Image: Roadside Guitars, CC BY-SA 2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
Gibson Sonex
| Category | Strings (electric guitar) |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | USA |
| Classification | electric guitar |
| Wikipedia | en.wikipedia.org |
| Wikidata | Q5559403 |
Overview
The Gibson Sonex is a series of electric guitars produced from roughly 1980 to 1984. Its most distinctive feature is a body built from a mahogany core wrapped in a synthetic “Resonwood” composite, a cost-saving construction Gibson developed in the late 1970s as a way to deliver an affordable Les Paul-shaped instrument while retaining set-neck construction and Gibson-branded electronics.
Origin & History
The late 1970s were a period of intense competition between Gibson and a wave of import brands offering Les Paul-style guitars at much lower prices. Gibson’s response was to build a model with a more efficient body construction. The Sonex 180 Standard, Deluxe, and Custom variants followed, all sharing the composite body and a single-cutaway, slab-bodied silhouette evocative of the Les Paul. Production ended in 1984 as Gibson moved its budget strategy to overseas-built Epiphone instruments.
How It’s Played
The Sonex plays like a slightly thinner Les Paul. Its set neck and hot humbuckers (in the standard variant) deliver a thick rock voice, while the lighter composite body cuts the weight that some players find awkward in a traditional Les Paul. The model lacks the resonant complexity of an all-mahogany Les Paul but has its own focused, somewhat compressed character.
Cultural Significance
The Sonex is a footnote in Gibson’s catalogue but an interesting one — an early instance of the company experimenting with non-traditional materials. It also marks the strategic shift toward licensed budget production through Epiphone in the years that followed.
Related Instruments
- – the silhouette the Sonex was designed to evoke
- – contemporaneous Gibson budget experiment
- Gibson S-1 – another late-1970s Gibson budget design
- Gibson Spirit – similar-era affordable Gibson
- – Gibson’s later licensed-budget answer
Frequently Asked Questions
What is “Resonwood”?
Gibson’s marketing name for the resin-and-wood composite used in the Sonex body.
Is the Sonex still in production?
No. Production ended around 1984.
Image: Gibson Sonex 180 Deluxe under repairing, photo by Roadside Guitars, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
