Gibson S-1

1978 U.S.A. Kalamazoo 22 frets.
Solid body guitar - three section solid body with routered section for the electronics accessible by removing the scratch-plate.
Single Volume 100KL & Tone 300 KL with 0.2 capacitor. Normally a four way chicken head rotating switch; this one has a six way. Two way switch (actually a 3 way that is limited); down selects for the bridge pickup, middle for the 6 ways chicken head switch)
Pickups are original Lawrence 'see thru' style.
The electronics are period restored passive.
Body is a mahogany with maple neck - as from a flying V.
The style is a 2 inch thick flat version of the Les Paul shape. The finish is plain mahogany on the body and maple on the neck. The Bridge is the standard chrome adjustable saddle and Les Paul bridge. The tuners are replacement - it's better to go with good repros of the original, which I will do soon. These are standard Grovers. The neck is slim and easy to play - a good light feel.

The sound is unique; somewhere between the strat and the Gibson humbucker - and yet neither. With six settings I can choose all three pickups in isolation and combine any two. The only setting I can't do is all three pickups together. Flicking the 2 way switch down locks onto the bridge pickup. This is still a problem.
It suits my light blues style with light tones - very thin if you want, but also gutsy and with a roar if you want. Excellent.

The amp is 1964 Selmer Valve with light touches from an electronics effects board and a Soundlab speaker. To squash the volume I use a soundsoak.

The sound is bright, rather than full, but there is a wide range - you can single coil or humbucker in seconds.

There is nothing about this instrument I don't like. It stands on a par with my Les Paul Standard and Custom - no problem. It's just different.

The guitar lost its factory settings (and a lot of parts) years ago. However, it was sold as a second - not that that matters now. The frets need refinishing, but that's all.

It's a good low action - smooth to play allowing a light touch, speed or expression.

I'd happily play this live. The guitar is robust - and will now wear well.

I would never gig without a backup.

Emails have not yet produced replies after eight weeks. So far Gibson have been useless.

Repairs are done in the Chester Back Alley Music shop by Mat Bascetta - I recommend.

The warranty died years ago.

I own 8 guitars and a mandolin. I have played for forty years. If this guitar was stolen I would buy another, yes. I love the tone and the play; that's what matters, not the looks.

I have owned it for about ten years.

This is a rare guitar, easy to play, and expressive. If you can get one (around ??500.00) give it a try. It is unique.

US made 1976 22 frets. Original and unique S-1 electrics:- 3 single coil p/ups through 4 way rotary selector, neck + middle, bridge + middle, all 3 and middle - bridge and 2 way override, selector on or Bridge p/up only. Master volume and tone pots.
Rosewood fingerboard and body and neck probably alder, possibly maple. Satin natural finish yellowing in a nice mature way.
Tunomatic bridge and stop tailpiece, Gibson tulip tuners.
Fairly slim C-neck like US Strat. Very low frets, but they work.

Perfect for the blues and country end of my Southern-boogie orientated style. Bit light for the noisy stuff. A Marshall MG30 is my main amp now. A bit of mains hum on high gain and treble, but less than a Strat.
Unusual warm but light and bright tone, from the Rickenbacker formula of clangy single-coil p/ups on a rich, soft sounding piece of wood.
Huge variety of variations on the sound. 3 shades of warm, light and bright, a sparkling rockabilly twang and one more like a clavinet than a guitar.

Still in perfect working order after 33 years with apparently all original bits. Plays like a dream.

It has lasted. There is a little patch where your left thumb goes in 1st position that has worn through the varnish. For the previous owner to have played it enough to do that, and not wear anything else out, is proof that this was built to last and last. There are a few scratches, but what do you expect on a working instrument?
I would certainly use it without backup

I have been playing for 36 years. Gibson sent a demo round UK music stores when I was a teenager, I tried it and wanted one. They never released it for the UK market after all, and I had to wait 33 years to get one from the US on Ebay. While I was waiting, my style moved on, and my Les Paul is now my number one, but the S-1 feels so easy it is like I have had it all my playing life already.(6 days!).
It is the fourth classical element in my guitar rack: the S-1 adds water to the fire of the Zemaitis, the earth of the Les Paul and the air of the Strat.

I bought my 1976 Gibson S1 brand new in KALAMAZOO MI where the Gibson Factory was at the time. I have had it for 31 years, I LOVE IT. It's Black,(Green in blacklight), triple pickup, Les Paul style body, I will never part with it, it is my "babygirl". I have been playing guitar for 37 years, and this is the only one for me. It frets better than anything else I have ever picked up. I have had no work done on it, EVERYTHING is original! It came with a purple lined case, and when I priced it back in 1976 here in Kalamazoo, the ticket on it was $1000.00. I didn't know it came in other colors because I had never seen another one until just recently, I believe Saving Abel plays on in their video. I would say this is the best guitar, right along with my Martin DCX1E. They are both my babies and I will never ever part with either one!! I believe the reason why the guitar didn't "take off", was because of it's low numbers of production. a friend worked at the Kalamazoo factory, and he told me the whole story of how it was made, with what, etc. I love this guitar!!

Patti

sounds great!

no other guitar I've picked up frets like the S1, I am a female with smaller hands, and I love the fact that I don't have to press hard to play!

my guitar has made it through 2 kids, 2 grandkids, and still looks awesome!

I took my guitar to a Gibson representative that was at a music store maybe a year or 2 after I bought it, and he told me "never get rid of that guitar"

If my guitar was stolen, I'd hunt down the rat bastard and kik his ***!! and get my guitar back

Borrowed a black finish with rosewood version of this gem in 1977 from another player that ultimately dated my sister, singing and played rhythm in a Top 40 cover band we formed called "Black & White". Since most of the guitarists during the late 70's mid 80's were playing Fender or Gibson, and none of the effects modules of today, to emulate various songs and bands of the day. This helped to bridge the gap between the two a was very playable. I prefer rosewood on this model, as the out of phase shifting and single coil design got me very close to Strat/Tele -- I haven't really found a Strat that I can say that I have the same feelings. Big fan of Rosewood Teles, still looking for her. No tremlo, hey, improvise.

I played through a late 60's Fender Baseman 2x12's in a 4x Fender BandMaster Cab, 50Watt Tube, One Celestrian, One Fender Speaker. Cranked. Had less buzz then is common in Fender to Fender rigs.

9 - Good Quality workmanship, weight distribution and solid feel.

Yes, Did, many times...

Since it was a loner, not sure.

If I could find the same configuration I had played 30 years ago, I buy it in heart beat.

1976 gibson s-1. purchased used in los angeles area summer of 2004. mine has been modified: total re-fret, two lindy fralin p-90s in place of the three bill lawrence single coils, pick-up selector toggle replacing the 4-way switch, & the pick-guard must have been custom-made to accomodate the new pick-up configuration, yet still have that unique s-1/marauder "shape". so, as far as you vintage hounds would be concerned, the guitar is worthless. pero, this guitar was modified by a PLAYER & sold to a PLAYER; it will not be hung on a wall as part of a collection or, worse yet, locked away in a vault awaiting appreciation in dollar value. no sir. this s-1's fate is to be resting in my grubby hands. a lot.

where do i start? the lindy fralin p-90s just SCREAM. again, purists who turn to the s-1 for its country or blues-y twang might be put off by the sound emanating from my guitar. definitely a rocker. that said, even this s-1, when played through only a maxon compressor & eq (the cp-101 & ge-601 respectively) into a tube amp on a "clean" setting can produce nashville- & mississippi delta-approved sounds. but ef that. i like to use pedals. lots of 'em. distortion, fuzz, univibe, wah, phaser, flanger, chorus, delay. you get the idea. i sold my soul for rock n roll. & i'm taking my s-1 with me.

my s-1 has the black pickguard, rosewood fretboard w/pearloid fret markers, & black headstock. may i take this opportunity to say that i am fascinated w/all the combinations gibson used when making the marauders & s-1s: maple fretboard w/both light & dark headstocks; rosewood fretboard w/dark & light headstocks; plus all the different body color & pickguard color schemes. as often as i look at these guitars on e-bay, there always seems to be some variation that i've never seen before. anyway, back to the category at hand. action? simply awesome. the new frets are so big, it's almost like i have a scalloped-fret guitar. very "fast", no buzz, easy bends, also excellent for barre chords as well. fit? well, when i bought my s-1, the high E string was ridin' way too close to the edge of the neck. but i took it to eric's guitar shop in van nuys. he got the problem "straightned out". finish? hmm. my s-1 may have about the WORST finish job ever on a non-homemade guitar. did it come out of the factory this way? did somebody strip the paint & then apply whatever-the-hell it is that makes up the top layer of this guitar? the world may never know. does it bother me? hell no. in fact, it took me a good long while to even notice that my s-1 didn't look like other gibsons that are seen on the internet. i play the guitar. i don't wanna shag it.

it's already lasted 30 years. i mean, really, let's use logic here. unless you log on to harmony central to beef that your gibson purchased in 1976 crapped out in 1977, every rating for vintage guitars should be very, very high. they've already stood the test of time. they no longer need to prove their "reliability" or "durability" to anybody. seriously, if i walked into the next room after typing this review & noticed that my s-1 had disintegrated into sawdust, i would have to admit that the thing had a long & productive life. i might cry. i said MIGHT (faux tough-guy alert). but after that, i would again salute the fine quality control at gibson. 30 years! sheeit.

guitar players really are a buncha sissies. if you pulled your late 70s volkswagen bug into your local vw dealer, would you expect parts to be under warranty? to have the salesmen eagerly pop out from behind their desks to listen to your problems w/a model discontinued over two decades ago? to have a dedicated 800 number for people to whine their petty beefs at all hours on the clock? if you answered yes to any of these questions, you & i have basic differences in our world-views that will never be bridged. but if you do see the silliness in the questions above, why make guitar & amp manufacturers answer to a higher standard?

i paid $500 for this guitar. it plays and sounds awesome. to hell w/the vintage angle. to hell w/the bolt-on neck angle. to hell w/comparing the s-1 to les pauls & sg's. i didn't want to buy a les paul, a les paul junior, or an sg when i purchased my s-1. i wanted this guitar. to others who feel a need to slag the marauder/s-1 line of gibsons, i offer this advice: swing by my house & drop the guitar off here. i'll see if i can give it a good home.

1978 Gibson S-1, natural wood color. Has a few nicks and dings, but nothing serious at all. Rosewood fretboard which looks virtually unplayed- frets are beautiful and the wood is luscious!The body resembles a Les paul, but don't be fooled! This baby weighs half of what a Les Paul weighs. Four way selector switch with a Two way toggle switch to give you a "phased" sound. Flying V headstock with Bill Lawrence single coil pick-ups that are encased in transparent red plastic. I have a gorgeous brown 70's Gibson case with red interior that houses this guitar.

This guitar is Gibson's attempt at reproducing the famous Fender Stratocaster sound. While similar in tone to a Strat, this guitar actually has its own unique sound, best described as "smarmy". It plays clean rather well, bluesy and soulful yet ballsy like its cousins at the Gibson factory. I play it through my Marshall JCM 2000 on the crunch setting and it sizzles and grizzles like a Gibson should.The bridge pick up is bright and ferocious. Sounds really good for a 27-year-old guitar. I am still experimenting with the "phase" feature. Did I mention that the neck is a bolt on? it suits my music style well, but it is not in the main arsenal

Set up is perfect! I put D'Addario elevens with a wound G string on this guitar and it likes it!Stays in tune well. The electronics are in super shape!

Well made guitar in the experimental days of Gibson. I wouldn't rely on this guitar for my main axe, but would gladly use it as a back up. It is a cool guitar.

I have been playing for over 11 years and own 25 guitars. If this guitar was misplaced or stolen, I would find another one. I was intrigued about this guitar after I saw one being played in a local band a few years ago in Des Moines, Iowa. It is such a strange guitar, that I had to get one of my own. Great guitar if you are looking for a tone similar to a Strat. Don't let the Les Paul body fool you, this is a single coil instrument. That being said, it is a good guitar for rock/ blues.

MIne is a 1974 rare S-1 (this I know from the blue guitar book) and although many might insist that the starting point is 1975 I can refute this. This beauty features rosewood fretboard wich 75' and over models don't (and the blue book agrees)and has a balanced cannon output on the lower edge of the solid ashwood body. Other thhan that the controls and the pickus are normal ( clear epoxy 3 single coil + 1 toggle swithch, one 4 way selector and one volume and one tone control). It was repainted bordeaux in a sloppy way.

It sounds bluuuusy, it sounds funky and if you do things right you can even get some tele sound of it, and if you get a nice valve amp and you crank the gain up you can get ANY tipe of sounds ( old sounds , nothig after 1980 though) which is pretty cool if you are able to have another guitar for more heavy and modern sounds. Some of the mpickup combinations are really sweet with distortion , you can get a "les pauly " neck sound , oh say like SOME guns and roses solo`s (which I'm sure are not recorded with LP`s). The lead sound though sounds too natural , even more than a strat , but the fuckin bitch can scxreeem like zakk wildes LP, strange but true.

action is nice and fast allthought it is 30 years old now and no one has ever fixed nor the frets nor the fretboard. finish is sloppy , supper sloppy , and you can fit a cerdit card on the bolt on fretboard (although I got that fixed)

it doues have some tunnig problems , I suppose its the gibson deluxe tuners , specially on th G string, It`s not strange to play for a while and find that it is completely off tune ( the G string)
electronics are practicaly industrial, the 2 way selector is HUGE and asolutely mechanical , no circuits just magnets and plates and the same for the 4 way selector
30 years old and stil smooooooooth.

whell, I bought it on a pawn shop in edmonton and took it back to argentina so....

I want to buey another one and fit it with a themolo , not sure if a F rose but I`d looove to hear what comes out of it with it.

A 1976 satin natural with maple fretboard with the OHSC
It had locking Grovers but I replaced them with originals

Love the bluesy sound

I sent this guitar to Lays Guitar and had it setup and restored to as new. Frets were polished. Great shop. Great job.

Love the neck it's very fast.

Not too much comment on the S-1 controls. They work and they are what they are.

Its a daily player for many years and hasn't failed me yet.

Don't call Gibson call Lays.

I have 13 guitars of every type and brand. I play this one as much if not more than any of the other electrics. It is by far a great blues player for me.

Its heavy and if you play for a while you will know it in your shoulders.

I bought this when i was younger (1983), during those years when i would bascially sell everything but an acoustic to bash around on when i was between bands...i got invited to join another band, and needed a guitar and amp quick, and cheap....i got this guitar, and a traynor amp from a pawn shop, and that was the rig....my S-1 was natural finish, and had the bridge pup replaced with a Dimarzio Super Distortion....we were doing stuff like old AC/DC covers, and Fastway and Quiet Riot, and it did fine...this was my main guitar for 3 years, until I got a Strat....The S-1 always had to be strung with 11's, with a wound G string, or it absolutely would not play in tune...it was a good guitar, though...it always satisfied me....it had to be retired after I owned it for about 6 years, because the frets were just worn down to nothing....i'm not going to pay over $100 for a fret job on a guitar I paid only $150 for....

I couldn't speculate as to what it sounded like originally, as it had been heavily modified before i got it....the Dimarzio, and Grover tuners, and the 4-way switch had been bypassed...i eventually rewired it for 3 mini toggles...it had a very woody, open tone, and I attribute this to the fact that the are under the pickguard is routed wide open, which basically gives it a big resonant cavity...I always liked the sound

it played well...the finish did wear completely off the back of the neck....hardware corroded badly

it was a log...i gigged with it for several years without a backup

eh?

I doubt I'd buy another one...that was a long time ago, and my tastes, needs, and assets have changed...it does bear stating that I actually owned this guitar twice; I traded it in, decided I missed it, and bought it back...you can interpret that for yourselves....

-3 Bill Lawrence single coils (originals)
- Quirky "chicken head" 4-way pickup selector for Neck/Middle, Neck/Bridge, Middle/Bridge, All three in reverse phase
- Toggle switch to choose between combinations mentioned above and just the breidge p.u.
- Volume and Tone control
- I'm not really knowledgeable about woods, so no info about that. -Sorry!

It's great for country and funk; Y'know that "chicke-scratch" sound.
The pickups are a bit weak, so I had to buy a generic "SuperStrat" in the mid-80s for the raunchier sounds. One rock sound that I tend to use it for in the studio is the EXTREMELY filthy sound from the bridge pickup through my late 70s MXR Distortion +. It'll take the scalp off ya!
Its main attraction is that clean sound though, I've named my S-1 "Mollfrid" which is a pun on the name of my first girlfriend and the fact that it is almost better than a strat at nailing that minor-key early Dire Straits sound - even when you play with a pick!
Oh, and it sounds great in the studio mic'ed like an acoustic. It's not too far from a Dobro or a National - imagine a National played with 010s and electric-style bends. I've also used it for mandolin approximations with good results.

I got it used, so I can't comment on the setup, but the neck is lovely - flat and wide, fairly speedy without being too low-resistance. String spacing is great too, a fine compromise for those who like to play both fingerstyle and with a pick.

Well, it's a non-trem guitar, so I've utilized my patented "neck-tremolo" effect. Not clever! The neck has gone a bit wobbly, so I can't play it much live anymore, at least not without a major rescue operation. It's still great for studio work though.
Electrics are a bit dodgy too, they tend to pick up all kinds of hums.

Living in Norway it's damn near impossible to find a second S-1; Otherwise I would have bought one ages ago. Still, it's a great addition to my studio arsenal, both as an electric AND as an acoustic guitar. As you can see from my ratings, it's not really a terrific guitar, but there's one category missing here where I would rate it 10 or even 11: Personality!