Kim Webber is a luthier based in Bridgwater, you might have seen the work he did on the beautiful gold Stratocaster; he had the job of putting the guitar back together after it was dipped in gold.
Kim also worked on a project which saw a Zakk Wylde Les Paul covered in 24-carat gold and Swarovski crystals, so he is certainly no stranger to creating unique and decadent finishes on already valuable guitars.
His latest project was to replace the finish on a Les Paul Deluxe with a beautiful mother of pearl finish. It is now a bespoke Les Paul Deluxe thought to be worth around £10,000, and took just over a year to complete.
Gibson UK have shared images of the guitar on their Facebook page, so it obviously has the blessing of the company.
For those wondering if the unusual finish has changed the resonance signature of the guitar, Webber told us:
"Yes the finish and the physics does make a difference to the sound of a Guitar, however the Pearl on this Guitar replaces Maple so the difference in the sound and weight is negligible."
The design was conceived by the owner of the guitar, who commissioned the Bridgwater luthier to help with the design and to take it from being a dream to being a reality.
The body is inlaid with mother of pearl, and awabi abalone – you'd usually be lucky just to get an abalone trim on most guitars!
We will be interviewing Kim Webber in the near future, so please check back for more news on KWG.
Rich Beech
@sonicamped
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