Epiphone Inspired by Gibson 2026: White Explorer meets light blue Flying V!
Les Paul Special guitars with amazing colors, too!
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson 2026: White Explorer meets light blue Flying V! · Source: Epiphone
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson 2026 is here! And compared to last year, this release is much more colorful! There’s a white Explorer with EMGs, a Flying V in “Maui Blue,” and a Les Paul Special in a special “Ocean Water” finish. And almost every model comes with a Rosewood fretboard now. Let’s take a closer look!
Epiphone inspired by Gibson
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson 2026: Something, something, Hetfield
Let’s start with the star of Epiphone Inspired by Gibson 2026, the Explorer 80s EMG in “Classic White.” Because Master of Puppets. Because Hetfield’s long-time trash axe. You know. There never really was a signature from James at Epiphone. But this model? It might strike a chord or two with quite a few Metallica fans.
In terms of specs, the Explorer features a mahogany body, a glued-in mahogany neck with a ’60s SlimTaper profile, and a rosewood fretboard, like almost all the new models in this release. Typical 24.75-inch scale length, Graph Tech nut, LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge with stop bar: not bad! But then, something you don’t often see in this price range: EMGs! Epiphone went for an EMG 81 at the bridge and an EMG 60 at the neck.
The Epiphone Explorer 80s EMG Classic White costs 999 euros at Thomann* and includes a gig bag.
Maui Blue
The second visual highlight from Epiphone Inspired by Gibson 2026 is this Flying V in Maui Blue. It’s a metal vibe with a Hawaiian look, so you can play “Rock Me Like a Hurricane” or the Piña Colada Song and look the part for each!
Noteworthy specs include the ebony fretboard, two T-Type Pro humbuckers, and Grover Rotomatic tuners. And then there’s the look. The guitar is available for €699 at Thomann*.
Les Paul Special: Ocean Blue and TV Yellow
Well, a double-cut Paula. We talked about this at length when the first releases of the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom Collection came out. There are those who like this unusual LP body shape, and those who are a bit torn about it. Not a Les Paul, not an SG, almost a Revstar before Revstar even existed. But either way, here’s the third exciting color for the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson 2026: Ocean Blue!
This blue-turquoise color gradient, you could call it Blue Burst, with its AAA burl maple veneer top, is quite something, especially in combination with the three-layer binding.
The Les Paul Special is also available in TV Yellow, Cherry Red, and Bourbon Burst. In terms of pickups, Epiphone has equipped these models with a ProBucker 3 at the bridge and a ProBucker 2 at the neck. Each model costs €599 at Thomann*.
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson 2026: A wine-red Firebird!
Firebird models have been part of this series from the very beginning, and were already available in bright red or white. Epiphone Inspired by Gibson 2026 adds a Wine Red model to the range. In my opinion, it has a slight visual edge over the 1963 Firebird in Cardinal Red from the Inspired by Gibson Custom series.
This type of red isn’t as overpowering; it’s more like the cherry red of SGs. Highlights include the through-body mahogany-and-walnut neck and the two ProBucker FB720 humbuckers. Thomann offers models for right- and left-handed players for €799 each.
Additional Releases of Epiphone Inspired by Gibson 2026
Here are a few more new models from Epiphone Inspired by Gibson 2026 in no particular order. First, we have three new SGs (one in black!) and a Les Paul Junior with P-90s:
There are also a whole range of new models in the vintage Les Paul range from Les Paul 50s and Les Paul 60s:
More on the new Models from Epiphone
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