“Leo took the Theodore and added his own creative touches to create works of art designed to play as good as they look”: Gibson’s latest Master Artisan drop reimagines the oddball Theodore in its most radical – and desirable – form yet
After Ted McCarty's lost design was unearthed and turned into a reality a few years ago, Leo Scala has now completely transformed the quirky electric in the form of 10 highly exclusive Theodore Retroliners
(Image credit: Gibson)
Gibson has unveiled its latest Master Artisan Collection electric guitars, which radically reimagine the firm's retro Theodore model in a variety of vintage-inspired formats.
Following the “museum-grade works of art” of its last drop, Gibson has now turned to a more obscure build for its latest Master Artisan expansion pack.
The new-look Theodore Retroliners see master luthier Leo Scala turn his attention to a body shape that remained an idea for more than six decades, before it was unearthed and turned into a reality just a few years ago.
For some context, Gibson’s former president Theodore ‘Ted’ McCarty was pivotal to the firm's successes in the ’50s and ’60s, helping develop the Les Paul, Flying V and Explorer models.
One of his lesser-known designs – originally drafted and dated March 18, 1957 – sought to modernize the electric guitar. It wasn’t until 2022 that the design, named Theodore in honor of its former president, journeyed beyond the doodles.
The Theodore Standard then got its first production run earlier this year, and now Gibson’s master luthier Leo Scala has created his interpretation of the design.
(Image credit: Gibson)
A limited run of 10 Theodore Retroliners have been built by Scala's expert hands as part of the Master Artisan collection, with the Electric Purple variant serving as a particular highlight.
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“Leo took the Theodore and added his own creative touches to the design and created gorgeous works of art that are designed to play and sound as good as they look,” says Gibson.
The core idea was to imagine what the Theodore would have looked like had it been released back in the late ’60s when the idea was first concocted.
As such, classic design elements are paired with hot rod-inspired specs. An alder body with a walnut center strip meets a mahogany neck with a C-profile. The neck has been shaped and rounded to Scala's preferences for a well-played-in-feel, with its Indian rosewood fingerboard capped with 22 narrow/tall frets.
(Image credit: Gibson)
A Scala-modified Bigsby bridge continues the classic vibe, which is augmented with an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge with a custom dog bone base. Gibson says this allows it to “remain steady when using the Bigsby”.
Other appointments include Kluson six-in-line tuners with white oval buttons and a raised metal Gibson headstock logo. All hardware is aged to give it that retro relic chic.
(Image credit: Gibson)
For the Electric Purple's electronics, Scala has employed custom hand-wound Retrophonic humbuckers. There's a “Vault ’58” bridge pickup, drawing its tones with an Alnico 4 magnet (8.3 k DC Resistance), and a soapbar P-90 with a combination of Alnico 4 and 5 magnets (7.9 k DC Resistance).
There are, however, a wide range of other P-90/humbucker pairings across the rest of the Theodore Retroliner family, which offers a diverse set of PAF-style 'buckers. As you can probably see from the images, there are also some crazy, heayv-relic'd finishes on offer, too.
(Image credit: Gibson)
All guitars arrive in a custom G&G hardshell case that sports an embroidered Gibson logo inside. A custom-made Certificate of Authenticity Box, courtesy of Leo Scala, is also included.
As with all the Artisan builds, their hand-made nature, at the hands of one of the best luthiers in the game, is reflected in their cost: $16k apiece.
“While truly a work of art, this isn’t just a show guitar that is designed to sit in a display case; it’s meant to be used to make music, and considerable care has been given to optimize its sound, feel, and playability,” says Gibson.
“As a unique work of playable art, it holds a lifetime of music and inspiration that’s just waiting to be explored and enjoyed.”
The Leo Scala Master Artisan Theodore Retroliners each cost $15,999, and can only be purchased directly through the Gibson Garage.
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
