NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Gibson has entered a new partnership with Keith Richards, the guitarist of The Rolling Stones, centered on two super-limited Collector’s Edition ES-355 models built as recreations of Richards’ own black 1960 ES-355.
The company is releasing 150 instruments in total: 50 guitars signed both on the instrument and the label, and 100 guitars that include a signed label only. The signed-on-instrument-and-label version is priced at $29,999, while the signed-label-only version is priced at $19,999.1
For Gibson, the announcement extends a long-running strategy in the high-end instrument market: turning historically specific artist associations into limited-run products built through its Custom Shop operation, with scarcity, authentication, and manufacturing detail forming the commercial proposition. For Richards, the project formalizes the status of a single, tour-proven instrument as part of his public musical identity-an identity that has remained institutionally valuable long after the original recordings that established it.
A specific instrument, elevated into a product line
Richards first used an ES-355 in 1969 on the road and in the studio, including during sessions for Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St. The black 1960 ES-355 now being recreated has, according to the announcement, accompanied him on every Rolling Stones tour since 1997.
Those details matter because Custom Shop collector releases are typically sold on traceable provenance: not simply that an artist once favored a model, but that a specific, identifiable instrument is being documented and translated into a limited product. In practice, that provenance is reinforced through the build approach, the presentation materials, and the handling of artist signatures and certificates of authenticity.
Gibson said the new Collector’s Edition ES-355s were developed in close collaboration with Richards and unveiled to the trade at the NAMM 2026 show, positioning the project within the broader industry calendar for high-end releases.2
How Gibson describes the build: scanning, period-correct methods, and aging
In a statement published by the Gibson Gazette, Gibson said the guitars have been handcrafted in the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville, Tennessee, and described as “exact replicas.”
The company said the instrument’s details were recreated using advanced 3D scanning, period-correct materials and construction techniques, and that Murphy Lab hand-aging was used to complete the guitars. In the collector market, that combination-measurement-driven replication plus intentional finish wear-has become a standard way to bridge manufacturing repeatability with the visual cues buyers associate with heavily used vintage instruments.
As with all Gibson instruments sold in the United States, the models are also subject to federal product-safety and materials rules, including toxic-substances and import regulations overseen in part under the California Proposition 65 framework, which is explicitly referenced in the product literature.
Collector’s Edition configurations and pricing
The release is split into two signed configurations, each positioned as a premium offering:
- 50 guitars: signed both on the instrument and label – $29,999 MSRP
- 100 guitars: signed label only – $19,999 MSRP
Both versions are part of the same 150-unit launch and are tied to the same stated goal: recreating Richards’ 1960 ES-355. Gibson is distributing the run through its online store, flagship Gibson Garage locations in Nashville and London, and a small network of Custom Shop dealers, with early online allocations already listed as sold out.
Hardware and electronics: a spec sheet built for fidelity to a known guitar
Gibson outlined construction and components that align the guitars closely with a late-1950s/early-1960s semi-hollow ES-style architecture, while also reflecting specific requests attributed to Richards.
Both guitars feature a multi-ply bound body made from three-ply maple/poplar/maple, with red spruce bracing and a maple centreblock intended to enhance sustain and reduce feedback. Gibson said the centreblock is weight-relieved at Richards’ request.
Each instrument has a mahogany neck with a custom Keith Richards profile and an ebony fingerboard. Hardware listed for both includes a Bigsby B7 vibrato tailpiece and Grover Rotomatic tuners with Milk Bottle buttons.
Electronics are described as a pair of unpotted Custombucker pickups with Alnico 5 magnets, wired to CTS 500k audio taper pots and paper-in-oil capacitors-components commonly highlighted in premium builds where the target buyer expects period-referential wiring and materials.
Each guitar ships in a Gibson Protector series hard case and includes a certificate of authenticity, a replica of the strap Richards uses, and additional branded case candy aimed at reinforcing its status as a collectible artefact rather than a purely functional purchase.
Launch messaging: Richards on the role of a six-string in his setup
Gibson’s launch video features producer Andrew Watt, who worked with The Rolling Stones on their most recent album, Hackney Diamonds. In the video, Richards describes his relationship to a six-string Gibson in direct, functional terms-framing it not as a museum object but as a working tool that supports a particular part of his playing.
“This is my standard tuning six-string,” Richards tells Watt. “This is the other side of my thing. My six-string stuff has always been, you know, a great Gibson – that’s where I feel the most comfortable. And also with the sound. Put it through just about any amp, and it will sound the way you want it, because this has so much more room for expression.”
The quote serves a practical purpose in a collector release: it anchors the product to an artist’s own language about use and sound, while the limited run, signatures, and documentation anchor the product to scarcity and verification. For buyers, that framing also underlines that the instrument is positioned as stage-ready equipment, not solely a display piece.
Why this kind of release matters to entertainment business, not just instrument buyers
Artist-endorsed and artist-collaborative instruments sit at the intersection of music, manufacturing, and licensing. Unlike tour merchandise-often tied to a specific run of dates-high-end signature instruments are durable catalog items that can circulate for years through primary sales, secondary resale markets, and institutional collections.
For a legacy artist such as Richards, the instrument’s meaning is inseparable from the recorded and touring history around it. By choosing a specific 1960 ES-355 tied to identifiable use-1969 adoption, landmark album-era sessions, and consistent touring presence since 1997-Gibson and Richards are not just releasing a model; they are monetizing a documented artifact of performance practice that can be traded, insured, and even incorporated into museum or foundation holdings.
From Gibson’s perspective, the manufacturing claims included here-advanced 3D scanning, period-correct construction techniques, and Murphy Lab aging-also function as governance signals in a premium market: they define how the company intends buyers to evaluate authenticity, craft labor, and replication fidelity, and they justify the existence of a certificate-of-authenticity pipeline that is now standard in top-tier Custom Shop commerce. Those claims also sit alongside mandatory consumer disclosures such as Proposition 65 warnings and harmonized customs classifications, which together frame how a $20,000-$30,000 instrument is regulated as it moves across borders and into private collections.
The Keith Richards 1960 ES-355 Collector’s Edition is being released as a 150-guitar run in two signed configurations, with each instrument shipping in a Gibson Protector series case with a certificate of authenticity and a replica strap associated with Richards’ setup. For Gibson and for the broader entertainment business, the project is a template for how legacy catalogs, luxury manufacturing, and regulatory-compliant product design converge at the very top of the artist-merchandise pyramid.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect final MSRP figures and current distribution status.
References: 1. Final Gibson pricing and configuration details as of January 14, 2026. 2. Product specifications and provenance descriptions as outlined in Gibson Custom Shop launch materials.
