Custom shop?

[LarryUK]

When did the Custom shop start? I've read that it started in the 90's but there are guitars from the 80's from the CS. I know Gibson have always done custom orders, but what is the actual story?

[pippy]

Yes, as you say, there had been a 'custom shop' department of Gibson since at least the 1920's but AFAIK the 'Custom Shop' you are talking about was set up in 1993 and originally called the 'Historic Division'. Their primary goal was to produce the Historic Reissue instruments. These instruments had a 'Historic Division' water-slide on the rear at the peghead / neck interface area. The water-slide was still in use in 1994 but I believe that by (in?) 1995 this practice had stopped so perhaps the re-naming happened around this time?

Here's a 'Historic Division' water-slide decal on my 1993 '59 LP Reissue # 9 3131;

Pip.

[LarryUK]

I ask as I've had someone on another forum say he's got an 83 Custom shop Korina Explorer with a CS sticker on it.

[pippy]

Yes, as we've already said, the Custom Shop has existed in one way or another for pretty much a century(*). It all depends on which particular version of the Custom Shop you are thinking about. These days, for instance, the Les Paul Custom guitars are all built by the Custom Shop rather than the USA-line as was the practice beforehand. Water-slides have been used for decades to signify the CS instruments. Google 'Gibson Custom Shop decal' and just see what comes up; there have been dozens of different decals used over the years by the CS.

https://www.google.c...iw=1366&bih=650

Pip.

 

(*) The Custom Shop decals usually say 'From 1894'.