The Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe, from the Gibson Custom Shop, features a three-piece maple neck, goldtop finish, and Mike's favorite P-90 humbuckers.
Gibson partners with the producer, and musician Mike Ness, who for the last 44 years has served as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the punk band and rock ‘n’ roll band Social Distortion. Mike’s main guitar of choice is a modified 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop which was used to create the limited edition Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe from Gibson Custom Shop.
The Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe comes equipped with a three-piece maple neck, a two piece plain maple top and a mahogany/maple/mahogany back. Mike replaced the humbuckers with his favorite P-90’s and the guitar features a lighter weight adding to its overall versatility. The stunning Goldtop finish has been expertly aged by the artisans of the Murphy Lab to match Mike’s original guitar. In addition, the “Orange County,” “Clay Smith Cams Mr. Horsepower,” and “I Voted” stickers featured on Mike’s guitar are included.
Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe
At the early age of four-years-old, Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness began listening to the radio and discovered The Beatles, CCR, The Supremes and The Rolling Stones. Growing up in the working class suburb of Fullerton, California, he was raised on blues, classic rock, and country, and his earliest influences were pioneers of rock and roll; musicians that were controversial and rebellious.
Social Distortion survived their tumultuous youth to pioneer an undeniably honest and fiery brand of rock ‘n’ roll that would incorporate outlaw country, classic seventies punk and primal blues. Seven studio albums and countless electrifying live shows have earned the band a dedicated worldwide fanbase and catalog of timeless anthems including “Story Of My Life,” “Ball And Chain,” “Bad Luck,” “Machine Gun Blues,” and more. As he matured as a songwriter and musician, Ness’s solo recordings Cheating At Solitaire (1999), and Under The Influences (1999), incorporated the raw power and social relevance that has always marked his music, while embracing many of the defining styles in American rock and roll music. The Los Angeles Times described Ness as "one of the most underrated pure songwriters in rock."
The Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe is now available worldwide from authorized Gibson dealers, and on www.gibson.com.
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The exquisite BilT Brothers collaborative guitar: a Frank Brothers Ultra Light in BilT eggplant sparkleburst with Arcane 3x3 Gold Foil Humbuckers and loaded with a Caroline Custom Cannonball Distortion.
It was like any other random day at work: We had customers coming in, items shipping out, services on the bench. I was simultaneously working on a pedalboard for a customer and making plans with some vendors. I was on the phone with Brandon Darner of BilT Guitars when DHL dropped off our latest Frank Brothers guitar. Now, I’m never shy about talking up builds from any of our vendors. Spec’ing guitars for our shop, seeing their execution exceed my expectations, and then getting it into the hands of its new owner is one of my absolute favorite parts of my job. So, naturally I mentioned that we just got a new Frank Brothers in. Brandon told me how much he loved their stuff—sort of a “game recognizing game” kind of thing.
After we unboxed the guitar, I called Tim Frank to let him know how we continue to be impressed with their work and how much we loved the new arrival. I also mentioned Brandon had some very nice things to say about their work. Tim’s response was something like, “Oh wow! That’s really cool. Their stuff is amazing and we have a lot of respect for those guys.” At first, I thought he was just being polite, but I’ve gotten to know him pretty well. I knew that the compliment and sentiment was genuine and past the point of his wonderful Canadian pleasantness. One thing led to another, and I started a group text. Very quickly, they became friends. In fact, Brandon even ordered a Frank Brothers shortly after the introduction.
The Frank Brothers and BilT team, left to right: Tim Frank, Tim Thelen (BilT), Nick Frank, and Brandon Darner (BilT).
My last call of the day was to Philippe Herndon from Caroline Guitar Company. As we talked, he was glowing about the pedal building community and how friendly and collaborative it is, and obvious questions popped into my head: “Why aren’t guitar companies like that?” “Why can’t we do a collab guitar?”
Long story extremely short, with tons of excitement, I got Brandon and Tim on the phone and proposed the idea of doing a guitar together. Without hesitation, the response from both was “Hell yeah, let’s do it!” and it was time for us to spec it. We decided on a Frank Brothers Ultra Light. BilT would apply their world-class fit/finish as well as their signature effects treatment. I picked my favorite finish in the BilT repertoire called eggplant sparkleburst, selected Arcane 3x3 Gold Foil Humbuckers, and tapped Philippe on the shoulder to ask if he had any Custom Cannonball Distortions—the first pedal I bought from Caroline in 2013—that he could provide for the build, to which he happily obliged.
A year or so later, the BilT Brothers was born. Of course, it is exceptional beyond words and is a true testament to the results of these incredible companies working together to produce something truly remarkable. We decided, with custom shirts and all, to proudly debut our creation at Fretboard Summit in Chicago. The reaction from everyone exceeded our expectations and showed me that the level of mutual respect and admiration in this business can lead to phenomenal results.
This project has opened a lot of doors that I’m not sure anyone knew existed. For me, the most exciting part of all of this is the fact that, like the smaller pedal companies, there is an actual community here filled with like-minded, pure enthusiasts who also happen to be master craftsmen—and who truly geek out over each other’s work.
Never was this more evident than at the Wood Wire Volts show this January, where not only did the BilT and Frank Brothers crews travel and stay together, they were also often in deep chats with fellow luminaries Sacha Dunable (Dunable Guitars) and Carlos Lopez (Castedosa Guitars), discussing the trade, the work, and ideas for the future. If the vibe is any indicator, we can safely assume that while the BilT Brothers was, by all accounts, the first ever collab guitar of its kind, it will not be the last.
This entire experience is reminiscent of the DIY community ethos that I’ve clung to and has inspired me for most of my life. There is a cliché about the journey being greater than the destination, and while the destination in this case is one of the finest guitars I’ve ever laid my hands on, I’d have to say it holds true
