Gibson has announced the premier of its newest Gibson Custom Shop division, The Murphy Lab, a lab completely devoted to the craft of aging guitars.
Master Artisan Tom Murphy has dedicated twenty-five years of his career with Gibson developing his patented formulas and processes for creating aged, well-worn, and broken-in guitars. This passion for aged instruments and their beauty has brought about a new line of Gibson guitars bearing Murphy’s name, each with all the care to show for it.
Murphy has broken down aging guitars to a science. From the most minor wear to imperfect finish jobs one might find on a vintage guitar, The Murphy Lab has crafted a game changing process to deliberately and accurately create an aged guitar with modern methods and technology. Fifty aged Historic Reissue models make up the Murphy Lab Collection, all holding a special distinction as cloned recreations of the priceless original Gibson models – not just tributes.
Playing a key part in the creation of the collection, Gibson’s newly developed, reversed-engineered Nitrocellulose Lacquer finish gives the guitars a look and feel completely replicated from original Gibson guitars. The qualities of the Nitrocellulose Lacquer used in the 1950s and 1960s allowed the guitars to age in unique ways that, until today, could not be found outside of guitars made from that era. Murphy Collection guitars feature authentic, ultra-realistic, and long-lasting aged patterns in the spirit of vintage classics. Four ranges in wear make up the collection: Ultra Heavy-Aged, Heavy-Aged, Light Aged, and Ultra-Light Aged. Each stage of wear has features crafted with accuracy and authenticity as a prime priority.
The Murphy Lab Collection is a series of guitars that bear intentionally aged finishes to capture the spirit of a guitar that has been road worn and well loved. With plenty of care and strict attention to detail, Murphy’s passion for Gibson guitars, their history, and their place in music today is clear. This development marks a major point in the development of Gibson guitars and their legacy as it lives on today.
