![]() ![]() 1976 New finish - Natural Maple Gloss.Nothing like the solid mahogany set necked SGs, Les Pauls and EB basses that were Gibson's solid-body mainstays. They were alder (or poplar?) bodied with a bolt-on maple neck. In late 1974 Gibson launched the Marauder M-1 guitar and Grabber G-1 bass. After all Fender had now been using them for close on two decades, and were doing very well. Techniques that had long been resisted, such as the use of bolt-on necks, scratchplate mounted controls, and the use of woods such as alder, poplar and maple, were finally acceptable. All the big American guitar companies were losing sales to new cheaper competitors production costs had to be reduced for certain entry level instruments. The oil-crisis, Viet Nam War, cheap imports from the far east and deep recession were all taking their toll. Guitar manufacturers in the USA were having problems. Some ideas were truly innovative (such as the circuitry in the RD Artist guitar and bass) whilst others were just new to Gibson. ![]() In the 1970s Norlin-owned Gibson dabbled in some new approaches to guitar building. ![]() The Gibson S1 debuted in 1975, the last of a number of models designed by Bill Lawrence, and one that really highlighted the realities of running a guitar business at the time. The Gibson S-1 was first announced in the June 1975 price list ![]()
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