What is The Murphy Lab Collection

Author:

Tom Murphy and the Gibson ES-335, ES-125, and ES-57. What is The Murphy Lab Collection?

Throughout the years, Tom Murphy has left a legacy on the Gibson guitars. His work has influenced various Gibson models, including the ES-335, the ’57, and the ES-125. This article will explore the legacy of Tom Murphy and the heavy-aged Gibson guitars he designed. You’ll also discover what custom bucker pickups and the ’57 model are all about.

Heavy Aged Gibson guitars

Using cutting-edge tools and processes, the Gibson Custom Shop’s Murphy Lab ages the guitars it creates. Each guitar in the Murphy Lab Collection features a unique aging process. They come in four distinct levels, each of which is named for a particular feature.

The Ultra Light tier features a lighter finish than the Heavy Aged tier. Light aging includes more minor dings, pick marks, and a light patina on the hardware. It also simulates an extra rolled fretboard binding edge.

Heavy aging features significant wear, including prominent checking patterns and neckwear. The hardware also features buckle rash and areas of exposed wood. It may seem like the finish is being applied randomly, but there are also careful top carves based on digital scanning of originals.

The Gibson Murphy Lab Collection includes those above and several replicas of the chemically recreated plastics and shades found on ’50s Bursts. There are even guitars aimed at one of four distinct levels of aging.

The Gibson Custom Shop’s Murphy Lab ages guitars into one of four levels, each named for a specific feature. The top-of-the-line models are the pricier of the group. The Murphy Lab Collection features replicas of the “Golden Era” guitars, including replicas of chemically recreated plastics and color-matched shades.

The Murphy Lab also has several other less expensive guitars. The cheapest Murphy Lab guitar costs just $4,299. The Murphy Lab’s most expensive model is $10,499. The pricier versions are available from Gibson’s Authorized Dealers. The company’s website offers a full factory warranty and is also the place to learn about custom guitars.

Murphy ES-335

Designed as a hybrid of both a solid-body guitar and a semi-acoustic guitar, the Gibson ES-335 is an electric guitar with a warm, dark sound. In addition to this tone, the guitar has excellent ergonomic performance characteristics. It is also a good choice for intermediate and professional gigging musicians.

The Gibson ES-335 was first introduced in 1958. The guitar features a solid center block for mounting the pickups. The neck is rounded and heftier than later models. However, the guitar still has a balanced weight. The neck also has a three-way selector switch.

Gibson ES-335s are available in a variety of configurations. These include a figured top, a CS-336, a traditional pro, and an Eric Clapton signature model. In addition to these models, Gibson produces a less expensive version of the ES-335 under the Epiphone brand.

ES-335s feature Gibson’s Calibrated T-Type humbucking pickups. The pickups offer excellent tone without being overpowering. The pickups have an empathetic design. They are an excellent choice for acoustic players and others looking for a mellow tone without too much feedback.

The Gibson ES-335 is also available in several different finishes. The ES-335 Figured is a beautiful guitar that features Gibson’s new Calibrated T-Type humbucking pickups, a thermally engineered maple center block, and a hand-wired control assembly. The guitar also has Vintage Deluxe tuners and a lightweight aluminum ABR-1 bridge.

The Gibson ES-335 has a body shape similar to the Gibson Les Paul. However, the ES-335 has a thicker gloss and thinner satin finish. It also has a neck joint at the 19th fret.

Murphy ’57 model

’57 Classic and ’57 Classic Plus pickups are faithful replicas of Gibson humbuckers from the late 1950s. The pickups are made with nickel-plated pole pieces, Alnico II magnets, and maple spacers. They offer a whole, rich tone with a slight vintage flavor.

Gibson’s “Patent Applied For” humbuckers were introduced in the late 1950s and became famous for their smooth tone and velvety output. Gibson made them using imprecise machines, and they’re still highly sought-after by players. These pickups are great for players who want a classic, vintage sound but don’t want to sacrifice modern electronics. These pickups also produce great sound when used with overdrive tube preamps.

Gibson’s ’57 Classic and ’57 Classic+ pickups are available in two and four-coil configurations. The two-coil models are great for playing warm, mellow tones, while the four-coil pickups produce a complete, even response. They are available with genuine gold-plated covers as well as nickel-plated covers.

The Gibson ’57 Classic and ’57 Classic+ are available in either sunburst or cherry red sunburst finishes. The sunburst finish was used on Gibson flat-top guitars in the late 1950s. The cherry red sunburst finish was used on Gibson Standard and Custom guitars.

The Gibson ’57 Classic and Gibson ’57 Classic Plus pickups are available with nickel-plated and gold-plated covers. The gold-plated covers are a little more expensive than the nickel-plated covers. The pickups also feature brass covers, height adjustment screws, and toggle switch covers.

Gibson’s ’57 Classic humbuckers feature vintage-style braided wiring and Alnico II magnets. They also have an original “Patent Applied For” decal on the baseplate. These pickups also come with maple spacers and a wax-potted Alnico II magnet.

Custom bucker pickups

Whether you want a classic rock sound or a modern tone, a Gibson pickup suits your musical needs. You can buy a single pickup or a set. You can also find pickups that are ready to install. Almost all of them have a unique voice.

The Custom Bucker pickup set from Gibson captures the soul of the PAF pickup. The pickup is hand wound and uses Alnico 3 magnets for a more dynamic feel. The pickups also feature Bumble Bee tone caps that give the pickup a warm singing “woman tone” when the tone controls are turned up.

The Burstbucker Pro is another Gibson pickup with a mellow tone and is known for the Jimmy Page sound. These pickups are a favorite among rock players for their crystal clear highs and enhanced low end. The Burstbucker Pro Bridge pickup adds more coil windings to the magnet, making it the most potent Gibson pickup available.

The Memphis Historic Spec is another pickup developed for the ES-335 and ES-339. These pickups have a warm voice and lovely top-end bite. They are an excellent choice for guitarists who want to emulate vintage tones.

The Swashbuckler pickup is beefier than the original Gibson pickup on the Les Paul. It also offers more grunt. The pickup is only available in the Slash model guitar, but it is an excellent choice for various musical styles. It also has a kill switch that turns the pickup off when you turn it off.

These pickups are available through Gibson’s website. All pickups are designed to offer your guitar the best possible tone.

The Legacy of Tom Murphy

Master Artisan Tom Murphy, an expert on guitar aging techniques, leads the Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab team. He has over 25 years of experience aging guitars, including his time with Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. He also developed the patented chemical processes required for the four different levels of aging.

Ultra Light Aging is the lightest touch. This finish simulates 50 years of average playwear, including softened edges, pick marks, and a soft flaking finish. The extra-rolled fretboard binding mimics the worn feel of a vintage Gibson.

The Heavy Aged tier is the Fender equivalent of the Relic. This finish is a mix of the Nitrocellulose finish that ages with the owner and the Green Lemon Fade, reminiscent of a classic sunburst.

Using Tom Murphy’s patented chemical processes, Gibson can provide a guitar with four different levels of wear and tear. Each guitar is uniquely aged to provide the most authentic look possible.

Murphy Lab is Gibson’s new division dedicated to building historic guitars. Each Murphy Lab guitar is crafted to mimic heavily used guitars from 50 years ago. The finishes are created with care and attention to detail.

The Gibson Custom Shop is a pinnacle of craftsmanship. They use their decades of expertise to produce the most authentic instruments possible.

Tom Murphy is the Master Artisan of Gibson Custom Shop. His passion for building historically accurate guitars is the driving force behind Gibson’s new division. He is a master of replicating vintage guitars on canvas. Tom’s expertise will help to cement the Gibson Custom Shop’s legacy.

The Gibson Custom Shop has launched the new Murphy Lab division. Gibson has created a collection of 50 guitars that are intentionally aged. The Murphy Lab finish treatments mimic decades of natural playing and create an authentic vintage look.

Each guitar in the Murphy Lab Collection is crafted with careful attention to detail. The finishes are chemically recreated plastics and are color-matched Gibson Sunburst shades. The guitars include Peter Green’s 1959 Les Paul Standard replicas and Jerry Cantrell’s signature “Wino” Les Paul Custom. Each Murphy Lab guitar is a one-of-a-kind work of art.

Murphy Lab is led by Tom Murphy, who has spent 25 years developing aging guitar formulas. Tom has used his knowledge of vintage guitars to create a new lacquer formula that allows for custom aging. Gibson claims the Murphy Lab guitars are a step up from the previous Gibson Custom ranges.

Custom Buckers with Alnico III magnets

Those looking to emulate the authentic sound of vintage PAF pickups will love Gibson Custom Buckers. These hand-wound pickups produce airy, responsive dynamics and deliver premium vintage tones. They feature historically accurate paper-in-oil capacitors and Alnico III magnets. These pickups also offer a warm, singing tone and crisp snarl at the bridge.

Gibson Custombuckers are based on the original PAFs of the late ’50s. These pickups are ideal for classic rock and blues styles. These pickups are also ideal for capturing the resonant tone of an Electric Spanish guitar.

Gibson Custom Buckers use Alnico III magnets, which offer a true sonic character similar to the legendary PAF humbuckers. These pickups also use unequal turns of 42 AWG wire in each coil. The extra turns help boost the output of the pickups. The coils are then scatter-wound to precision specs. This enables the pickups to be routed through the traditional four-knob control section.

Gibson Custom Buckers feature smooth Treble roll-offs and airy responsive dynamics. This allows the pickups to deliver a crisp, clean sound that cleans up beautifully at guitar volume controls.

Extra-rolled fingerboard binding

Using cutting-edge technology and the talents of master artisan Tom Murphy, Gibson Custom Shop’s Murphy Lab has been re-imagining Gibson Golden Era guitars for the modern age. Tom’s team has identified where Gibson Golden Era guitars acquire wear and create the tools to reproduce the look and feel of vintage Gibsons with authentic playwear.

One of the more notable features of Murphy Lab-aged guitars is their extra-rolled fingerboard binding. This extra-rolling process creates a wear pattern that mimics the look of worn Golden Era Gibsons. This binding style softens the feel of the guitar without changing its appearance.

Another cool feature of Murphy Lab-aged guitars is their VOS patina hardware. This hardware is designed to mimic the vintage Gibson finishes of the late ’50s. It has a heavy-aged finish designed to look like real ’50s Bursts.

Tom Murphy is a guitar-aging pioneer. He was instrumental in creating Gibson’s Custom Shop, and his expert craftsmanship has been replicated on guitars of legends. Tom’s processes are based on years of research, testing, and development. He has created four distinct levels of aging.

Four distinct levels of wear and tear

Murphy Lab Collection Guitars
Gibson Murphy Lab

Earlier this year, Gibson released its new Murphy Lab family of electric guitars. They feature period-accurate relic aesthetics and artificial aging techniques.

Gibson’s Murphy Lab division is led by guitar-aging expert Tom Murphy. Tom has been involved with Gibson guitars for 25 years and has perfected his craft. He has re-engineered the nitrocellulose lacquer finishes used in the ’50s and ’60s.

Tom Murphy has developed patented chemical processes that create four distinct levels of wear. Each guitar is unique and offers the ultimate vintage look. These aging techniques are applied by hand, and each guitar receives a new Murphy Lab lacquer formula.

The Gibson Custom Shop’s Murphy Lab Collection features 50 guitars in four wear ranges: Ultra Light, Light Aging, Heavy Aging, and Distress Aging. The four aging levels are designed to replicate the wear and tear of guitars used in decades past.

Ultra Light aging is the lightest touch, simulating decades of average play wear. A softened edge and light patina on hardware characterize Ultra Light aging guitars.

Gibson Murhpy Les Paul Collection Guitars

static.gibson.com product images Custom CUSCSA907 Kindred Burst front 500 500

Purchasing a Gibson Murhpy Les Paul collection guitar is an ideal way to get a set of guitars that are in excellent condition. Not only are these guitars well-constructed, but they also have a variety of options that you can choose from. These options include Custom lacquer, Aged finishes, and Custom Buckers with Alnico III magnets.

Custom Buckers with Alnico III magnets

Whether you are a purist looking for the “holy grail” tones of the original PAFs or looking for a more versatile pickup that offers classic tone and versatility, Gibson’s CustomBuckers with Alnico III magnets are a perfect choice. This model, built by Gibson’s Custom Shop, features authentic reproductions of the PAFs that initially appeared on the 1959 Les Paul Standard.

The Gibson Custom Buckers with Alnico III magnets are the most historically accurate PAF copies on the market. These pickups feature Alnico III magnets, which offer the right amount of pull for your desired sounds. They also offer an extended upper harmonic spectrum, which produces a more 3D sound and a crisp midrange growl. The CustomBuckers can be plugged in to provide a clean tone or overwound for more bite. The CustomBuckers provide an immaculate tone and respond naturally to the volume pot and playing technique.

Custom lacquer

Using the latest Gibson lacquer formulations, Tom Murphy and his team have created novel ways to create ultra-realistic aging patterns. These aging processes bring Gibson’s most iconic models closer to vintage examples.

Murphy Lab artisans apply subtle touches to each guitar. This includes a unique chemically-created plastic, a vintage original sheen finish reissue, and authentic ’50s tubeless truss rods for increased resonance. These elements are paired with aged hardware to give each guitar a classic, broken-in feel.

Tom Murphy has also developed unique aging processes and patented chemical processes that create four different levels of wear. The Ultra Light treatment simulates fifty years of average play wear. It also features intense lacquer-checking patterns, accompanied by softened edges.

The Poppy Burst finish has lost its red hue. The finish also resembles a dingy lemon. The Murphy Lab artisans have recreated checking on Les Paul.

The Gibson Custom Shop’s Murphy Lab department builds ultra-accurate recreations of iconic Gibson models. Each guitar is hand-applied with techniques to give it the ultimate vintage feel. This includes a compound radius ebony fingerboard that adds to the slinky feel.

Gibson ES 335 History

Aged finishes

Whether you’re looking for a heavy or light-aged guitar, Gibson Custom Shop offers many options to suit your needs. From the Murphy Painted Les Paul Standard to the ultra-heavy aged Les Paul Standard, you’ll find what you’re looking for in Gibson’s Murphy Lab collection.

As the name suggests, the Murphy Lab was designed to simulate the vintage feel of an authentic ’50s Burst. This includes heavy aging on the hardware, like the authentic ’50s tubeless truss rods and buckle rash. It also features period-correct plastics, like Royalite binding, butyrate knobs, and cellulose acetate butyrate inlays.

The Lab also devised novel ways to create ultra-realistic aging patterns. They feature multiple levels of aging to emulate the neckwear and checking patterns of the best ’50s Bursts.

Tom Murphy is the master of aging and has been perfecting his craft for over two decades. He has aged Slash, Jimmy Page, Peter Frampton, and Dickey Betts guitars. He also helped to create Gibson Custom’s 1993 Historic Les Paul models.

Necks

Depending on the model of the Gibson Les Paul guitar, the necks vary in thickness and shape. Generally, ’50s models will have thicker neck profiles, while ’60s models will have thinner ones. This makes each guitar feel different in the hand.

Gibson has introduced an ultra-modern weight relief method that helps enhance the guitar’s resonance and harmonic content. This means that the guitar will sound better with age. In addition, Gibson has added extra switching options to the Modern Collection.

For example, the Gibson Les Paul Tribute has a retro look that will make it a great live instrument. The guitar features a satin finish, dot inlays, a large pickguard, and a mild 490R pickup in the neck. This guitar will deliver a punchy and full Les Paul tone. It also features a 490T pickup in the bridge position.

Gibson’s Modern Collection, on the other hand, features bold aesthetics and cutting-edge appointments. It is a collection of guitars that is more contemporary while still adhering to Gibson’s design formula.