Few things are more satisfying to a guitarist than picking up a well-played, broken-in guitar. It evokes a tremendous feeling of comfort, like slipping on an old pair of blue jeans or your favorite pair of shoes. That’s just one of the reasons why vintage instruments are such a hot commodity. Beyond that, there’s a certain mystique that surrounds a decades-old guitar, as if each scratch and ding held a unique, hidden secret. While there’s no substitute for getting your hands on a real-deal, played-to-perfection vintage guitar, Gibson Custom Shop’s Murphy Lab offers the next best thing.
Murphy Lab in a Nutshell
Under the direction of Master Artisan Tom Murphy, Gibson Custom Shop’s Murphy Lab performs one specific function: to craft skillfully aged guitars using the most cutting-edge tools available. To achieve this, Murphy Lab scientifically reverse engineered Gibson’s ’50s- and ’60s-era nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, re-created them, and then devised novel ways to create ultra-realistic aging patterns. Every Murphy Lab–aged guitar receives individual attention. Each instrument is coated with the Murphy-developed nitro finish then subjected to hand-applied aging techniques. Every Murphy Lab guitar is a unique work of art with true-to-life vintage aesthetics, tone, and playability.
Four Levels of Aging
Every Murphy Lab artisan has been personally trained by Tom Murphy to employ his state-of-the-art aging methods. Tom’s processes and specifications are targeted to four distinct levels of age and wear, ranging from Ultra-Light to Ultra-Heavy.
Ultra-Light Aging
- Utilizes only the lightest touches by Murphy Lab aging artisans
- Creates unique lacquer checking with minimal playing wear — as if the guitar spent most of its life in its case
- Paired with VOS (Vintage Original Sheen) patina hardware
Light Aging
- Simulates 50-plus years of average play wear
- More intense, unique lacquer-checking patterns
- Dings, pick trails, finish flaking, and softened edges throughout
- Paired with VOS patina hardware
Heavy Aging
- Features significant wear and tear simulating 50-plus years of life on the road
- Lots of buckle rash, light arm wear, neck wear, and prominent checking patterns throughout
- Paired with Murphy Lab heavy-aged hardware
Ultra-Heavy Aging
- Equivalent to decades of heavy playing and onstage abuse
- Major buckle rash, heavy arm wear, visible pick wear, heavy neck and peghead face wear
- Areas of exposed wood throughout
- Paired with Murphy Lab heavy-aged hardware
Core Finish Options
Outside of Murphy Lab aging, Gibson Custom Shop still offers their core finish options.
VOS (Vintage Original Sheen)
- Standard on Custom Shop Historic Reissue models
- Parts are lightly aged for authentic vintage patina
- Finish is buffed to a light matte appearance
Gloss
- Standard on Custom Shop Modern Collection models
- Parts are buffed to a high gloss
- Finish is buffed to a high gloss
Extra-Rolled Fingerboard Binding
Gibson Custom Shop’s core finish guitars include rolled bound fingerboards, which soften the feel of the instrument without altering its look. Murphy Lab–aged guitars take it a step further, offering extra-rolled fingerboard binding. These ultra-smooth fingerboards mimic the broken-in feel of a Golden Era Gibson. The extra-rolled design disrupts the evenness of the yellowed lacquer and binding nibs, which is what happens naturally to the vintage originals.
Unless you’re a hard-nosed advocate of only playing brand-spanking-new instruments, there’s likely a Murphy Lab–aged guitar that will feel like it was tailor-made just for you. To get your hands on one of these exquisite works of art, you can purchase a guitar from Gibson Custom Shop’s Murphy Lab Collection or order your own custom Made 2 Measure model. That said, core VOS and gloss finishes are also available to the die-hard new-instrument crowd both off the shelf and through Made 2 Measure.
Tom Murphy
Tom Murphy is the Master Artisan of Gibson Custom Shop’s Murphy Lab. Not only was Tom instrumental in the creation of Gibson Custom Shop, but he’s also one of the industry’s foremost experts on guitar aging techniques, which he has been perfecting for a quarter of a century. There’s a reason why such luminaries as Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Slash, Joe Walsh, Billy Gibbons, Joe Perry, Peter Frampton, Dickey Betts, and Gary Rossington have commissioned him to re-create the aging on their personal touring instruments. When Tom puts his magic touch on a guitar, it becomes a work of art.
