Manufacturer Gibson Body type Solid Scale 24.75" | Period 1980–1984 Neck joint Bolt-on neck Body Resonwood | |
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The Sonex guitars were a range of budget Gibson electric guitars launched in 1980. They were made from a material called Resonwood, and manufactured with Multi-phonic body construction. There were four models: Deluxe, Standard, Custom and Artist.
They replaced the Marauder and S-1 guitars. Like these two instruments, the Sonex took its styling from the Les Paul guitars that had been popular for the previous decades, but using Resonwood instead of mahogany, bolt-on necks instead of set (glued-in) necks, and far less ornamentation.
Thus, the Resonwood was a coating used on a solid, usually mahogany body.
At its launch in mid 1980, the Sonex 180 Deluxe cost $299 which was Gibson's cheapest instrument. The Standard was $375, Custom $449.
There were four guitar models to choose from in the Sonex Series, all with the Gibson single cutaway design. The Sonex-180 Deluxe featured a rosewood, dot inlaid fingerboard and adjustable exposed Zebra Dirty Fingers Humbuckers. All came With a three-position pick-up selector switch, Tune-0-Matic Bridge', stop bar tailpiece and volume/tone control speed knobs.NOTE: The Sonex Deluxe, the lowest price model, used Velvet Brick humbucker pickups, not Dirty Fingers. The Bricks were designed by Bill Lawrence, working for Gibson. They feature a unique steel mounting plate on the back of the pickup that differs from ALL other Gibson pickups, and has 2 height adjustment screws on one side and one on the other side. They are also black and cream coils, although some were made with the neck pickup in a single color.
In 1981, the Standard was dropped, replaced by the Artist series which was priced at $749. By 1982 the Custom had been discontinued. By 1984 only the Deluxe was left priced at $419.
The Standard and Custom models featured the same Dirty Fingers pickups with a coil tap switch. The Custom has a three-piece maple neck and ebony fingerboard. The Custom was available in white finish, as well as ebony.
The most common finishes were (in order): ebony, white, burgundy, silverburst and solid-color silver. Less than 100 (by factory record) solid-color silver units were produced, making it the rarest of the Sonex models.
Notable users of the Sonex included Allan Harper of the Limitations, ca 1987-1990 who played the Sonex through a Gallien Kruger aluminum cone combo to achieve a trademark tone.
Notable users of the Sonex included Allan Harper of the Limit, ca 1987-1990.