Gibson Marauder

I think I may have one of the only Marauders that came to me with dueling humbuckers. I have replaced almost every stock peice of this guitar except the neck, body, and pickguard. It has a lightning fast neck, a plain mahogany body, a maple neck, and tune-o-matic bridge. Overall a good axe.

With a few simple mods, this guitar sounds awesome! I took out the DiMarzios, and install PRS Dragon II pu's. I plug it into a Marshall VS-100 half stack and this beast has sustain for days! I can't really dial in much of a clean sound, but I have a Les Paul for that.

I had to install new tuning machines and cut new saddles for the tune-o-matic bridge, but nothing I wouldn't expect to have to do on a 20yo used guitar.

I beat the everliving snot out of this axe, and it just keeps on tickin'. I never gig without a backup, but I rarely have to use it when I rock my Marauder.

I repair all my guitars myself, so that element of support is out. But I know a few of the guys at Gibson myself, most of 'em are cool guys.

I love this guitar. I most definately got my money's worth. Anybody looking for an awesome mod guitar, the Marauder is definately worth a look. You can't beat it!

made in usa serial no. 549448, 2 piece maple neck headstock/volute beginning at 3rd fret, rosewood fingerboard, I guess mahogany 3 piece body came completely original.
Price in 1995 680 Deutschmarks was roundabout 450 USD at the time.

Blues it is and yes this guitar suits it. Especially when I finally realised that this guitar will never gain collectors attention and I finally did what I allway wanted to: I swapped HB and Single coil. Before I did this, the Humbucker was good but a tiny little bit muddy and the single coil was close to useless because it had nearly no output at all and was overly bright/sharp. Now the single coil is so very sweeet in clean settings, sings in crunch and the humbucker adds what it needs when it comes to distortion. Amps Peavey Classic 30 + Marshall Tremolo Stompbox, Epiphone & Peavey 5 Watts Class A, sometimes Vox 15W Transistor sometimes +Ibanez TS9 Original

Bought second hand, the set-up was fine with me.
Stays in tune even though the tuners where crap when new and time took its toll....
Nice low action, wide C-shape neck very comfortable and fast.

Very dependable, but I never ever gig without backup.
Built like a tank, and with all its beauty :(

No idea

American Fender Bullet, korean Ibanez AMA 72, jap.Fender Mustang Bass, jap. Fender Performer Bass, Chinese Epiphone EB=0 Bass Ampeg T 15 Flip-Top Bass Combo, Dynacord Bass-King Amp + 2x12 Box.
I play drums for 35 years, guitar and bass for 18 years.
The sweet clean sound of the single coil is what I love.
Good playability, good humbucker in bridge position I can get from many guitars. But this single coil is unique and simply lovely; I have no comparison for it
I read so much about the replaced pickups I??d really like to buy two of them.
Also I??d like to buy a S 1, that the one with the 3 single coils.
And , if it came my way, another marauder with a maple neck/fretboard would be fine.

It's all been said by those in the know... I'd like to comment on the opinionated fools who put down this guitar... The timber in these guitars is real and guitar makers like PRS or Fender or Gibson would kill to be able to access timber of this grade in 2007! Mine came secondhand with a Dimarzio PAF PRO and a HS2... Sounds great :-) It has all the features of a guitar.... so it has everything!

I play 70's to 07's and this can do most without issue... the after-market pickups help from what others have said but again in the right hands even crap guitar can sound pretty good. I go straight into a Marshall JCM900 50w 2x12 combo... it cranks! The single coil is noisy... now that's a surprise.

No idea how it was setup from the factory... I touched up the truss-rod and made minor adjustments to the bridge harmonics and height and she plays great... good gibson type neck (same as my Les Paul Junior Special) Finish and fit is sus with a GAP where the neck meets the body but the neck doesn't move at all... This has been banged around and played professionally for the past twenty years and it's still a gigging guitar... very cool!

Industrial design!

No idea.

The timber makes the noise... and this has beautiful timber... so it makes beautiful noise... the Dimarzio pickups are tops and this makes me happy... I've been playing for 35 years... and I also have 2 USA Strats, and Gibson Junior Special, Ibanez JEM77FP, Ibanez RG570, a couple of Roadstars... I bought this as it looked loney in a guitar shop where it had been for years... unloved and unplayed... the teenage shop assistant offered to show me some painted Samicks "as they are better guitars" :-) FOOL!! Wat I love about this guitar is that it has character and personality in sounds and playability... as someone else said it's a fun guitar to shred out on and it's not the same old same old... It was a weird period of guitar making and I still want a Gibson L6S for my growing little collection. One last comment... If I don't play it... I sell it... so I really only keep working guitars and not show ponies... and this is a great little work-horse!

Has only one volume knob and 2 switches. (weird)
A yellow colored finish.
flying v head.
maple neck.
3 pickups.

I play punk music and the sound sounds so good on my marshall amp.
I dont use any affects besides distortion and it has a ac-dc sound to it.
you can play a punk/rock and even some blues.

I would be better if it had more knobs, but thats about it.

BUILT TO LAST!!!

I gave the code nuber to the company and asked about it and all they said was "1976" Not to good feed back.

VERY GOOD SOUND, THATS ALL THAT MATTERS!

Very simple guitar. I\ve replaced the single coil with humbacker, because it didnt came with original single coil, so f"ck it.

Bridge - DiMarzio Super Distortion, Neck - Seymour Duncan Air Classic
Sounds very good, like SG with little more sharpness. I play thru VOX AC 30 amp. Only two effects are Boss dual overdrive and some crappy wah wah pedal (made in china by those little workers)...

I always set action to very low so i have some string buzz, but nevermind, it's heard only unplugged. I have new frets installed, so it's ok. Finish is little bite screwed, but i dont give a damn.

I think it will last. It's gibson

Great. I mailed them to send me a schematics, and they did!

Playing ALT/PUNK/ROCK for about 10 yrs, and I don't like les pauls, but this Gibson guitar is good. I think I saw it in Teenage Kicks video ftom Undertones and David Grohl is playing it sometimes, also as Joshua from Queens of the stone age, so it's not bad guitar at all. Buy one if you can...

The features are the same as most of the below mentioned. single cut away big tune-o-matic bridge,Gibson tuners,3 piece neck maple fb, hard shell case. Mine is a mahogany body in tobacco sunburst & 3-way selector(retro fit). A basic electric guitar. Here's the big one.. a bolt-on neck. Which is the basis for all the hubbub on this Gibson.

The sound is what makes this guitar stand out. First of all this is not a Les Paul nor was it ment to be. It has Bill Lawrence pups in it that can go from crisp clean tones to deep and muddy. I play blues and rock
this guitar sound great with my fender blues jr. My strat sounds great also but the marauder has a different tone to it that you don' get out of other guitars. I did take that blender out and put a 3 way in . I think the blender was choking the pups.

I bought this guitar in 1977+- new and have tinkered with it over the years. so i don't rememband how the set up was. But the action is great, low and fast with no fret buzz through the amp. The finish still shines and show no sign of checking. At first I didn't care for the maple finger board but have since come to appreciate it. It brightens up the hum bucker a bit and gives the single coil a little twang.

Reliability ? It's 30 years old and still in great shape other than skratches & dings.

Who? What? Never needed it. Only now do I see Gibson saying anything about this guitar on their web-site, along with the S-1. We'll see what the next few years does for this guitars checkered past.

Been playing for over 30 years. It's my "therapy". I also play a strat, tele, Ibanez as-73 and a sea gull. Nothing really great but I don't need great only fun. If it was lost or stolen I would be on line looking for another one ASAP. I love the neck and super humbucker and it looks cool too. I hate when jerks bash this guitar. If you don't like it thats fine, but don't make up Gibson history or call it sub par, the 70's where a hard time for all American manufacturer's because of imports from Japan. If it came out today it might sell well, the line between Gibson and Fender has been blurred since the 70's. It was an entry level guitar made by Gibson, try to find an entry level Gibson today that is as versatile. I recommend this guitar to any one that plays anything but metal. But be careful as of today two out of the seven for sale on line have questionable descriptions.
If you are lucky and get one you will not be disappointed.

Made in the good ole' USA probably in 1978. It was purchased in '78 by my brother, so I assume it was made the same year.

Either alder or mahogany LP-shaped body with a bolt-on maple neck (one piece) with a maple fretboard. Flying V shaped headstock. TOM bridge and typical Gibby tuners. Finish on the thick baseball-bat neck is a thick, sticky, yellowish lacquer variety.

Slanted single coil in the bridge, humbucker in the neck position. Curly-wurly black pickguard on a natural body. Chicken-head rotating knob to switch pickups.

It's a bit odd-looking... Think of a LP with a Fender-neck and a V headstock. It looks... psychedelic.

It's heavy. But then it's a one-piece body and I don't mind.

Nice.

It's a FANTASTIC sound for blues and classic rock. You could probably even make it work for country.

I play mostly blues with this thing and it is the beez knees! I play this either through a clean Laney amp with a FulldriveII for overdrive or through a late seventies Princeton (Japanese 2x12 solidstate - FATTEST cleans you'll ever hear). Sounds great!

The single coil is bright and snappy, but darker than a Strat in the bridge position. The bucker is fat as a hat and through the solidstate Princeton I can get convincing BB King singing leads.

It sounds... organic.

Not bad for 28-year-old pickups.

It was probably never set up so the action on the B and high E strings it a tad high.

Pickups are well adjusted.

This guitar's nearly 30 years old, so the hardware's lost it's chromey shine and the body's original nitro finish wore off years ago. The body's got a few minor dings and what looks like a smudge from a black marker pen.

But everything's in working condition.

I don't think you could kill this if you tried.

It's survived almost three decades. My brother used it to gig playing folksy artsy music. Then it sat in its case for about ten years untouched. Then when I was fifteen I got my paws on it and used it to play hardrock and metal, which probably explains the dings and the marker stain. Then it sat in its case again for a few years whilst I bought other guitars. I've recently rediscovered it as a great blues guitar.

one-piece body, bolt-on one-piece maple neck with a thick finish and solid hardware. After all this time the pickups don't even crackle.

Strap-buttons are the usual Gibson tiny ones. But if you've got a good strap, they'll do just fine. Never understood the need for straplocks. I'm not a hairspray rocker who does high kicks on stage and flings his guitar around his neck, so... Just strap buttons will do, thanks.

Never dealt with Gibson. But they made this here great piece of gear so they can't be all bad.

I've been playing for 17 years. I have own a MIK Fender Strat, a Yamaha Mike Stern, a Yamaha PAC 604w, an Epi faded SG, an Ibanez S540FM and a Kramer Striker. Ampwise I own a Laney hybrid, a Tech21 and a 70s Japanese solidstate called Princeton.

These days I play mostly blues and classic rock and I'm quite fond of my Marauder. It has a character all of its own and it's built to last.

At one stage, in my metal years, I actually thought of selling the Marauder. I'm SO happy that I didn't cuz I really love it.

Gibson should be more proud of this one.

US made, 22 frets, natural finish solid alder body, maple neck, rosewood finger board, 2 volume/tone pots, 3-way pup toggle switch, Humbucker/Tele-esque blade style single coil pups, Tune-O-Matic bridge, gibson flying-v-esque tuners, 24 1/2 scale medium frets, came with a case , a strap and a curly cord.

I'm playing this thing out of a Marshall 1960A cab and a AVT150 head and the sound you get out of the humbucker is a very muddy like quality and a bright twangy sound from the single coil in the bridge. Now the Humbucker is decent but it's far from ideal, you can get some good fat rhythm tones from the neck and the neck/bridge combo but clarity isn't going to be as clear as some other guitars. If you turn down the tone on the single coil pup and scoop the mids, the guitar sound becomes very thick but it has a sharp knife quality that can cut through any mix. If you set the amp EQ just right you can make this guitar sound fairly decent but don't expect that fender twang/gibson solidness.The tone may come up short but I'm in love with the epoxy encased pups, it really sets this guitar from any others. The pickups remind me of those insects that get fossilised in amber, I wouldn't change them out for anything else even if the sound quality is sub-par.

Well I got my marauder off of ebay for roughly 500 bucks. The guitar was in perfect condition, apparently the original owner bought it for his son back in 1975 and his son never played it. So it went in storage for 20 some odd years until it was purchased by a family friend who in turned put it up on auction to which I bid/won the guitar. The guitar's action was really high so I adjusted the tune-o-matic but I couldn't lower the action without getting fret buzz. So then I tried tighting up the truss rod and the guitar now plays smooth and fast. By the looks of it the truss rod was never touched in the 30 years of it's life, beauty. My only complaints is that it needs a wiring job and the toggle switch isn't grounded so it hums a lot.

The tuners went out on the original owner so that he purchased gotoh/gibson tuners on it. Might need to buy some new ones too G doesn't stay in tune very well. It's starting to develop neck whammy as well. The finish is crap, I first thought it was a satin finish but it's just a very thin laquer of finish. The strap buttons are perfect condition, the buttons and the Bridge chrome pieces are in perfect shape no sign of aging/rust on them what so ever. I've gigged with this guitar before and other than having to check tuning every 4-5 tunes or so it holds it's own extremely well.

Gibson doesn't want to remember this guitar at all. It was a stab at fender's bolt on twang but they were stabbing with a dull spoon.

This guitar is a real work of art, even if it's gibson red-headed step child I love it with all of my heart. It's one of the most unique looking guitars I've seen in awhile and I wouldn't sell/trade it for anything. I first saw this guitar from one of the guitarist from asian kung-fu generation and learning that it was a Gibson I did some research on it and when I found out more about it the more I wanted it. So what if the sound quality is crap, it doesn't make me not want to pick it up and play it everyday. This guitar is unique, has a fun history, aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and is reasonably cheap. If you come across this guitar wether you see it on ebay or in a pawn shoppe I recommend you take the time have a look at it and really consider buying it.

1979 Marauder USA ser# 72779638 This 22 fretter has the original single coil/humbucker pickups with 1 volume 1 tone and rotary pickup controls With the chicken head knob on a black scratch plate. The body is mahogany with walnut satin finish(that wore off years ago)and a maple neck/walnut stained finish(worn off ofcoarse)with the maple finger board and jumbo frets(worn out completely)And Gottoh tuners(the factory ones wore out in like 5 years)

I play very hard ALLWAYS and this axe just sounds great for what I like to do with it

It allways plays great and when it needs a tune up ,This time it needs the works ,refretting ,nut, rewiring . But overall, it,s been a great axe ,All but early tuner meltdown ,All is good with my Marauder

This guitar can take a severe beating And come back for more and has done so in the 25 years I,ve had it. My Gibson Flying Vee very fragile compared to my Marauder,This guitar can be used as a sledgehammer and still look and play great NUFF SED

As far as Gibson is concerned about this guitar ,It was made on Mars.All my work to my guitars are done inhouse

Been playing since 1975 and started with a Framus acoustic then put a cheap humbucker and tv panpots and 1/4 RCA jack output in it and an AGS PA amp with a 10 in TV speaker And I was hooked . Next came the Gibson copies till I saw Ron Wood playing an S-3 ,I had to have one,These things were in every guitar shop I was in, So I saw the one I wanted and went to that shop every week and would pick it up and play it for awhile ,looking at the 1000.00 dollar price tag go to 500.00 then to 349.00 and bought it on the spot. Since then I,ve had a few and only kept my 67 Fender Tele ,84 Gibson Flyig Vee and the 79 Gibson Marauder .You can have them when you can pry the from my cold dead fingers.

Mid 70's model 24.4 inch scale with a harmonic, sub-par humbucker in the front and a thin sounding tele pickup in the bridge.

Les Paul shaped, glued in neck

Thin microphonic sound from sub-par pickups

This was a time when north american/gibson quality was so sub-par that people who viewed quality, not name brand, started looking at gibson type models from yamaha, ibanez etc (similar to people looking at japanese cars as an alternative to the american ones

Again with the sub-par quality, the action, neck feel, fret work was sup-par. One could have replaced the pickups, hard to put work on a new sub-par neck

I don't know. I bought the guitar used in the late 70's for $200 and sold it 6 months later for the same thing (which I was lucky to get that time)

To think these guitars are going for $800 and a guitar magazine praised them as 25 year old vintage guitars is once again showing how name and age is rated over quality by too much of the market.

Without a gibson name it would probably be selling for the same as a used Kay, Harmony etc (which are over priced because they are considered "north american vintage"

As stated previously, it was such sub-par north american quality from gibson, fender etc that put companies like yamaha, ibanez etc in the north american market and bought by non-beginners.

Buy another guitar that is half the price and fix it up, like you would have to with this one

Don't get in the folly of certain guitar magazines that view name and years old over quality. This is why any quality used american guitar is way over-priced today

Mid 70's USA made, but could have been made in any country where quality is considered lousy. It was made in the time when American and Gibson quality was at an all time low.

(Bad)microphonic, weak Humbucker in fron, Bad thin sounding tele single at the bridge

Crap, (Bad)microphonic, weak Humbucker in fron, Bad thin sounding tele single at the bridge.

Played through a recently new tube Marshall, so it is not the amp that is the problem.

Lousy playing neck and poor quality fret work

I don't know, I sold it as fast as I got it.

If the Gibson name was removed, this guitar would be seen as a piece of Taiwan, Korean etc. crap, not as a vintage Gibson as certain magazines like Guitar World claim.

I bought it cheap for $200 and sold it for the same. Pity, I did not hang on to it, where I could have sold it for $800 to certain people who think a just being 30 year old Gibson, results in a great playing and sounding Guitar

This Guitar is good for being in music videos where one does not need to play the thing.

It was poor quality crap like this that from Gibson and Fender that resulting in brands like Ibanez, Yamaha etc gaining a foothold with professional players who looked for quality, not just the name on the neck

USA made, set neck, with a crappy humbucker in the neck and a crappy single coil strat type pickup in the bridge.

Absolute crap. If you took the Gibson name off, you would swear it was a Vibra or some other crappy make

Back neck feel, bad body feel as stated before if you took the Gibson name off, you would swear it was a Vibra or some other crappy make

I bought this for $250 in 1978 and sold if for the same in one year.

I can't believe the prices this is going for.

This is what allowed Ibanez, Yamaha etc to gain a foot hold in the market.

To read Guitar World saying it is a 25 year old classic is judging name and years but not quality

Hi, i have one off the first series of marauder. But aparently someone took the neck off and screw it on another body. It doesn't fit well actually. Besides that i had to completely remove the finish because someone thought you should also finish the rosewood fingerboard (really stupid eh?) Anyway i took it down to a great guitarbuilder and he completely redid the neck. It cost a small fortune but eversince it's perfect. It's fast, small and nice.
The pickups are really special. It has a single coil at the bridge that is not as noisy as a strat and i can scream like a pig with it. (try a bottleneck close to the bridge and any glass should break.) The humbucker is great for those deeper sounds and a combination of the two produces a very rich sound only a Marauder could bring forth.

I play blues, rock, heavy and mostly experimental (chaos really..) I can do all with this one. It's a bit heavy to play on stage so i mainly use it for home recordings.

I bought it second or third hand and it was absolutely not set properly. I took everything apart had to clean it and even had to replace some of the wiring. Took it back together again. You've read about the finish. So it became a real custom.

It's a very solid guitar. I can even bend the neck without getting out of tune. It also reacts well on tempature changes.

What? Gibson don't want to remember this guitar. After a really long search on their website you can find a very small mention about Keith Richards trying one at the factory.

I played this guitar for 15 years now with several others like an SG, Fender strat and a firebird. I keep coming back to the marauder because it's reliable, has great sounds and plays very easy. The only thing i don't like is the position of the switch. More than once i accidently pushed it while playing. I whish i had the model with the turnknob so that you can put more balance between the pickups.
If it was stolen i would personally hang the person who did it. Don't mess around with my marauder.

I have a 1976 Marauder Custom. It has a heavy alder body, painted in tobacco brown sunburst, a bound rosewood board, bolt on neck with block inlays, and as far as I can tell, all original spec parts. The tuners are "Gibson Deluxe" tulip style tuners, and the pick-ups are a Lawrence single coil and humbucker. The frets are very wide. A 3 way toggle switch is fitted. A Gibson hard case was included.

The guitar is thick, heavy and quite angular, unlike a Strat. Even the flat edges of the body have a sunburst shading applied, as if Gibson wanted to prove it is made of solid wood! The giant pickguard gives a very retro appearance.

My music style is blues and rock. This guitar is particularly suited to blues sounds. The bridge single coil gives a better sound than the position 1 on my Strat. It is less brash and twangy, but still bright and cutting. The combined sound is perfect for blues rhythm and lead, with a clear, middle rich sound. The humbucker is loud, and sustains well. The difference in volume between all 3 positions can be useful sometimes. There is very little hum from the bridge pick up. This guitar is not ideal for hard rock - it gives me a slightly mellow vibe when I play it. But it's unbeatable for blues.

I bought this Marauder second hand, from a shop advertising on eBay. The action was incredibly low, which made me confident that the neck and intonation were correctly set up. After finding that the sounds best suited blues music, I raised the action a lot so that I could bend a string or two. I also had to lower the pick ups a little. A little bit must have at some time in history chipped off the nut, so I might replace that. The pick up selector sometimes misses a contact, so I'll clean or replace it. The volume & tone controls are like new. The tuners are OK. The paint finish shows some wear, as you'd expect on a 29 year old. The muddy brown sunburst shows some wood grain, but in the end it isn't very exciting. I wish that the shiny bits could have been either chrome or nickel plated rather than both. The tuners and neck plate have an attractively faded patina, but the bridge and stop piece look brand new.

This guitar is as hard as nails. A clear advantage of a simple design. The tuning holds up to several hours of playing at different temperatures. If the finish wears down, it'll only add to it's semi-vintage character, because the sound won't be affected. I could use it at a gig without a back up, but that is always risky however good the guitar. The pick up selector switch and chipped nut will need attention soon.

N/A. Second hand instrument.

I liked this guitar as soon as I found it on eBay because I used to have a regular Marauder from 1981 to 83. I traded it in for my 1982 "Smith" Strat. Seeing a Custom for sale 22 years later, in excellent condition made me very nostalgic. I've been playing guitar since the age of eight or ten. I'm a little disappointed that it is best suited to blues rather than rock (or both), but then it isn't trying to be a Les Paul. I'll continue to use my (more versatile) Strat for rock then.

Dunno when it was made - serial number is 99103300 - think it's around 1975. Saw it in a shop window in 2000 and decided it would be mine (something I've never done for any other instrument). Was in a terrible condition when I got it - the previous owner had changed the bridge for a Les Paul bridge (big mistake), but luckily had left the original so I quickly put it back. It has this weird Dean Markley accoustic pickup inside the board which when you switch it on just adds the noise from the friction of your hand on the neck - but does nothing else. I love it even though it's completely pointless as you can hardly tell the difference! The other pickups seem to be original (and so might this one but I have no idea to be totally honest - never seen it on another Marauder). Otherwise, It's Alder, and the f***er sitting next to me has been playing it for a couple of hours and won't stop.

I give it 9 because it plays on a slightly lower volume than say a Les Paul, and that there are the occasional parasites, but I love the sound. I mainly use the neck hum pickup but also use the back one when playing lead. The Humbucker has one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever listened to. Also the body of the guitar rings so beautifully...

The neck is twisted, the guitar is dirty but funnily enough tightening a few screws here and there does the job. Very pleasant play despite many faults.

Solid as a rock - I guess - It feels like it would have lasted A few gigs from The Who had he traded it for his SG... It's been in the luggage compartement on the plane, played many gigs (about 15 or so)... But then again as any Woman - you always think it's frail...

Never had to deal with Gibbo... Would like to contact them to know more about my guitar but have never come round to it.

Been playing since I was 12 (I'm now 23). I play it on a Montarbo 40W Amp (very good Italian brand from the 1980's) with a Jackhammer Marshall distortion and a Morley Wah... Would Kill anyone who came anywhere close to it, so hands off pals... I love everything about this guitar and will cherish it till death do us part... Great price for an amazing guitar full of character...

1980; 22-fret, smooth p/u dial, vol tone, not sure of body wood, neck is maple with a maple fingerboard, heastock same as a Flying V, currently primer grey finish- eventualy will be a dark blue, added a Gibson SuperTune locking whammy (six months after I bought the guitar in 1980) it!), currenly has stock neck pickup and a 1983 Seymour Duncan DoubleStack in the lead position, picked up a 1976 Marauder hard case on ebay lasy year (beat up and beautiful)

Great for rock, not so fore metal; has the most beautiful clean tone around; using it with a 50w Crate Vintage tube and it sounds great; lead tone is a bit light, bridge p/u with good tube distortion sounds like a Les Paul; I do have some problems with clicks, pops and electrical noise, but that will be fixed. I am in the process of rehabbing the whole thing

factory setup was great (I am the original owner), but I have played the hell out of it, so it is in need of some work. I keep it well intonated, ut time has taken its toll.

This guitar is built like a tank. With the Gibson locking system, I can pick the guitar up by the bar and it won't go out of tune.

n/a

playing 25 years... this was my first good guitar. I have others now that most would consider "better" but this is a Gibson and has great construction, it sounds great and plays well- I still use it for most of my rhythm tracks. I like that it has a skinnier neck than most Gibsons and I love how low I can keep the action w/o buzz.

Mine is a 1978, made in USA. Serial # would indicate Kalamazoo origin, but I can't imagine they wouldn't have made this at Nashville. Who knows?

Appears to be 100% original. Dark wood (alder?) body, unbound maple fretboard. Has black pickup covers on both the neck humbucker and bridge sigle coil (both dated September 1978), and against the black pickguard looks way cool. Dial pickup sleector positioned between master volume and tone knobs. Plus it's super light - even lighter than my ash Tele.

Les Paul-style body with beveled edges. No binding. Stop tailpiece w/typical Marauder/S-1 type bridge. Big fat jumbo frets and Gibson tuners. Flying V - style headstock w/Gibson sticker-style logo.

Has everything you need - no frills.

Kinda of reminds you of a beefed-up telecaster or something. I don't know. Has this blending switch that allows gradual combining/exclusion of the Lawrence-designed humbucker and single coil pickups. Pickups are a little noisy, but not a problem.

Very versatile guitar - good for lots of things, though if I were playing only one particular style, I would play something better suited to that particular style.

Great action, great setup. Played great right out of the case. I bought it used (obviously), and had to do very little to make it ideal. Even the pots are clean.

Nice workmanship - nothing jumps out as needing anything. Nothing fancy to worry about.

Play her 'till you smash her into the stacks! Everything on this guitar seems like it will last forever. Everything solid.

Never gig without a backup.

Gibson's had some trouble - seem to be getting better.

Been playing ~25 years. Have lots of other guitars. I prefer electric solid bodies (mostly Gibsons and Fenders). Use old Fender and Marshall amps and an assortment of pedals and rack units.

I'd replace it if lost if I found one that looked this cool. I can't say I'd jones for the sound necessarily.

1976 Gibson Marauder - i think mine is one of a kind?!!?! 22 frets original pick ups. Les Paul style 3 way switch....oh did i mention mine is a LEFTY?!?! Well i didn;t start out that way. I bought it 2nd hand in Calgary Canada. It was professionally cut and insides moved over to accomidate left hand playing. The les paul style bulb has been cut so the body is symetrical on both sides. I love it. If anyone wants to see i pic email me.

Had the bridge replaced, sounds SWEET...very full and bassy.

10

Smooth action, easy to play, with the custom cut body very easy to play on the 12-22 frets. This geetar seems light...probably cuz much of the wood has been removed from the body.

Pretty tough this thing, only thing is the tuning pegs might need replacment some time.

Been playing for 20 15 years, its hard to find a decent priced lefty that plays nice, specially old leftys. I love this geetar, and i like the custon chop of it:)

1980 USA Made Gibson Marauder. 22 frets. Solid Body, looks like 1 piece Mahogany. One Volume control, 1 tone control, and a rotary blender switch. 1 Neck Humbucker and 1 bridge single coil. Both are covered. Pickups are stock Gibsons, but i heard they were designed by Bill Lawrence. Mahogany Body, Maple Bolt on neck with rosewood fingerboard. Used to have a transparent finish, but the idiot who had it before me painted it a disgusting orange color. Les Paul style Body. Tune o matic style bridge and stop tailpiece. Non Locking Gibson tuners.

Variety of styles. Mostly Rock, Blues and indie stuff. Suits it well. I run it with a Garnet Revolution III as my main amp. The single coil is a little noisy but the humbucker is very quiet. Pretty full sound, not very bright. The Pickups are sort of weak, but that makes the guitar really good for laid back stuff. It can get a decent variety of sounds, specially with the rotary switch. I like this guitar's sounds alot. I might consider changing the pickups if I wanted hotter ones to puch my amp, but I have guitars that do that already.

No idea about factory set up. It was built before I was born. I had to work on it a bit when I got it though. It's very beat up, it's seen it's share of work, that's for sure. Action was ok, finish was redone by an ameteur....crap. and i needed to adjust the guitar in all sorts of ways.

almost 25 years old, and still kicking. Has withstood live playing with no problems. Hardware is still solid and the guitar is built like a rock. never gig without a backup.

The guys at gibson are absolutely useless.

Playing for several years now and I own a few other guitars and amps. Sounds good with all of them. If Lost I would try to find another one, but I wouldn't be upset if I couldn't. I really like the sound of the guitar, but sometimes I do consider changing the pickups for something with a little more life to them. I think that for the price, you could do a whole lot worse than a Gibson Marauder. Despite recieving a little bit of a popularity boost recently, these things still go for damn cheap. get em' while you can.

1976 USA, 22 frets, vol,tone, 3-way switch, full humbucker in the neck, single coil size in the bridge, alder body, maple neck with rosewood board. This one is in the process of being finished purple sunburst. The previous owner sprayed it with black Krylon. Original gibson tuners, schaller wide tune-o-matic bridge.

I like this through my customized fender head. It's a quad in a bassman box rewired like a 65 twin with A- AB- B tube biasing. Also good through my stock JCM800 50 watt combo. I play several styles. Great for everything from cool jazz to dirty filthy punk from hell. It tends to squeel on the back pickup rather than give smooth feedback. Overall my second best sounding, next to my wonderful oddball tele.

I sanded it and set it up and played it for two years. There is a problem with the neck pockets on these guitars. I had it shimmed at a local shop for $35. It tunes perfect now. This guitar usually feels just wonderful but being a fender player the angle feels weird to me at times. The frets are original and in good shape. I had them crowned and it's just nice. Action is low. Notes ring true.

If I ever need to beat up 4 english drunks again this is the guitar to do it with. I'm replacing the strap buttons with strap locks. I haven's gigged with it yet but it's sure to be a mainstay along with my tele, strat, and G&L legacy special. I like it better than the strat and G&L and I'm sure it can take more abuse.

I got in touch with Gibson once about this guitar. I won't bother again. They were arrogant jerks.

It's a love thing. I hate seeing the prices go up on them. I'd like to find the more rare custom model with block inlays. I wish gibson would drop their epiphone line and serve up more real guitars like this one.

76/5made in usa its got 2 volume nobs and its got a rythm and a tone nob that looked like it came off of a washing machine

i have absolutely no dislikes for this guitars sound it sounds awesome but it really depends on what kind of music you like if you like punkish skate music its the perfect guitar i really like how it blends the sound together

everything on my guitar was tight and ready to rock and roll nothing was loose everythind was perfect on the guitarthe wood has got one minor flaw but its on the back and its not that noticable and i am getting it painted cause i dont really like the wood finish i think they look good wine red or maroon

very durable and very reliable i wouldnt use it in a concert with out a different guitar for different sound

the company is great one of the guys there was very helpfull to me and helped me find one

i give it a 10 because its a kick ass guitar and the perfect guitar for me and i like it better than my sg and my les paul and my zakk wyled les paul custom its a hard rockin machine

1976 Marauder made in USA. 22 Frets. Solid body, don't know what kind of wood-a soft honey colored wood. I say soft because it has a lot of dings and dents in it. I think the neck is maple, rosewood fingerboard. White pick guard. All original parts! I'm getting ready to have it restored. Solid as a rock, the neck is still perfectly straight! No frills with one humbucker and one weird looking green single coil at the bridge-but it sounds great.

Sounds great but I haven't taken that great of care of it so the pots are scratchy and the pickup loose. When it was new it sounded like a dream and it will again once it is cleaned up. Each pickup gives a really distinct sound so it's great for most all types of music.

Finish is just about worn off and i use a lemon oil to clean and preserve the wood. As i mentioned above the wood is soft so it has a lot of dings and dents. Pickups have come loose but, hey, 26 years! The action is perfect. I think the neck is the best neck i have used on a guitar. It is put together very well-no glue spots or anything.

I've had it for 26 years and admittedly not taken great care of it and it still kicks butt. What more can I say.

Gibson has great customer support but not with the Marauder. They said I couldn't get parts and they didn't even seem to know much about it. What the hell? It is a great guitar- and it will be a classic and I am so glad I have one because soon they will be hard to find. All this reissue of old LesPauls is a sign and soon the Marauder reissue will come.

I can't wait to have it restored and see how it does. I will let you all know how it turns out.

1978 Gibson Maruader, translucent wine red finish. Mahogany body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard with 22 fat frets. Fat bridge with stopbar, gibson deluxe keys with a nut that's been beat to hell. One humbucker, one single with 1 volume and tone.

I hear a lot of people whining about how you can't play metal on this thing. I say, you're not doing it right. If you want a bunch of pointless drop-d chords played by some bozo who doesn't know what he's doing, yeah, it sounds bad. But if you play anything from the first three Metallica albums on this guitar, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. The humbucker has so much power, I think I could play the riff for 'Electric Funeral' for two hours. It's a little dirty, but it's a neck pickup. What do you want?
The bridge pickup is a bright little single coil that reminds me so much of my stratocaster that I have to smile. It doesn't sound weak and tinny, it sounds sad and if you pick lightly, the high E has a great natural reverb. If you play them at the same time, you've gone to blues heaven. I have a rotary blender to switch, and that's great! If I lean towards the bridge I can finally get that Jimmy Page sound.
(Try playing this thing through a marshall AVT or a gibson goldtone)

I got it from a rack in a music store and knew it was old. (Not in a bad way either). The back of the maple neck looks kinda yellow. But, it's got the original pickups, bridge and everything. I wouldn't have it any other way! When I first got it and automatically compared it to my les paul, I thought of getting a new humbucker at the bridge, and an ABR-1 at that matter, but when I learned a) this is Not a Les Paul, and b) that they're not made anymore, I immediately decided to keep my vintage guitar in original shape. I'd give the nut about another five years before it cracks, and I did tweak up the single coil, but I think Gibson made their most original guitar yet, thirty years ago.
There are a few technical problems, like the neck isn't fat enough like I like it (I like a fifties style neck for more guts), and the red finish leaves a little to be imagined, but at least it's not an over-shiny rediculous ibanez guitar selling for the same price.

I've been devoloping the theory that you can play an electric guitar underwater. The current inside is like, 3 volts, so you won't get shocked. But it also promotes corrosion on the pots, so I will not test this theory on my Marauder. However, If I had an extra set of strings in the case I'd be good to go. I can throw this thing out the window, clean it up, and go to a gig (a theory that has been put into practice [accidentally of course])

I don't have any problems with Gibson, but I've also never had any problems with this guitar so...

This guitar is just like me. Awkward, unpredictable, often shunned, but it sounds great. This guitar is completely versatile, yet solid. If my house were on fire, and I only had time to grab two guitars (I hate when they say one, because since we have two hands, you can grab that many just as easily) anyway, I would grab my firebird, and my Marauder.

Bought this one for 350.00 on eBay. It's a 76 with a dark finish (looks like rosewood, but I don't think that they made them in that wood). Neck is rosewood, Schallers replace the old original tuners. Pickups are original. No dial switch- just a 3 way pickup selector.

I have played for about 27 years, and have several guitars- this one has the best sound. The rear single coil pickup has some edge, but is still warm. The front humbucker is smooth as silk. The jack pot is original and a little noisy, but not as bad as my 79 Strat. Mostly I play rock/ blues, and the arauder is perfect.

Unbelievable action. The neck is dead straight for this old of a guitar. Nice wide old neck. Nice frets. I did my own setup on this and it plays great. Finish is original and has checking- not unusual for this age of a guitar.

I don't play out anymore. This one gets picked up before my strat or 2 ibanez guitars.

Who cares?

Sorry that the new guitars don't play as well.

February 14 1975 was stamped on the neck when I disassembled it to restore it, after some one had desocrated it with crylon blue spray paint. 22 Frets ,solid top .
Three knob type Volume , Infinate Pickup selector and tone .I did replace the neck pickup with a select Humbucker to give it a more warm sound . EVERY THING ELSE IS STOCK GIBSON . I dont know much about wood But I stained the body with a light pecan stain and 12 coats of polyurethane (each coat wet sanded before the next).The neck is maple with rose wood ,Original , I laquered The back of the neck. Sweet! Fast!

This Guitar Is not a Les Paul just like others have stated If I wanted a Les Paul I would have baught a Les Paul . The Marauder is a one of a kind Guitar . I play Lead for a Christian Band and when I use it just right . Its warm When I need it ,And its loud when I need it .It is my No 2 Guitar on stage .Not because it is inferior but because it is also not a Strat.
I play through a Peavey Special 150 Amp (scorpion speaker) ART effects Processor . Korg AX1G effects foot pedal. It produces very warm leads and has above average sustane. I dont like where Gibson mounted the neck strap lock if you do not have a good strap or locks
the guitar could wind up on the floor

I restored this Guitar From the ground up so as far as the factory ??
The pickups were ok but I modified the neck pickup . As far as flaws the crylon blue spray paint covered them all up . After restoration this is a new 28 year old guitar that is broke in and brand new.It fits my fingers like it is my fingers . Not bad for $75 huh.

I take this Guitar with me . Along with my 1987 Peavey Falcon . Both guitars are rarely out of tune unles I do it .The hardware is 28 years old and still going strong. I can depend on this guitar

This Guitar Has been A Blessing to me . It is just like one that me and a friend first started pounding on strings on together,the band didnt last but the marauder guitar will
I play many instraments and have a personal recording studio.I have been playing for 30 years and plan to be playing when I leave this place . This guitar is ,like I said before just right for the application I use it for.