set provides a traditional look, while also maximizing tone and performance. All hardware is plated in gold.
Body:
- Top: Maple
- Back: Mahogany
- Binding: 7-Ply Cream Binding on Top
- Body Type: Chambered
- Adhesive: Franklin Titebond 50
Neck:
- Species: Mahogany
- Profile: 60's slim taper neck profile
- Truss Rod: Traditional Adjustable
- Joint Angle: 5° (+/- 15 seconds)
- Adhesive: Franklin Titebond 50
Neck Fit:
- Joint: Mortise & Tenon
- Adhesive: Franklin Titebond 50
- Joint Angle Tolerance: +/- .005"
Fingerboard:
- Species: Ebony
- Frets: 22
- Radius: 12"
- Binding: White Binding
- Inlays: White Acrylic Trapezoid
- Nut/E.O.B: 1.695"/2.260"
- Other: Gold Fret Wire
Nut:
- Material: Corian
- Width: 1.695
- Slots: Gibson PLEK System
Headstock:
- Binding: 5-Ply Cream Binding
- Logo: Black Pearl Swirl "Gibson" Logo and "Crown" Inlay
- Truss Rod Cover: Black and White Antique Bell with "Billy Morrison" engraving
Tuners:
- Model: Locking Grover Keystone
- Plating: Gold
- Tuning Ratio: 18:1
Bridge:
- Type: Tone Pro Tune-o-matic bridge
- Plating: Gold
Tailpiece:
- Type: Tone Pro stop-bar
- Plating: Gold
Hardware:
- Knobs: Gold Top Hats
- Toggle Switch Washer: Black with Gold Engraving
- Control Plate Cover: Black
- Strap Buttons: Aluminum, Gold Plated
- Strings: .010 - .046, Genuine Gibson strings
Pickups:
- Neck Position: Seymour Duncan '59 (model SH-1N)
- Bridge Position: Seymour Duncan JB (model SH-4)
- Magnet Material: Alnico V
Electronics:
- Potentiometers: 2 Volume, 2 Tone Controls
- Type: 300k Linear Volume, 500k Non-linear Tone
- Coil Wiring: Machine Wound
- Toggle Switch: Three-way Switchcraft with Black Plastic Tip
- Output Jack: 1/4"
Finish:
- Sealer: Nitrocellulose
- Process: 1-1.5 mils
Case:
- Type: Gibson Hardshell
- Case Exterior: Black/Gold with Union Jack
- Case Interior: White Plush Lining |
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