Gibson Sonex 180-Deluxe Silver 1981 Vintage Electric Guitar

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Gibson Sonex 180-Deluxe Silver 1981 Vintage Electric Guitar

Here for sale we have a Gibson Sonex 180-Deluxe in Silver finish. Made in the USA in 1981, this guitar is a rare oddity from Gibson's history. During the early '80s, Gibson needed to diversify their line to compete with Fender's relatively inexpensive guitar designs. This particular guitar is finished in the rarest 'solid silver' colour, of which reportedly less than 100 left the factory. 

Several frugal features were employed, including the 'Multiphonic' body construction which comprises a sandwich of synthetic 'Resonwood' surrounding a Maple tonewood core. The guitar also features a bolt-on Maple neck, which is a real departure from Gibson's traditional set-neck construction. This is in addition to imported hardware and 'Velvet Brick' humbucking pickups, designed for Gibson by Bill Lawrence. Ultimately, the Sonex series was unsuccessful, and discontinued by 1984. This makes it a rare beast, which garnered something of a cult following amongst alternative scenes like Sludge Metal and Hardcore Punk. 

The Maple neck plays well, with a profile that feels rounded in the hand and offers easy fretting in all registers. The finish to the rear is nicely thin, and provides a tactile and pleasant playing surface that allows for smooth transitions up and down the neck. The Rosewood fingerboard with its 12" radius feels traditional for Gibson, and offers a sense of luxury to an otherwise no-frills playing experience. The familiar Les Paul body shape is comfortable in the arms, whilst the bolt-on neck joint feels slim compared to a Les Paul Standard and offers enhanced access to the upper frets. 

The pair of 'Velvet Brick' humbuckers installed were designed for by Bill Lawrence when he worked at Gibson, and feature a unique steel mounting plate design along with three height adjustment screws and an uncovered 'Zebra' coil look. The pickups have a relatively high output which drives an amp well whilst providing a thick and fuzzy tone, well suited to punk and heavy rock genres. The neck pickup is rounder, whilst the bridge pickup provides plenty of brightness for cutting through the mix. The traditional dual-humbucker control layout offers comprehensive control of your sound in an easy to use package. A well-preserved rare and interesting curiosity from Gibson's long history. 

Brand - Gibson

Model - Sonex 180-Deluxe

Finish - Silver

Year - 1981

Made In - USA

Body - Multiphonic 'Pancake': Resonwood/Maple /Resonwood

Neck - Maple

Fingerboard - Rosewood

Fingerboard Radius - 12"

Frets - 22

Scale Length- 24.75"

Nut Width - 1.6875"

Pickups - 2x Gibson 'Velvet Brick' Exposed Coil Humbuckers

Controls - 3-Way Toggle Switch, Neck Volume, Neck Tone, Bridge Volume, Bridge Tone

Luthier Report

Our ID: 10201247922

Weight: 9lbs

Serial Number: 81761668

Aesthetic Condition:

Headstock: Overall very good condition. All aspects of the headstock demonstrate light scratching and indentation, in line with mild playwear for a guitar of this age. The most notable indentation is to the top edge, with the wood lightly revealed to the treble side corner. The truss rod cover has one corner which has snapped, meaning only two screws are functional. 

Neck: Overall very good condition. The rear of the neck demonstrates various light indentations most notably behind the 3rd fret on the bass side. None of these markings are felt under the thumb in playing position, and do not affect the overall playability of the instrument. The fingerboard demonstrates light markings, difficult to discern against the grain of the wood. 

Body: Overall very good condition. The top layer of finish has begun to wear away in high contact points such as the bass side lower bout edge, lightly revealing the base coat layer. The centre of the rear face shows markings consistent with buckle rash. Very light scratching and indentation is apparent to all aspects of the body, as can be expected with an instrument of this age.

Condition of Frets:

The frets show moderate signs of use, not affecting playability. Denting and flattening of the frets is noticeable through the entire register. There is light material remaining for any light fret work the new owner may wish to perform. 

Current Set Up:

Truss Rod Condition: Fully functional and adjustable. Truss rod tool (3/16" hex) not included.

Hardware Condition: Fully functional with moderate signs of wear, in-line with the age of the instrument. 

Structural Condition: No concerns or issues to note.

Height of the string from the 12th Fret- Treble 1.5mm - Bass 2.5mm

Please be aware that the action on a guitar may move slightly in transit and this measurement is the current height.

Strings on Guitar - 10-46

Electrics:

Full working order. 

Case & Accessories:

Moulded hard case.

The case shows notable signs of wear, with one latch missing. The case still functions as expected. Truss rod tool (3/16” hex) not included. 

Please be aware that for international buyers import fees are not included in our postage and packaging cost, this only covers the cost of the guitar being sent to you. Import fees will be charged by Customs upon the guitar's arrival in the recipient country. Due to Brexit, this also applies to EU buyers. We advise checking the total import cost with Customs as this is not information we are able to accurately provide.

About Us

We are a Manchester based retailer specialising in second hand guitars with both an online store and a physical shop in Ashton Under Lyne. All of our guitars have been checked over and setup in our workshop where a thorough luthier report is also written to accompany the description. This means you will know exactly what to expect whenever you purchase a guitar from us.

Please view our excellent eBay feedback, from over 1000 happy customers, many of which commend the accuracy of our listings. 

Unfortunately we are unable to arrange viewings, offer part exchange or negotiate on our prices on this platform. Please visit our website if you wish to discuss any of the above.

Luthier Report

Our luthier reports are designed to be as critical as possible as we want to avoid any unwanted surprises when you receive your new guitar. Our pictures are designed to best show the guitars condition as we want to give as honest a view of our products as possible.

If you have any questions regarding our luthier report, or if anything is unclear, please do not hesitate to send us a message and one of our technicians will get back to you.

Returns

All of our guitars come with a 30 day no questions asked returns policy.

If you just are not getting along with your new gear you are welcome to return it within 30 days for a full refund. We will ask you to pay the return shipping cost and will need to receive your order back in the condition we sent it. Once we receive your item, we will inspect it and notify you that we have received your returned item. We will notify you on the status of your refund after inspecting the item.