We’ve already had the Les Paul Supreme and SG Supreme and now Gibson has announced the arrival of the ES Supreme – completing the triumvirate of the firm’s best-selling electric guitars.
The current Supreme range sits under Gibson’s Modern (as opposed to Traditional) Collection and stretches the classic formulas, by offering luxurious aesthetic touches, AAA maple tops and advanced electronic circuitry.
As such, like its predecessors, the ES Supreme has a AAA figured maple top, a pair of USA Burstbuckers (the Rhythm Pro and Lead Pros) and the option to coil-tap each humbucker via the pair of push-pull volume pots.
Again, as on the SG and LP Supremes, Gibson has pulled out all of the stops when it comes to the upgraded aesthetics – including gold hardware, Super Split block mother of pearl inlays and the Supreme ‘chandelier’ headstock inlay (based on a 1940s design rediscovered in the Gibson archive).
Similarly, there’s an array of contemporary yet seriously eye-catching finishes, most notably Seafoam Green and Blueberry Burst options, alongside the more conservative Bourbon Burst.
However, the ES stands apart from its fellow Supremes by continuing that finish onto the rear of the guitar, too, marking it apart from the plain-backed SG and LP.
In terms of construction materials, the AAA figured maple is combined in a three-ply laminate with poplar and maple for the top, back and sides. Then there’s maple centerblock, spruce bracing and a mahogany neck.
Meanwhile, the hardware includes an Aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge, stop bar, and Grover Locking Keystone tuners.
In addition to the usual spec, Gibson has also unveiled a three-pickup Ebony-finished option (available exclusively from its own site), which adds a Burstbucker Mid Pro in the central position and – when paired with the colorway and gold hardware – evokes an ES Black Beauty vibe.
The Gibson ES-335 has long been prized for its flexibility – finding its home in everything from heavy rock to jazz, blues and funk – but the new coil-tap options of the Supreme will broaden its horizons still further.
As Gibson’s Dinesh Lekhraj puts it: “the world’s most versatile guitar just became even more versatile.”
All of the new ES Supreme models are priced at $4,299. For more information, head to Gibson.
