What is a Gibson Murphy Lab guitar?

Gibson Murphy Lab guitars are custom-aged by a department within Gibson Custom Shop called the Murphy Lab. The idea is to offer a completely realistic replica of a genuinely vintage, historical Gibson guitar.

Tom Murphy is a luthier who is famous for his aged finishes, creating new guitars that look and feel like they’ve been played for 60 years. He is head of aging at the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville. He is the equivalent of a Fender Custom Shop ‘Master Builder’ who work at a large manufacturer but are famous in their own right.

Who plays a Gibson Murphy Lab guitar?

Gibson Murphy Lab guitars are played by those who appreciate - and maybe even own - vintage Gibson guitars but realise the risk is taking them out on the road. In addition, Jimmy Page, Slash, Billy Gibbons and Joe Bonamassa are all known to have used Gibson Murphy Lab guitars.

Where are Gibson Murphy Lab guitars made?

All Gibson Murphy Lab guitars are made in the Gibson Custom facility in Nashville, Tennessee.

What gauge strings are on Gibson Murphy Lab guitars?

Gibson Murphy Lab electric guitars typically have gauge 10-46 strings on them. Gibson Murphy Lab acoustic guitars normally have gauge 12-53 strings.

What pickups are on Gibson Murphy Lab guitars?

Gibson Murphy Lab guitars have a range of different pickups fitted in order to suit the particular model and era being replicated. For example, early 50s Les Pauls have specially wound Gibson P90 single coil pickups, whereas 1959 Les Pauls will have carefully reproduced PAF-style humbuckers.

What are the Gibson Murphy Lab aging techniques?

The Gibson Murphy Lag aging techniques are a closely held secret. There are a range of different techniques to add aging to different parts of the body and hardware. There is a lot of speculation and guesswork online, but in terms of official techniques, there are only a few sporadic anecdotes from Tom Murphy, such as scoring the instrument finishes with scalpels and even car keys. Other stories talk about using different temperatures to affect the guitar finishes. Again, there is no official ‘how to’ guide in circulation.

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Gibson Murphy Lab

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Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab 1964 SG Standard Reissue with Maestro Vibrola Ultra Light Aged Pelham Blue (Nearly New) #400024

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Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab 1963 SG Special Lightning Bar Ultra Light Aged Classic White

£3,999.00 £4,699.00

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Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab 1964 SG Standard Reissue with Maestro Vibrola Ultra Light Aged Pelham Blue

£4,999.00 £5,499.00

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Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab 1964 SG Standard Reissue with Maestro Ultra Light Aged Cherry Red

£4,999.00

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Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab 1964 SG Standard Reissue with Maestro Vibrola Ultra Light Aged Pelham Blue (Nearly New) #400024

Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab 1963 SG Special Lightning Bar Ultra Light Aged Classic White

Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab 1964 SG Standard Reissue with Maestro Vibrola Ultra Light Aged Pelham Blue

Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab 1964 SG Standard Reissue with Maestro Ultra Light Aged Cherry Red

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