If you read Wildwood’s website regularly, you may know that I (Trevor, Wildwood’s resident Web Scribe) am a Gibson fanatic who grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan about ten minutes away from the iconic Gibson smokestacks from their original factory on Patterson Street. Growing up in Kalamazoo, my blood ran aniline dye red from an early age. Before I even picked up a guitar, I was drawn to certain sounds on the radio: Sabbath, Zeppelin, Cream, The Allman Brothers, The Who, and (of course) AC/DC. I didn’t know a Les Paul from a J-45, but I knew I liked what I heard. Later, as I got into playing guitar and did more research, I realized that all the guitar heroes that inspired me to play in the first place had one common thread between them: they all played Gibson guitars that were born in the same town as me.
Given how close Gibson guitars are to my heart, it is my honor and privilege to introduce the Gibson Original Collection. The Original Collection is Gibson’s ultimate Greatest Hits compilation. Here, you will find modern versions of the guitars that shaped the sound of modern music: Goldtop Les Pauls with P-90s, Sunburst Juniors, TV Yellow Specials, and Heritage Cherry Les Pauls, to name a few.
Though they receive the full benefit of modern engineering and precision manufacturing, these guitars hearken back to the Golden Era of Gibson. There are no coil-taps, no active midboost switches, and no locking tremolos to be found here. Instead, you’ll find American-made guitars built out of high-quality, resonant tonewoods with sweet-looking nitrocellulose lacquer finishes and killer pickups. They are simple, elegant, and timeless; in other words, they’re just like the guitars that made me (and probably you) fall in love with the magic of rock and roll in the first place.
Take it from a native Kalamazooan: these guitars continue the proud legacy that began when the first Les Paul rolled off the line in 1952. All of us here at Wildwood are proud to showcase such inspiring instruments for our exceptional customers, and we invite you to pull up a chair and browse through our selection. We’re sure you’ll find an Original that will enrich your music-making experience and provide you with years of joy and delight.
