The blues was born as an acoustic music, and its roots still run deep in that direction today. No artist embraces this ethos more than Keb’ Mo’, whose post-modern blues stylings stretch to fully electric blues, jazz, and R&B, while constantly referencing the Delta-fried, acoustic-fueled music that forms the beating heart of his inspiration. Now Gibson Acoustic honors this three-time Grammy Award Winner with the Keb’ Mo’ Bluesmaster, a flat-top acoustic guitar made in the tradition of the great small-bodied Gibson blues boxes, with the added versatility of a built-in L.R. Baggs Element pickup with
Soundhole
-mounted volume control, and available in a strictly Limited Edition of 300 guitars.
Gibson’s “L” series acoustic guitars were there at the very birth of blues—played by the great blues originator Robert Johnson, among others—and this is the inspiration behind the Keb’ Mo’ Bluesmaster, which adds a host of upgraded appointments to the format to create an acoustic of optimum tone and performance for the contemporary player. Thanks to its scalloped-X-braced
Top
of
Solid
Adirondack red
Spruce
,
Solid
Mahogany
Back
and
Sides
, quarter-sawn
Solid
Mahogany
Neck
, bone
Nut
and
Saddle
, and East Indian
Rosewood
Fingerboard
and
Bridge
, the Keb’ Mo’ Bluesmaster packs all the tonal nuance and sweetness you could hope for in a high-end, hand-crafted acoustic guitar, while vintage-spec touches such as its 12th-fret
Neck
/body joint—which positions the
Bridge
right in the body’s “sweet spot” for optimum resonance—put it on par with the best of Gibson’s acoustics from the late ’20s and early ’30s. Add to all this a choice of Antique Natural or Vintage Sunburst nitrocellulose finish (with double antiquing), cream
Top
,
Back
, and
Fingerboard
Binding
, herringbone trim, mother of pearl inlays, and double-ring
Soundhole
Rosette
, and the Keb’ Mo’ Bluesmaster looks as sweet as it sounds. All examples come with Gibson hardshell case, an interior label signed by Keb’ Mo’, an owner’s manual, and Gibson’s Gold Warranty.
Body
Crafted from two pieces of
Solid
Adirondack red
Spruce
, a rare and highly prized tonewood that featured in the
Top
s of many instruments from the golden age of the flat-top acoustic guitar. Available in Vintage Sunburst and Antique Natural finishes.
Hardware
The Keb’ Mo’ Bluesmaster features a built-in L.R. Baggs Element pickup that offers a broad, natural projection of the guitar’s natural tone, without interfering with the vibration of the
Top
and
Bridge
when played unplugged.
Neck and
Headstock
The
Neck
of the Keb’ Mo’ Bluesmaster is made from quarter-sawn
Solid
Mahogany
and is preferred in the
Neck
s of high-end acoustic guitars. The
Headstock
is carved in the style of Gibson’s Advanced Jumbo.
Accessories
The Keb’ Mo’ Bluesmaster is protected by a Gibson hardshell case and each of the Limited Edition of 300 guitars carry a sequentially numbered inside label signed by Keb’ Mo’ himself.
