Gibson RD Standard

My RD Standard is a Kalamazoo USA-made '77 model in natural finish w/22 frets, dual passive chrome-covered humbuckers, dual volume & dual tone controls, & the standard Gibson three-way selector switch. The pickups are "Gibson Series VII" humbuckers, which are very hot for Gibson pickups (more like a Duncan Distortion than anything else) and which are no longer being produced or installed in stock Gibsons. The remaining hardware compliment is the typical Gibson stopbar & tune-o-matic bridge. The body and neck are both maple; the transparent natural finish shows off a very nice woodgrain. The body shape is quite reminiscent of a reverse Firebird, though the front lower bout is not more rounded, not nearly as severe. The headstock is the standard 3-on-a-side Gibson "open-book" design with the Gibson decal (no inlay). The tuners are the top of the line chrome Gibson-labeled (not "Grover") bow-tie variety. The neck profile is different from any Gibson I've owned--it's like a 60s slim-taper neck, but retains the slimness all the way down to the joint, more like some of the slimmer Telecaster necks I've handled. Adding to the "Telecaster" feel of the neck is the fact that the fretboard scale is 25.5", not the typical Gibson 24.75" scale. The fretboard is rosewood with MOP dot inlays. I received the guitar in trade with it's original Gibson hardshell case.

Soundwise I really like this guitar. I was warned that the solid maple body would make for an un-versatile guitar with an extremely bright sound, but this warning was completely off base. IMO the guitar has a very well balanced sound, and actually generates a better bottom end than almost anything else I've played. The neck pickup can produce a very nice "jazzy" sound with the volume and tone knobs rolled back, and the bridge pickup alone can give you crunch and grind like you'd expect from a Gibson. The neck alone with some very bright amp settings can also approximate a "Fender" twang quite well. The strength of the Gibson dual volume/dual tone setup, of course, is that you have tremendous tonal flexibility, and the RD Standard maximizes that potential in a wonderful way. I plug straight into the amp and avoid using too many effects. This guitar shines with this "minimalist" setup. It responds quite well to amp overdrive, and the flexibility/variety of overdriven sounds is no different than the variety of "clean" sounds.

Getting the 1977 guitar in 2003 I can't really comment on the factory setup. I can say that the guitar must have been really well made, because it's in really good shape after 26 years. I received it in almost mint condition, and there are no visible construction flaws on/in it. This is the first Kalamazoo Gibson I've owned, and having it I now understand the almost cultish appreciation that some people have for the Kalamazoo Gibson. It's the oldest Gibson I've ever owned, and perhaps the best made.

It's 26 years old and it looks brand new. I believe that speaks for it's durability. The hardware is all stock, and all good. I don't gig without a backup. Who would do that? No single guitar covers every "base."

I've emailed Gibson a few times, once about this guitar. I received a return email the same day. No complaints there.

Overall I like this guitar alot. It's not fancy, or flashy, but it's very solid, very well made, very versatile/flexible, and obviously durable. It's distinct--you don't see too many Gibson RDs--and it's attractive. With the longer scale it's capable of more "snap" than other Gibsons, but IMO it will do all the things that you expect a Gibson to do. I've been playing 30 years and have owned numerous guitars of many makes (Gibsons, Godins, Guilds, Fenders, DeArmonds, Deans, Ibanezes...). At this point my other guitars are a Guild Starfire IV and a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe. I play through an Ampeg Reverb-Rocket, a Peavey Classic 30, and a '66 Fender Blackface Super Reverb.

my RD is passive, not like the active rd's out there, its actually setup just like a les paul - 2 volume, 2 tones. i rarely find myself using the neck pickup, cuz its so bassy. i flat out love this guitar, its like an ergonomic explorer, only with more bass, and the warmth of alnico pickups. 25 1/2" scale gives you great harmonics you cant get with shorter scales. all mahogony, and a massive neck joint give it sustain for days. it doesnt give you great neck access, but who cares? it plays like a dream. has a voulte - right behind the nut, looks funny, but is so comfortable.

sounds too good to be true, so thick and warm. this aint a ska guitar, its a beast! its not bright, but its bright enough for me... i cant believe this guitar is passive - its got so much power. for my tastes, in the sound catagory, its perfect.

the frets are so low, its feels like im playing the actual "fretless wonder". action is great. the nut seems to be filed for tiny little strings, i use 11-48 gauge strings which work just fine. beautiful tobacco burst finish.

this guitar is 20 years old, it has stood up to live playing, it looks like its been dropped, thrown around and mildly abused. but the neck is still straight as can be. original hardware, i just polished her up and shes beatiful. very reliable. old pots, switch and output jack had to be replaced, but thats it. rock solid

im just a gibson person, they make great stuff. ive played explorers (a bit too ceramic sounding), les pauls (i wanna get me a LP), and sg's (peghead heavy) and this is the best ive ever played, no question about it. this thing will make any amp growl. i like the fact that i dont have to carry aroung extra batteries for my guitar. this guitar will never be stolen or lost, cuz i sleep with the thing. finding a case for it would be the worst possible situation. its too bad that so many people are trying to get thier hands on these guitars, i like the fact that people dont know what to think when they see it.

I have a 1977 RD made in the USA by Gibson. It is absolutely awesome! It is all original hardware, I bought it from a good family friend who has had it since 1977 and it has been in a closet since 1978. It is equipped with two Gibson Original humbuckers. It is a beatiful natural color without even one single scratch on it. I think the body is maple. It has a long wide neck that is very comfortable. It has the best action on it that I have ever played. It did come with the original Gibson case that looks like a bass case because it is so big. It sounds unreal, thick, cutting, and like a LesPaul but more full than one. It is an RD Standard so it doesn't have active electronics in it so I give it a 9 for features but it sounds killer!

This guitar suites my style perfect. I am a Gibson guy so it fulfills my blues/rock type of style. I play a lot of classic rock because that was when guitar players played tasteful talented licks and riffs. So it sounds unreal kind of like a Les Paul but better. I can get scorching highs if I want and great lows as well. It has the best pickup combo I have ever heard. It sounds unreal.

As I said this guitar was only played for a year and barely played during that year and has been sitting in a closet for 22 years. It does not have 1 single scratch on it and after I polished the body in lemon oil and soaked the fretboard it looked absolutely beautiful. There is no rusting of the hardware, no flaws in this department. And the action is great, the best I have ever played. I put 9's on it.

I'm sure this is a reliable axe. It is big and constructed very well. However I don't intend on playing out live with it, I was told that this guitar is going to be worth big bucks and to keep it in mint condition. So for Durability as far as the construction aspect of it is concerned this thing is solid I give it a 10. I do record with this a real lot. I have a 48 track Pro tools system.

I called Gibson for specs on this and they were just average in helping me answer my questions, but they did answer them so I give this a 7. The original warranty is still in the case.

I have been playing for about 10 years. I own a bunch of other guitars all gibson. I am completely happy with my purchase of the RD and out of all my guitars this is my favorite one. Now I want to get an RD Artist or Custom so I have the active electronics in as well. I would just like to play one to just to hear what the Moog electronics sound like. This guitar is the ultimate in guitars and I don't understand why it had such a short production. Who knows maybe they will be produced again?

Had three of these guitars. I am a Hammond B3 player, but find the RD to be just perfect for my kind of 'hunt and peck' guitar playing. Two RD's that I owned were 'dark cherry' stained maple ~ the third was a tobacco sunburst. All were made 1977-78.

These guitars always sound very unique to me. They have all of Gibson's Humbucking chunk and yet much more top end. When ever I plug in to an amp, I always seem to get that Johnny Winter sound ~ I love that.

All three of the RD's I owned had never been played. They were all in mint condition in cases where not even the felt was squashed!

These are basically just chunks of lumber with strings on them. i know if I was stuck out at batting practice I could pop a few line drives with the RD.

n/a ~ although I detect some real snobbery with Gibson reps I have talked to. It's like they don't want to admit they ever made the RD's.

as mentioned, am keyboard player by trade. Never wanted to take a 'proper, in-demand' guitar out of circulation, so always looked around for guitars nobody wanted. No serious guitar player seems to want the RD ~ but I think that's their problem because these guitars are very cool indeed.

I have a '77 RD Standard that I bought two weeks ago. It is a Gibson so it was USA made all original hardware. It is a laminated top and has 2 volume and 2 tone controls, as well as a 3 way selector. It has Gibson original pickups in it. It is the Standard not the custom or artist so it doesn't have active electronics. The finish is natural and it is in mint condition. The guitar itself is in mint condition!! I bought it from a local store and they sold it in '77 and the guy who bought it sold it back to the store in '79 and it has been sitting in a closet ever since without strings on it. It really looks newer than my SG that I bought last october. It is a perfect guitar. It sounds unreal and is so comfortable to play. It isn't top heavy like an SG or a Firebird or bottom heavy like a lespaul, it is perfect. It sounds better than any of my other guitars. I have a '77 Les Paul Custom, '99 SG Special black with a white pearloid pickguard and a 5ooT and 496R equipped in it that I had installed. I also have a Joe Pass Signature guitar, a Guild Artist award Archtop, and a bunch more, blah blah blah. But I do really like my RD. It is all original with the original case and the original warranty in the case, thats how unused it was. And the tone is so consistent when the volume gets lowered. It is truly an underated and awesome guitar. The shape is a little strange but it is a great guitar. I payed only $800 for it. I am good friends with the owner, but even for that price it was a steel, its really like a brand new guitar, in mint condition.

It sounds like a gibson but more unique.

The finish is in mint condition in Natural.

It seems reliable but I haven't had it long enough to make an accurate judgement.

I called Gibson to get some info and specs and they said the RD series is making a come back and that a lot of people are using them lately but the guy didn't really tell me everything about the specs.

I think this is a great guitar to own. I have been playing since I was in fourth grade, so I have been playing for 11 years. I would buy another one and would like to buy a custom or artist just to test out the active electronics in them.

made a while back, this is (i think) the culmination of all the RD experiment guitars. its the standard model, passive, and setup just like a les paul with 2 tones, 2 volumes, 3 way switch. all passive. the real story is the pickups - i think alnico, but they are bassy and chunky as anything ive ever heard. all mahogony, funny little voulte on the back of the nut region. 25 1/2 inch scale.

it sounds fat, through anything. i love the sound, very little noise. rich, full, fat, and clear. i replaced the scratchy pots, and everything is fine. the guitar is grounded and shielded well. i love everything about the guitar, theres nothing wrong with it.

the guitar is all stock, and perfect. the nut was filed for tiny little strings, though.

the neck joint on this thing is quite large, and the reinforced headstock thing combine to make a real strong guitar

ive played long enough to know that quality is worth paying for. you cant cut corners. i want another one of these. my favorite feature has to be the sound of he pickups.