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.

USA , 22 frets, 1974-75, no mods whatsoever, natural finish, alder body, rosewood/maple neck, three-way toggle, Lawrence humbucker and s/coil, 1 tone 1 vol, fat frets (very worn) orig suitcase, good condition and complete. I like alder bodies, a very light hardwood, even good for a Fender bass, seems to assist in producing a particularly rich, sweet, resonant tone.

As some of your respondents point out, this so-called 'Edsel' is suitable for (almost) "any kind" of music". Interesting. My M is light and has very poor sustain, but fantastic resonance, one of the loudest solid bodies I've ever heard unplugged. Little guitar with a big -if not loud - sound. I grew up listening to Hendrix, Santana, Traffic, Who, Cream, Bowie, Zeppelin etc and it shows, but I've always played diverse music, including (mostly electric) blues, funk, jazz, 'fusion', reggae, various African fingerpicking and melody styles, Afro-Cuban, pseudo-flamenco. The Marauder is good for many of these, particularly African music (both p/ups on) and anything requiring a clear , resonant acoustic-like sound. Light alder body doesn't help its weak sustain, and for blues-rock you're always going to get much more meat from an LP and way more scream and cut-through from a Fender. But an LP's not nearly as funky and a Fender is always going to sound, er, well, like a Fender. Bought M as consolation prize as starving student (1983) after failing to acquire costly early 70s US Tele Custom, seemed similar in many ways. Fender definitely influenced Gibson with this guitar. One of your respondents mentions Jimmy Page's sound on first two Zep LPs: if my memory serves me correctly, he used a telecaster a lot for the lead passages on the early records.

I have no interest in shredding/metal/thrash, although I'm in no way averse to extreme tone. I just wouldn't dream of trying to use this M to sound like the Stooges or the Pistols. (Or Pearl Jam, etc but then I can't distinguish one of their songs from another, man) Stones, Neil Young maybe, yes. Grateful Dead, definitely! I guess that's not necessarily a compliment.

For a solid-body electric, It has a remarkably good jazz tone. There is a rich, lush, mellow quality to neck p/up, not bright at all, but clear as a bell. With some assistance from good amp it's great for Santana-type honey wail. Bridge p.up is too thin, it?s feeble, but perfect together with the humbucker (It's wired out of phase, I think). Alone, it's great for chickenscratch reggae chop, if little else. No "bottle" at all in either pickup. Thin top end too. No wonder metalheads looking for a Gibson "rock " guitar hate the sound. Also I'm one of those annoying players who always tries to back off the mids if possible, so lack of mid response and brightness doesn't bother me. S/coils are better for most African guitar sounds (fast fingerpicking in particular), Marauder cuts it , but with sweet piano-like resonance in background when combined with humbucker. I once saw pic of Youssou N'dour's lead guitarist playing one. On the other hand if I was Ace Frehley I would have smashed the damn thing too. He must have have needed a dozen tuned up to get through a set. I wouldn't dream of modifying the M. I'm not religious, just doesn't seem right.

No hum/noise, but worn output socket cuts out/crackles

I mostly play straight into amp, my only pedal before appearance of the dubious but gratifyingly affordable POD was a Vox wah. I haven't used effects other than overdrive and reverb with M, use mostly Strat with POD. Past amps include Cube 40, Fender Bandmaster head, Carlsbro 45 solid state, Marshall JTM60 combo (M sounded the best thru' latter, a construction fiasco but a good concept. pity). Now using JMP50 plexi '96 reissue head driving stripped JTM combo open cabs with 1x15 and 3x10 marshall heritage speakers, bluesbreaker pedal for a little extra gain. M has been in its case since JMP arrived, must try it out. I'll finally get to hear this rhythm crunch y'all rave on about

Dislikes: pegs, but they're original! So, no compromise! Like a classic car on bricks, ek se. Ja, iGrand style my broer

Seriously, this (kind of failed rock) guitar is decidedly odd but it's qualities are unique. I understand players who've become fanatically loyal to it, although I'm not one of them. It epito

I use a medium action with 10s to get solid tone (also to compensate a little for poor sustain) and because I haven't bothered to fix the overworn nut. Used to have action lower, there no buzz. Low frets are worn right down to the fretboard. I don't have another humbucking guitar so I leave it set up for for thickest jazz and blues sound. My hands are too big to really get around the slightly short scale/worn frets for vibrato/sustain blues/rock lead stuff. Not comparable to Fenders in this respect, especially around the octave. Guitar came with good intonation, but the pegs are shot, probably unusable in the first place. Actually the pegs are the only really terrible aspect of the Marauder. For some reason I don''t have the heart to replace them, I just retune every 15 minutes. Captain Sensible, that's me. This guitar doesn't HAVE any finish to speak of , not any more. Neck joint work doesn't look like it came out of any guitar factory on Earth, a totally ham-handed mess, but doesn't affect the end result and is clearly not a botched mod since neckplate bolts look untouched. Were Gibson luthiers permanently stoned in the 70s? or maybe somebody's kid brother/sister filled in for him that day. And the pickguard must have been carved out with a blunt lockblade... Overall, it's battered to hell, but it's no Mack truck, and that headstock joint looks pretty fragile... so this g lives in its equally scorched case. I've dropped a few Strats, can't see the M surviving many falls. Cheap, uneven woodwork, laminated body looks homemade, but so what? You don't LOOK at the tone, do you? I've always loved the neck, wide but shallow, with a Fenderish slightly convex fretboard, and those fat frets (what's left of them) are the best. Most comfortable guitar to stand with, period. Can't even feel the weight, Strat is heavier. I have it up fairly high, don't believe anybody hanging a guitar round their knees can actually play (unless they're Johnny Ramone, in which case it don't matter)

No f***ing way. Stays at home. This is not a gig guitar. Good Schaller (orig) bridge/stop, pots getting old, pegs %$@!!!! still haven't fixed front strap button, but otherwise it's aged well

From out here on the perimeter, Gibson might as well be on another planet. A new LP (Studio!) this side is about R25 000, you don't see many around. I've seen two US-made G jazzboxes in my life, and I've lived in all the main cities here. My first guitar was a cheap Ibanez LP Custom (stolen), but it was like a Cadillac compared with the mexican fenders and korean epiphones and worse available now. The few g-stores are full of the sort of junk toys that ruin novice players for life.

Played guitar for 25 years, bass 15 years. Main guitars are early 80s Squier Stratocaster (Japan), Fernandes vintage Precision copy (also Japan - actually better than the few US-made ones I've played). also Washburn dreadnought. These were all bargains. Cost is a big problem for anything imported, and musical instruments are luxuries

Asked what? No, at the price it was a godsend. I've had it for 20 years. Odd in a place (this is THE ORIGINAL lost city) where everything seems to get lost or stolen eventually. When it goes I'll most likely write it off along with the stereos, instruments, guitar amplifiers, two cars, four motorcycles, miscellaneous appliances, documents, CDs, cellphones, shoes, kettles etc etc that have disappeared over the years. Way to go! I'll probably have a drink and visit one of the zillion pawn shops here to buy someone else's stolen guitar. A telecaster, an LP standard or a 335, yeah. Should be able to buy one with my pension, or perhaps an organ transplant

I have seen only one other Marauder-type guitar here, an S-1, totally different, zero appeal to me. Dead plank with brittle, harsh tone, shite

I agree with Dave S: the Marauder is not a likely candidate for thrash, metal etc in its original spec. I think the name is somewhat misleading (even if, as one of your respondents says, it seems to attract a fox or three, and looks good on guitar-playing babes too). Like the Fender bass, it's been used for kinds of music and in ways I don't believe its designers could have imagined.

Aluta continua

YOu all know the details here. Original body was Alder, two Lawrence designed pickups. Early models have selector switch, later ones have a rotary blender, that most people hate. Later Marauder had mahogany bodies I think, and a maple fingerboard. The later models are just plain weird, I've not played one but if they suck as bad as the S-1 I wouldn't buy one. Great necks on these thing, easy to play.

I play blues, kicks ass on that. Bright killer single coil and kick butt humbucker on the neck. This guitar has its own unique sound that just is awesome and can't be beat in my opinion. A simple mod to the pickups doubles their output power...

These weren't top of the line guitars, they are made like a tank, but some of them are a little flawed, but great easy to play guitars

Love it...

The Gibson company are such chicken shits. They have NEVER mentioned this guitar in any official book or document they've been behind. Maybe because Paul Stanley of Kiss did an endorsement deal with Gibson, then smashed his Marauder at the end of every show. My guess is that he smashed the guitar, not because its a bad guitar, but because Gibson has always been run by idiots, and bozos who haven't a clue what they're doing. The bottom line at Gibson, especially these days, is crank out as many guitars as possible and forget quality...

I've been playing guitar for about 30 years or so. I see alot of posts here on the Marauder from metal heads. THE MARAUDER IS NOT A LES PAUL STUPID!! You guys who are butchering these vintage instruments trying to turn them into something they're not eventually will be sorry you did this. Why? The bozo collectors with all their money, and inability to play guitar worth a damn, have run out of old Les Pauls to aim their greed at. Ultimately, its going to be the Marauder's turn to be in the limelight and their prices will jump way up. This may take another ten or fifteen years but it will happen. This guitar is starting to be noticed by name bands and guitar magazines. So when this guitar does become valuable, the Marauders that were butchered will be worthless on the vintage market. This guitar was NEVER designed to be a Les Paul style guitar. It was designed to have a screaming bright single coil sound with a neck dual coil humbucker for versatility. Gibson was trying to make something with almost a Fender sound. It really annoys me all these boring shredders who couldn't play one meaningful note have bashed this guitar. This guitar makes a beautiful big sound unlike any other guitar ever made. I play blues and this thing kicks ass. Eventually some known blues player is going to discover this thing and then watch prices shoot up. There is a simple trick to make that bridge pickup scream and if you'll email me I'll tell you how. If you think that pickup is weak and tinny sounding, this trick will fix that pronto. If you really hate the pickups on this guitar rip them out and send them to me:
Dave Stephens
50 Kerr Parkway #88
Lake Oswego, OR 97035

For that matter if you hate this guitar so much you have to butcher it trying to turn it into a crappy Les Paul send me the guitar, I will take good care of it and it will get played. I have four of them so far and I love them... the first time I ever saw a Marauder was on the internet and it was love at first sight! I bought it without ever hearing it and fell completely in love with it when I first plugged it in. If these guitars supposedly sound so awful, how come its really hard to find one that the frets aren't practically worn down to the wood. Its because these guitars were loved and played alot. It makes me want to puke when I see one butchered on Ebay, supposedly "improved" with a humbucker put in the lead position and the other humbucker replaced with some muddy overwound overpriced piece of junk. If you don't like the sound of this guitar, have a different pickguard made and put in your own pickups and save the orginal parts, and don't rout the wood in the body. Save this piece of history, its a beautiful guitar....

In 1980 I got a used Marauder after trading for a Telecaster Custom which I had bought new. Over the years the Telecaster actually got boring and didn't have the sound I wanted. So my search led me to a guitar store in Kansas. Though I hadn't heard of Marauders before that day, when I tried it out I fell in love right on the spot.
I could tell it was built like a Mack. A bit heavy, but no problem I couldn't overcome.
Without hesitation I gave the store owner my Telecaster (which no doubt he felt he got the better of the deal) and I walked out satisfied with my new baby.

The controls were simple and it had two sounds...real good and great! The neck was easy to play and felt good on my fingers. I thought overall it was a step up from my Fender. I had no complaints for what came from a used guitar shop.

I got my Marauder at a music store used. Either the previous owner took very good care of it or the store did an excellant job of restoring it. It didn't have any flaws and was ready to jam the moment I got it.

The Marauder was very reliable. It stood up to super cold winters in Kansas and smouldering summer heat in Texas. My friends and I would usually play outside and sweat rolling onto it didn't have an impact except to make picks fly a bit farther.

There is much to say about simplicity....but I won't say it. My Marauder was a fine guitar and always met whatever challenge we had together. I regret selling it many years ago. And since then, I have revitalized my interest in playing music, I hope one day to run across another. It would be like finding an old friend again.

My Marauder was born in Memphis USA 1974/5 and I purchased it second hand in '76. In 1980 I replaced the back pickup with two DiMarzio dual sound humbuckers and kept the original humbucker in the front. A custom scratch plate was fitted to hold this set up along with a five position Strat pickup selector. Schaler machineheads were fitted as well as a Gibson fine tune tailpiece and the little beast has rocked ever since.

The sounds great! I put it through an old H/H Electronics IC100 made in England in the 70's and a Boss pedal setup of two overdrives a chorus and a delay. This is a dated combination but it cooks sooo good especially on the back pickup for a screaming solo.

This can be a super fast neck when time is spent to set the action right. The finish is getting a bit nonexistant on the back and where the forearm rubs on the body but it has done a hell of a lot of work. Maybe I should do something about that as it's served me so well!

SOLID AS! The roadies could run over this thing with the truck, then just tune it and give it to me for the gig and I wouldn't know. Since '76 it's done thousands of shows and never let me down!

Why the hell did Gibson in their wisdom use a cheap sticker with their name on the headstock and not an inlay? I now own a Gib#@%^on Marauder! The factory will sell me a new sticker but it comes on a new neck....(I don't need a new F$%#^% neck) and why are they so ashamed of these baby's?

I've been playing guitar since Moses was in puberty and over the years have owned many guitars but none have been as faithfull as this old Gibson. A nice feature is it is so much lighter on your shoulder than your typical Les Paul but it still kicks ass. The worst feature is that damn sticker thing but thats just me being pedantic.

made in the US, 22 frets, 1 volume 1 tone control, with really ugly green tuners that cant keep a string in tune for longer than a few hours that I changed to grovers. Hot Rodded to suit my music style, Seymour Duncan Hot Rail in the bridge and EMG 81 humbucker in the neck, it is a tone machine. wine red finish

I play rock (black sabbath, ozzy, van halen, led zeppelin etc.)when I first got it, it sounded so thin and weak I almost sold it, but once I spent some time with it, its now very good. My first major gripe was the pickups, I HATE single coils, they sound weak and twangy. The neck humbucker sounded like mud. So I hot rodded it. I replaced the bridge with a duncan hot rail and th neck with the emg 81. So now I get nice hot leads with fat grinding rhythms

its pretty good, not great but if you are willing to spend some time with it, you can make it an all out rocker

Made in 1976, USA genuine Gibson
22 frets, 3 way switch, volume and tone control
One superhumbucking 1 Indox VI and 2 Indox VII (front),One special design single coil 2 Indox VII (back).
Thin (custumized) Maple/rosewood !bolt-on! neck, Laminated Maple body (les paul style). V shaped head with Schaller machine heads.
White pickguard, tune 0 matic bridge.
Came with original suitcase (black with red soft cloth inside)

Great rock sound, espacially the back pickup has a screaming sound. With the front pickup (and the effect to match) i can just as well play jazz. Both pickups together give a very rich sound. Watch out for the highest tones though, they sometimes seem not to ring through, or sounds squeezed! Together with mainly a zoom 505 and dod reverb, overdrive and flanger, i can get all the sound i want.
Because it has a bolt-on neck , you can even bent it without any problems.

When i got it it was in terrible shape. Someone even put paint on the rosewood neck. Had to sand it off.I custimized my guitar so it could be played faster. I refinished the neck. Cleaned the electronics and did some rewireing. Now everything is almost as it was when it left the factory (exept the neck).

It's great for live or at home. Everything looks very solid. Of course you have to clean it once in a while.

Unfortunatly Gibson is not proud over this guitar. Even on the official website there is no information of the marauder.

It is the second guitar i bought, and just fell in love with it, It's the shape, playabillity and sound that makes it great.

The only bad thing is that the pickup selection switch is at the bottum left (if you hold the guitar normaly). So while playing you can accidently push the switch.

I love it.It is the first guitar i ever owned.I love it because of a 1 tone 1 volume switch 2 pickups a three way tone selector and i like the way it looks.i think it is the simpelest guitar i have ever owned i also like it because it has a lot of sentimental value.My cousin gave it it to me before he died.I love the way it sounds running out of a peavey backstage amp.I just think it is the best guitar ive ever owned.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

like i said a great clear nice flat pretty sound thats how i describe it.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

if you put the right strings on it it will feel like your fingers are flying i plat rock it suits me fine.

in my opinion you cant tear this guitar up solidbody you can drop it on concrete it would be fine.

dont know never had to call them

i have been playing since i was in the 6th grade that was a while back..ha........i own a 335,some sg's,135,ressiue,just about every les paul made

I own a 76 Marauder and it was the first real electric I have ever owned. Yes, I said real electric guitar. Coming from playing in a band at 11 years old with a Silvertone and a 10watt amp the Marauder was just what the Doc oredered. It has a natural finish and a rotatable tone control. An after market on/off swith was installed by the knot head I bought it from in 77. I had new Grover machine heads put on it because I have a hard time keeping the G string in tune. The machine heads didn't help the tuning problem. I still played it though. I have worn the frets down to holes and I still abuse this guitar. I have used it in the studio for an album only to hear the producer say I had a unique sound. I had the nut replaced with an ivory nut vice brass. This guitar has been used and abused and I like to say I own one because there are not many around. So the "Edsel of Gibson"? Keep that opinion because I am fixing to refurbish this one and I am shure it will still sound great for years to come.

I have the original pick ups and it has a muddy grunge sound. As a kid I played through a Fender Bassman with two twelve in speakers. I had a unique sound. The rear pickup has a really cool tin sound the offers some really cool distortion settings. Since I am older I have owned a ton of guitars and amps. I have played this through everything from a Trace Elliot to Mesa Boogie. It sounded the best through a 300 watt Peavy Bass amp with two 15 inch boomers. I love the texture and fatnest.

The action on this guitar is awesome. The finish didn't last long but that gives it character. I beleive it to be the "bully burger eater" of guitars. It gets scared up and bruised but it still keeps coming back for more.

The tuners were not up to snuff and were replaced with Grovers. The hardware is just as sturdy as any hardware on a SG or Paul. I have played this guitar in the studio and live it never let me down. I love the stares I would get on stage. What kind of Gibson is that? Look. I would just grin and let her rip out scorching scale. Its dependable but mine in beat up and ugly. Hey its a guitar meant to be played. Not a show piece!

I haven't dealt with the company at all. I would like to know where to find parts. Email me if you can with part info.

If I lost this guitar I would be crushed. I would get another one for sure. If this particular guitar could talk we would have a great time listening to it. I don't like the way the G string does not seem to tune and I hope that the neck didn't warp. If it did however I would still carry it with me. Its has been with me in numerous bands good and bad and it was something I bought on my own bucking hay bails. I have impressed many a girls with this one. A true soldier! Marauder: to roam about and raid insearch of plunder!!! The perfect name for this axe!

1976 Marauder, made in USA, bought used 20 years ago. 22 fret, all blonde wood. I heard somewhere that the body is alder. The neck and fingerboard are maple. The wood isn't particularly figured or eye-catching. The guitar's colour has changed over the years - it's a nice honey colour now, and is markedly darker than the almost-white original tone.

It has never had a refret. The original bits are: neck plate and bolts, bridge, tailpiece, scratchplate and some of the screws, possibly the tone pot. Maybe the speedknobs as well? I'll run throgh the changes...

The original Gibson machine heads had been changed for high-end Ibanez ones with perloid, tapered-shape keys which complement the flying-V headstock perfectly. One of these had been damaged when I bought the guitar, so this chrome set was replaced with a nearly-new gold plated set of the same Ibanez type.

The over-cut and worn out original nut was replaced with a bone version, hand cut from a blank.

The pickups have been changed to a Seymour Duncan SH-5 at the neck, and a Hot Rails at the bridge. The twiddly tone-blender had been removed by the previous owner and, after further changes, the switching is now a normal 3-way pickup selector, with two mini toggles to its right, giving coil tap and phase switching. The plastic screw-on thingy on the main PU toggle has been cut down to a sphere about 5mm diameter to keep the profile low. All of the switches operate horizontally to minimise the chance of inadvertent switching. The location of the switches in the lower horn is prone to this, but it's also a very good place for them to be when you do want to change them.

Strap buttons are the all-metal slide-fit locking type which have sprung peg thingies bolted onto the strap.

It's possible that the tone control capacitor has been changed. The volume pot was replaced after the original exhibited bits of track with no carbon left.

I promised myself a new case for about 10 years before I got a Hiscox Lite Flite.

Since I did all the mods, and since I haven't changed anything for years, I guess this guitar has all the feaures I want. Apart from nice figuring in the wood. But it's aging nicely (and a tortoise shell style scratchplate is on the cards).

I play clean strummy stuff, very clean funky stuff, crunchy rock riff stuff, and distorted lead stuff. Through a valve amp and Celestion speakers.

The pickup switching I have gives me a wide variety of tones. Virtually all clean rhythm stuff is done with both pickups on, coil-tapped, in phase. Crunch riffs are done with neck humbucker only, or both humbuckers out of phase. Lead stuff can be any humbucker combination that sounds right at the time. I sometimes do clean leads using the neck PU only, coil-tapped.

I plug into a Boss wah pedal, sometimes preceded with a Boss Heavy Metal for low-volume endless sustain. That goes into the amp (Peavey Classic 30 or Selmer T&B 50, both driving Celestions). The preamp outputs to a passive volume pedal, which goes into a digital delay and/or reverb. I use the wah as a sort of sliding tone control for lead playing, the peak of which follows the notes I'm playing. The peak is set at about one third of its range and isn't intended to sound too wah-like - more to change a sustaining note from thick and creamy into screaming, searing, creeping-feedback-inducing head-slice.

I rarely adjust the tone settings on the amps - I sort of 'calibrate' the amp for the room, and then do everything via the pickup switches and wah pedal. I can get just about any sound I want. Sometimes, I want more tone, though...

As others have said, the action is stunning. Super slinky neck and frets. I don't find Dean Markley 10s to be any hindrance. Good access to the 22nd fret in spite of the heel of the bolt-on neck. The heavy body means the guitar has good balance. That, and the wide leather strap, means that it just doesn't rotate around the body or sag as the neck pulls down.

It had a few dings when I got it. It has acquired only 3 or 4 more since then. Aside from the darkening of colour, it is getting rather worn in all the places that get friction - both sides of the fingerboard, around the heel, on the ridges of the chamfers around the body. Lots of character!

A previous-owner ding on the back of the neck caused the wood to move a little - the centre part of the three-piece neck was pushed ever-so-slightly inward. This was has never moved since I got the guitar, and I dare say that any maladjustment has been compensated for in fret wear.

In 24 years, I have never played anything as good as this. This guitar has always allowed a certain fluidity in my playing. The controls are utterly to hand. Even the height of the strings passing over the largely-flat top seems just right (I get 'caught up' in the strings if I play a carved top guitar like a Les Paul).

I've used it live and it was fine. It's been with me a long time and I've always felt happy with it. Never had a back up guitar until I got a strat copy a few months ago. If someone offered me a gig, I would only take the Gibson. The only failures have been sheer ear and tear on the volume pot and nut.

Never had to deal with Gibson. I do my own repairs/mods.

Been playing over 24 years. The complement to my Marauder has always been an Eko Ranger 6 acoustic. Amps and effects are already described elsewhere. If I had to replace it, it would have to be one with the maple fingerboard. I've played rosewooded Marausers and didn't like them. If I couldn't find a maple one, I'd probably chase after a Yamaha SG3000S or some other double-cutaway LP-style instrument, and look back on my Marauder days with fondness. That said, as its aura of vintageness grows and grows, I'm glad I've still got it!

i've read over these reviews and seen a lot of wanking about the pickup circuit and the pickups themselves. let me make one thing clear THIS IS NOT A LES PAUL! if you want 2 humbuckers and a 3-way absolute selection switch, buy a freaking les or an sg.

that being said, i have a 1978 usa (tennessee) made marauder. all original, meaning bill lawrence designed humbucker in the neck and slanted single coil in the bridge. one volume, one tone, one 'chicken-head' pan selector for the pickups. i LOVE the tonal variety that this selection system allows. stop tailpiece, wide-travel schaller bridge, standard gibson tuners.

it's got a nice, fast maple neck and fretboard. the body is either maple or mahogany... i think maple, but i don't currently recall

as mentioned above THIS IS NOT A LES PAUL! IT IS NOT AN SG!

which is great, because i don't want a les or an sg. the full-pan switching is, i think, awesome. i get a great, chimey almost british invasion clean sound dialed back towards the bridge position and a beautiful dirty rawk sound towards the neck.

i play through a fender princeton stereo chorus amp, with a boss compressor and a russian big muff. the compressor gives a nice boost, and the big muff does its thing. the guitar sounds great running straight into the amp without any signal modification, though. i'm playing a lot of indie/power pop stuff, and this guitar is just great for both rhythm and lead work.

i bought this guitar used. the dealer who sold it to me did a great setup on it before he sent it out. i cannot speak for gibson's factory setup, but neal gallop had the thing ready to rock before he sent it out.

as many other reviewers have mentioned, the marauder is nearly bullet-proof. i have no fear that this guitar will get hurt.

again, i didn't buy it from gibson, but neal was nice

this guitar has been called 'gibson's edsel'. fine. hate it. that means more of them for me.

if this guitar were stolen or lost, yes i would definitely buy another. i'm thinking of buying another to have as a backup anyhow

1980 - made in Nashville, Single Coil Bridge pick-up in the bridge and humbucker in the neck. Dark Brown Mahogany. Body style similar to a Les Paul w/ Flying V headstock. Came with original hard shell case.

Both the single coil and the humbucker lack a strong mid-range sound. When playing through Triple Rectifier distortion, it is very thick and crunchy. I'm very used to my bright sounding SG standard but the marauder is a nice contrast and is real versatile in producing different tones. The marauder sounds sweet but will be used as back up.

Very good action. Lots of buckle rash. Warped pick guard. However the old brown mahogany finish looks awesome.

This guitar has been beat up pretty bad. I think its impossible to destroy a marauder. Very dependable.

I'd highly reccomend a marauder to anyone who is looking for a contrast to modern gibson sound, while still rockin' a gibson. The best part about the sound is the thick, crunchy tone when playing through distortion.

I have a 1974-74 Maurader, Flying V neck w/22 frets. 1 volume and 1 tone control knob w/Pick-up toggle switch. Humbucker at the nck with a Steve Lawrence Single Ciol at the Bridge. Tume-O-Matic Bridge. w/stop tail peice. Black Grover replacement Tuners. Fat neck w/medium frets rosewood fretboard, Gibson OHC

The orignal P/U's were too tiny at the Bridge, and the Hum at the neck too deep. I replaced these with a new Pick gaurd with '57 Humbuckers in both postions. Classic at the neck w/57 plus at the Bridge. WHAT a difference this made. This is now a truly plesure to play. Sounds great for Blues to rock. A very Classic sound now!

Good action... better with replaced pick ups as noted earlier! The finish was very cheap out of the factory, and shows with time! My 59 ES125 has a better gloss to it still!

This Guitar is Bulletproof! Period! It has been dropped, kicked, fallen over banged into... NOTHING stops it! It's used as a backup and 2nd set Guitar, but only because I have others that play/sound better!

The Gibson people were the best when retro-fitting the Pick-ups. Great crew in Nashville! When one of the pick-ups failed and was sent back for repair, (they upgraded it per my reuest) at no charge, with prepaid shipping in less that a week!

Playing for 35years, own 73 Ibanez Modern, 59 Gibson ES125, '52 RI Fender Tele, '59 Fender Duo-Sonic along with this one.

I believe it's a 1981 model. It has 22 frets, I think the neck is maple. It has black pickup covers and "chicken head" fader knob to blend between the 2 pickups (humbucker in neck, weird single-coil in bridge) The body looks like mahogany - natural finish. The bridge is Tune-O-Matic style. Nice fat bolt-on neck with big fretwire. I bought this used - it's pretty dang beat-up, but everything essential works properly.

This is a great rock guitar. I'm running it through a Marshall with a 2x12 cabinet. Sounds really nasty (in a good way). The single coil rips!. It has a nice Johnny Thunders meets Keith Richards snarl to it. The humbucker sounds cool blended with the single coil (especially for cleaner stuff) but is pretty wimpy by itself. I find I usually keep it set to single-coil only. The clean sound is especially good for "strummy" kinds of things. It's best distorted though. Jazz snobs stay away!

This guitar is set up pretty well - it may be able to be set up better. The action is somewhere between my SG and my Strat. I adjusted the pickups to be a bit closer to the strings. The neck is not bent. This guitar is certainly no collectors piece. It has obviously been rocked on for 20 years. No breaks in the neck or anything serious, but lots of scratches and dings. The pickguard is warped and cracked in some spots. It's got a lot of "personality". The electronics seem to work fine.

I've only had it in my posession for a short time, but it's already made it through 20 years of what looks like serious use (and abuse). This is a real road dog. I got this as a backup guitar (for my SG) - we'll see how it holds up for gigs. I'm already planning on using as the main guitar on some songs since it sounds and looks so cool.

N/A

This is a super-cool axe. Cheap, but well-made. It has a lot of character and a distinctive look and sound. I love the Flying V headstock! I like that these things are semi-rare but cheap. I have a nice SG, but am constantly worried about snapping the headstock (I already had it cracked and glued once). This axe is a road veteran - and I don't have to worry about it. If I ever do break it or lose it, I can probably grab another for under $400. It's a real USA Gibson too. Not a mass-produced Epiphone. The bad reputation of the "Edsel of Gibson" and overall non-collectablitly is one of the best features. You don't have to compete with some wealthy lawyer or stock broker willing to throw down 3 grand for a Les Paul. I'm already keeping my eyes out for another one. The Marauder is the best kept secret of pawn shops, ebay, and used music stores everywhere. Shhhh Don't spread the word!

I found out at Gibson's web site that it was made at 1976. 22 frets. Only two control buttons, volume and tone. 2 pickups, 1 single (bridge, nice fender like sound) and 1 humbucking (neck, classic gibson sound). It's a completely different guitar, a flying V /Les Paul mix. Strange but beautiful, easy to play, nice shape and weight. My Marauder is all original, great guitar. I give it a 9 because I miss another tone button (1 for each pickup).

I play 60 rock, lots of hendrix, stones, cream and who. Marauder sounds just perfect for almost any kind of music, its pickups sound so different one from another that it gives you lots of options to choose. The only problem with my guitar is that the bass E string does not sound as loud as the others, it's not hard to fix it though.

Very easy to adjust.

I believe (and hope) that this babe is impossible to break.

I've been playing for almost 12 years, most of that time using a Fender Strato, I never really liked Gibson guitars/sound until i try this one. I'm still trying to figure out why they stop producing it.
Great guitar, great sound, great price. If it were stolen I would buy another, in fact I will buy another anyway.

Single cut away, solid body with single neck humbucker and a single coil at the bridge both encased in clear lexan.

Bold on neck with a pointed head. Not the standard Gibson head. Came with a standard tail but I changed it to a fine tune Gibson tail and replaced the Gibson machines with Shallers.

I used to play rock and lite rock in a band in NYC when I owned this guitar with a Gibson Lab series amp.

I never liked the sound. Not much sustain and the sound was too tiney.

It was well made and everything fit. don't get me wrong, the craftmanship was great, it just souned bad.

I took the thing all over NYC and it held up fine. Got dropped a few times an dlasted through it all Fininsh seemed to hold up and was dependable. just sounded bad...

I could tell why they did not make more....

2 1976 Gibson Marauders, both U.S. made, 22 frets, Thick solid body guitar with a carved top. Each with a single volume and tone controls, 3-way toggle switch. 1 has been hot rodded with a seymour duncan sigle coil sized humbucker, replacing the original akrylic single coil. The other pickup is all natural, from what I can tell, a cream colored humbucker that sounds more like a lipstick than anything. Instead of the usual screws on it, it has 2 blade styles instead. The others all natural. The bodies are mahogany, so are the necks with nice rosewood fretboards, each with natural finishes. LP style body, but with a bigger pick guard. They both have Tune-o-matic bridges. I replaced the first one's tuners(original gibson tuners suck) with grover, and the other's had been replaced when I bought it, I'm not sure of the make. Both came with LP style hardshell cases.

Even though the pickups on both guitars are completely different, they both sound really, really good. The first, with the seymour duncan pickup, is my favorite. That pickup is so powerful, i couldn't believe. With the right kind of distortion, it can be made to sound so heavy, plus if the guitar is tuned down a couple of steps already. Mixed with the other weaker pickup, it's capable of a lot of different tones. The other with the IBZ pickup is almost as good. Good heavy tones from the humbucker, and sharper, tele like tones from the single coil. I play out of a Crate combo amp with 2 10" celestion speakers, witch is cool, it can be used for tube, or solid state, which i prefer. To get an extra heavy edge, i also use a Peavy microbass amp to get some real bottom heavy sounds. For an f-x set up i play out of both amps with a boss super chorus(with two outputs), 2 danelectro minis, a tremelo( which is good from tom morello like toggle cut off switch sounds) and a phaser, which sounds real good for clean sounds, a dod envelope filter, an ibanez black noise distortion pedal and a digitech xp-100 whammy/wah pedal, which is also an envelope filter and a harmonizer. I love the sound of these guitars.

only things bad about one of the guitars was the tuners, which i replaced, and the input jack, which i just replaced. now it sounds great, and other than belt marks, very minor dings here and there, this is an odd, but good looking guitar. And the wear just gives it character

These guitars are beasts, they weigh a ton, which i love, can take abuse, for the 20+ years they've been around, they still look and play real well. very dependable

Never had to deal with gibson

No regrets buying these, I actually bought a new Ibanez AX style, and traded it in for another marauder, mostly because it didn't weight enough. I'm always keeping my eyes open to get another, that's how good sounding and dependable these really are.

Yeah, I know. Everybody has ALWAYS been down on these. Fender folks don't know anything about them usually, and Gibson guys completely disregarded them because of the Fender-like bolt-on neck and single-coil bridge pickup. The Marauder ended up being Gibson's Edsel, to use the guitar/car analogy. (Although there will probably never be Marauder conventions or appreciation societies.) I looked up the serial # and found mine's a 1976 model, though it has that funky roto-select knob for pickup blending. I would've preferred a toggle, but what you gonna do, right? At least it works like it's supposed to. Man, this thing has been seriously worn in! Somebody loved this baby. It has a deep translucent wine finish which is pretty beat to hell, but to me that only gives it character. Some previous owner unknowingly did me a good turn and slapped a nice chunky brass nut in the neck and replaced the standard Gibson tuning keys with what I believe are Grovers. Whatever they are, they're solid. As everyone probably knows, the Marauder has a humbucker in the neck spot and what looks like a rudimentary school science class-project version of a hot rails single coil at the bridge. One volume, one tone and the "blender" pickup selector. (Earlier models had a 3-way toggle). I did some research and discovered that the Marauder's pickups (which are encased in plexiglass or something by the way) were designed by Bill Lawrence.
Not sure, but the body seems like mahogany to me. The bolt on neck is adjusted real well and can take a hell of a beating. Nice, supple rosewood fingerboard. The neck really reminds me more than anything else of '60's and early '70's strat and tele necks I've played on, but with REAL thick frets--I use 11-gauge strings and even with those, the neck is just faster than hell. It helps that you can set the action as low as you want and apparently fear no fret buzz. Also on mine the finish is worn off the back of the neck, which I really dig. (First thing I ever do with any new electric I get is sand that finish right off the back of the neck--you have to be fearless and just realize how much better it'll play and feel--but on this beauty, the work was done for me through time and a whole lotta handling. The body style is cool as can be, if you ask me. Single cutaway, nice carving to it. Sort of a fatboy version of a Les Paul, but I like the Marauder's styling better because it's not as common.You put all this together with a very funky aged white pickguard that I can only describe as psychedelic ranch-style and the Flying-V type headstock and what you get is a Frankensteinish 1970's rock and roll monstrosity. I LOVE IT!

Style? I don't have A style, really. In fact, I ain't that great a guitar player to be honest. I really like OLD blues (electric guitars and drumkits cannot make blues music in my opinion-- Sorry Mr. Clapton...), twangy country hillbilly and rockabilly stuff, heavy early punk rock as in IGGY and the goldamn STOOGES, and various noisy stuff that requires little virtuosity and a lot of balls. I try to play all of these styles as the mood hits, and the Marauder works real well for me in every category. (Well, for blues I use my acoustic--see above) I use a ProCo Rat fuzzbox, an original Ibanez Super Distortion and various other delays, choruses and a wah-wah. Around the house I play through an old Fender Vibro Champ or some even older no-name practice amp that has real nice natural distortion from being fugged up. When I record I often go through whatever effects I'm using and straight into the ol'4-track. The Marauder I have has given me no problems as far as noise, but like I say, with a lot of stuff I do, some hiss and buzz and crackle only enhance the proceedings. I think the neck pickup is sweet and juicy with a natural overdriven tone, very much like a Les Paul. The bridge pickup comes in anywhere from the tele/strat screamin' range towards a more fatass humbucker tone, depending upon the way I have the pickup "blend" knob set. All in all, it can sound sweet as pie, or as someone else reviewing one on these pages said, it can sound like a friggin' madman. Quite a variety of tones. I have thought about replacing the pickups with classic chrome-covered humbucking PAF's because I think it would improve the sound and visual aesthetics of the Marauder a bit, but really I'm happy the way it is. My only little complaint is I wish that when playing it clean it had a bit more midrangey brightness to it. It sounds nice enough clean, but could be a trifle less muddy. Distorted or loud it's hard to beat though.

Think this is pretty much covered already, since I rambled on so long. The finish is a beautiful color, and even with all its chips, dents, dings and scratches, she's purty. And obviously solid as can be. I'll probably be passing this ax on to my son someday. "Don't let anyone laugh at you for playing the dreaded Marauder, son... you just hold your head high and carry on the family business..."

This guitar is a quarter-century old and looks like it's been to war. I haven't played it live yet, but when the time comes I'm sure she'll not only withstand live playing, but will be more than sturdy enough to bat away full flying beer bottles, rocks, etc., or even being used as a weapon if need be.

Never had to deal with Gibson. In the past I was usually a tele man. I'm sure Gibson is a fine company to deal with, but why does someone have to pay $1500 to $2500 for a new Gibson? You can pick up some excellent Fender, Squier and DeArmond guitars for $200 to $500.

I've been playing for about 19 years (eee-god, you'd think I'd be a great player by now, but nope...) I also own an Epiphone Les Paul Jr. (the one P-90 pickup version you can get for under $200), a 1973 maple-necked telecaster and a P-bass. If my Marauder were stolen or destroyed (God forbid) I would definitely seek out another. In fact, I'd like to have a second Marauder now. Everyone needs a signature guitar, eh? Don't people get tired of seeing everyone with the same 3 guitars all the time? I love everything about this guitar. I don't hate anything about it. In a way, my favorite feature is the fact that it's a discontinued and much-maligned model that is almost universally hated. In your face, guitar snobs--MARAUDER FOREVER!!!

1976 model, I bought this one used in 1979 (~285 $)
Solidbody (Maple?), Les Paul shaped body, plexiglass Lawrence humbucker in neck, slantmounted singlecoil at bridge (orig), 2-vol, 2-2 tone knobs, 3-way toggle, white large pickguard,tunamatic bridge, stopbar tailpiece, bolt-on maple neck w/ flying V headstock and rosewood fretboard with dot inlays.
Mine has the original Bill Lawrence pickups, single coil at bridge position and humbucker near neck. The body is dark see through brown Color and neck is maple. The tuners were already re-placed by quality Ibanez locking tuners when I bought this guitar 1979, so I don't know anything about the originals. However, the Ibanez tuners are best I have seen this day.

I play mainly rock and country music for which purposes this guitar is great. You can get good country sounds with bridge pickup and fatter bluesy sounds with neck humbucker. However, the bridge pickup is a little bit thin, so you need some EQ`ing with that. Very good rhythm guitar sounds (smooth, not too much mids).

I have used the local luthier and the guitar plays very well. The luthier said that this guitar has quality woods used, even though it was supposed to be a low end guitar of Gibson. The neck is one of the best i have played on any guitar (low action, no buzz).

The guitar has lasted with no breakage for 21 years, still original parts (except tuners)and works well. With proper maintanence it will last another 21 years.

N/A

I have been playing since 1978 and this guitar was my second electric guitar and first real elctric guitar. I haven't always loved this guitar, I own two other guitars: Fender Deluxe Plus 1991 Strat and Squier Strat ProTone 1997, but at end this guitar always feels the best.

The neck is the best part of this guitar. I bought this thing in 1978. It had been owned by Donald Fagen. It was completely customized when I got it, with a two-tone black/red sunburst and two Dimarzio super distortion humbuckers. They sucked, as did the Gibson tuners. It would be nice to have two tone and two volume, but the controls are passable. It's got a 3-way switch rather than the fader, thank God. The frets are massive and after some adjustment the action beats anything else I've ever played.

The pickups in it were crap. I don't like the originals or what mine had. So I put in a Gibson 57 Classic at the neck and a 57 Classic Plus at the bridge. It sounds great through anything, but especially ballsy through my '62 Gibson Ranger. I can get just about any tone out of it now, from an SG to a Les Paul (only better, I swear to God). It is especially reminiscent of the Jimmy Page sound on the 1st two Led Zeppelin albums. The tune-o-matic bridge is espcially good for quick change to slide playing (about 3 minutes to adjust and tune).

It plays awsome in every way, by far the most comfortable guitar I have, with the possible exception of the 60 Strat which I love. The finish is absolutely beat to hell. I have played this guitar on the road for 22 years. It has had beer spilled on it, been hit by a bus (in the case) dropped from a 9 foot stage. It has "character marks" to be sure.

What, are you kidding? This thing is the Peterbilt of guitars. I have never had a single problem. Unbelievably durable.

I hated this guitar until I changed to the 57 classic pickups. It always played great, but it sounded lame, especially clean. Now, it's without a doubt my number one choice. Everyone always asks me what it is, it's so funky looking. It may have been made to be a cheap version of the Les Paul, but it isn't second to anything. If you set it up right and are willing to drop a few hundred bucks into upgrades, you will love this thing.

73 Gibson Marauder, original pickups, scratchplate, but with all new knobs and grover tuning pegs. I love the lipstick pickup, these plexiglass things are amazing. Pick up selector knob painted in metallic purple nail polish, which really adds something.
Natural finish, maple body and neck. A beautiful piece of wood!
My only problem is the way the neck is bolted on- it looks like it has been replaced, as it doesn't fit quite right.
This guitar has such a sexy shape, which, unlike many others really looks good on a girl.

I had decided to buy this guitar from the minute i saw it, so the sound was a bonus! It's perfect for what I do -grungey, punky rock, with a lot of bite and crunch. I'd tried various Fenders looking for that Nirvana/Hole sound but this Gibson is the first to come close. I love it. My boyfriend prefers his SG- which is warm and round in tone. I play this through the Laney LC15, which gives it a little extra crunch.

I've never had this guitar set up in the 2 years I've owned it. I probably shhould as I'm getting dangerously bad fretwear, as its been played heeps in almost 30 years. The action is just perfect, not to easy, just heavy enough that you can feel what you're doing.

I haven't yet gigged with a band but i'm looking forward to showing this guitar off. I would be entirely confident of gigging without a backup- this guitar can take a lot of abuse. As the finish is almost matt, scratches and knocks dont show much at all under bright light, from a few feet away it could be brand new.

I love everything about the Gibson Marauder, and I've made it my mission to buy up as many as I can find after I finish at university.

1976/1976. i own two. The first one was played & broke by Paul Stanely. Heavy hardwood body (not sure what). Get real gibson tuners (that's what both of mine have, the originals). The body is clean cut, like a Gibson, but has a flying V style neck. The placement of the knobs are good. If you find one with a toggle, they are good, but later on that toggle was replaced with a rotary blender, good for finding that perfect balance. Two picks, a single & double. both in epoxy casing. But never have i seen one that didn't need a little adjusting on the bridge, once down lower, they are fast...

Sounds perfect. It's got a Fender tone on a gibson body. That means no fat neck to slow you down, but you still get that raw grrrr that fender's give. I use it on a vintage MusicMan50, to help recreate that tone it was built for. Sounds best on a tube amp (don't all guitars?). Very thin on the high ends, so keep it on mid or low to get that grrrr i was talking about.

Bad bad bad setup. I've always had to change them. You must. You'll see, just lower it and it glides like an iceskater. Pickups do need adjusting, so fit them to your sound, and this guitar does just that. All you need is a phillips to find your tone.
The finish(s) are pretty. One's black, really dark & gothicy. the other is a natural finish.

Definitally withstands the power of music. I've been playing on them for quite awhile. They'v been knocked around, and nothing's changed. you can depend on them, although, if you only have one, you wouldn't have as big of a head as me, so bring a second guitar incase a string breaks. But that's all you should worry about with this...

Never needed...

Perfection is possible with gibson guitars...

1976 model
Solidbody (Maple?), Les Paul shaped body, plexiglass Lawrence humbucker in neck, slantmounted singlecoil at bridge (orig), 2-vol, 2-tone knobs, 3-way toggle, electronics in pickguard, tunamatic bridge, stopbar tailpiece, bolt-on maple neck w/ flying V headstock and rosewood fretboard. Dot inlays.
Mine has a Dimarzio super-distortion in the slanted bridge position. Color, which I believe to be origional, is a creamy golden natural finish which looks rose-tinted when viewed from an angle. Later versions had a fader style knob for the pickup selector. Some had maple fretboards and a few had rosewood with trapazoid inlays.

Sounds like a les-paul, but with a fender-esque accent to the bridge p/u. Listen to a Superchunk album if you want to hear one of these guitars in action. Mac has used Marauders almost exclusively for a while and his style shows how nice the clean tones can be from this model. I wish mine still had the single-coil @ the bridge. No scratch to any of the pots or switches, and the output from the orig humbucker is still very hot, but perhaps a bit less dirty than most gibson hb's.

Plays better than any of my other Gibsons, and the frets are the beefiest I've seen on a Gib. Action is very low, the neck is thin and fast, and the weight is lower than my LP and SG. The bolt-on neck has no effect on the sound, and it sustains very well. The rosy tint to the finish is very cool, and has lasted well. The headstock finish is cheep, and I've seen a couple which, like mine, has chips in the logo decal. Probably a defect in the binding of the varnish to the decal material, but this was a cheepo Gibson, so not as much attention to detail as seen in nicer models. This guitar, however, is a very playable instrument and souinds as good as any Gibson aroind. Looks cool too.

Solid. Has lasted, what, 23 yers and plays great still.

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Subjectively, this guitar is one of my favorite instruments. It has a few blemishes, but for a cheepo Gibson, it is a great value. The hybrid Les Paul--Flying V look is funny and cool. I'm probably going to get another Marauder, if that says anything.

My dad gave this one to me years ago. He purchased it used, and owned it for about 2 years. It's a 1978 vintage with a natural, matte blonde finish. Originally there was a rather crappy control layout of 2 volume pots and an almost worthless fader for fading between the 2 pickups. (A toggle switch is MUCH MUCH better!) The pickups to my ears anyway, sounded weak and tinny... Basically, the body style is a Les Paul with a bolt-on neck, and a unique spade-shaped head. And the tuners were really, really cheesy... The neck however, is superb, and the body is solid as a rock, and weighs about as much, too... (which I like.) The bridge & tailpiece are pretty much the standard Les Paul Stop-O-Matic style.

I play classic rock, blues, jazz, and a smattering of country. The original pickups sounded good on none of it. They had very low gain, and no body or depth at all... Since my dad gave it to me, I was totally not interested in selling it, and after looking at it sitting in the stand as I wailed away on my Les Paul, I decided to overhaul it. After all, what good is a guitar if you never play it? A friend of mine came across a fantastic deal on a pair of Gibson USA humbuckers out of a Jimmy Page Les Paul along with all of the electronics, still new... I bought 'em, along with a sheet of 1/8th inch plexiglass to use as the new mounting plate for the electronics. Unfortunately, the pickups & electronics from the Les Paul wouldn't fit the body cutouts so I decided to borrow a router (ok, you vintage guitar buffs can go ballistic now) and tailor the body cutouts carefully to fit the new electronics. Then, after designing the new mounting plate layout & cutting it out of the plexiglass, I used automotive metal flake spray paint, shot several coats on the back of the clear mounting plate, mounted the new pickups & electronics & put the whoe thing back together. I also replaced the crummy tuners with a set of Grovers, and fashioned a plexiglass truss-rod cover plate that matches the mounting plate. As a result, I've got a guitar that I now play much more than my Les Paul, and the finish will never wear off of the mounting plate & truss rod cover, because it's on the back. If you can find one of these for 200 bucks as my dad did, and you're good at guitar tweaking and customizing, you can create a great instrument out of one of these.

Before I reworked it, it was not going to win any beauty contests. Outfitted with a weirdly shaped plain black mounting plate & lackluster appointments, blecchh... The neck is awesome, as I mentioned before, and it's great raw material for fixing up.

As far as durability, this thing is a rock... Good for beating up muggers and whatnot...

Never dealt with Gibson on this guitar... Shouldn't ever have to. Not much can go wrong that I can't fix myself.

Overall Rating before fixing it up: 3 Overall rating now: 10

I had it dated not too long ago, and apparently the thing was made in 1973. I'm not sure on the fret count, as I'm too lazy to reach over and count them...but it seems there's the standard amount of frets. It's a solid wood guitar with a pick guard that covers about 1/3 of the front. The pick-guard has this unique, funky shape that gives the guitar character. Two controls: 1 volume, 1 tone and a 3 way selector switch. There's a humbucker and a single coil, the humbucker is near the bridge. They're very unique looking clear plastic pick-ups, both has character, but of course the humbucker simply is cause for orgasim. The body is shaped like a Les Paul studio; classic Gibson looking guitar. The tuners were replaced with Schaler's when I bought it, Lord knows we can't have the typical Gibson tuners. Overall, a unique and beautiful guitar to look at and inspect...the quality is great.

Let me share with you how this guitar sounds: Imagine yourself on mushrooms, a high dosage at that, when as you are lying in a green meadow talking with the dirt, grass and air...the luminous blue sky opens as if being ripped apart like a knife slashing through a sheet. A mamoth hand reaches down to you as a voice booms within your head telling you the secret truths to life and existence. This guitar is the ONLY intrument capable of providing the soundtrack for the moment just desrcribed.

You're only going to get it used, so never mind the set-up. This guitar was obviously made right the first time, because it has plenty of milage and still ranks above many many other guitars I've owned or tried.

Once again, the guitar I own at least performs impeccably. No complaints, rather I have only praises for this Gibson.

Doesn't really apply in my case, however, I can recommend a great place in Buffalo to take your old guitar for service!

Been playing about 8 years...I have yet to run across another guitar so unique and beautiful as this one. If you run across one, get it, you won't be disappointed.

US made - mid 70's. Has a humbucker at neck with a single coil at bridge. Mahogany body with shape like a Les Paul Jr. Bolt on neck with Jumbo frets - Rosewood board is slightly scalloped. Headstock is like a Flying V. 2 way switch and one each volumn and tone. Finish is that awful thick clear stuff that both Gibson and Fender used for a bit. I know refinishing hurts the value, but I think I'll do it as I hate that stuff.

The sound out of the humbucker is terrific - classic Gibson humbucker sound. Sounds great into a Princeton Reverb. Sound from the single coil is good, but this was Gibson's attempt to get their sound and the Fender sound into one guitar. They didn't quite get that Fender tone down. This is a great way to get the Gibson sound without paying megabucks for a Paul or Firebird (Lord I want one of them Firebirds)

This guitar is set up surprisingly well coming from a time when Gibson did a good deal of sloppy work (I have a 73 J50 deluxe that coulda been made in shop class). The neck is really nice and I love the big frets. I also like the beefy tailpiece and bridge as I don't use a tremelo. As stated above - I hate the thick plasticky finish, but all else is great.

This has guitar has so many dents and nicks that it looks like it was used in a WHO tribute band. After all the abuse it is in great condition - no cracks, splits, even the pickguard has held up perfectly. Should last forever. Wouldn't use it (or any guitar) in a gig cause I'm tone deaf and have no sense of rythum - I just play to annoy my wife and the dogs.

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I would buy another one of these in a second, especially at the bargain prices you can get em for. Did I mention that I hate the finish?