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NGD: 1980 Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion

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  • NGD: 1980 Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion

    I always loved the Fusion, since the first ads on the back page of Guitar Player. It was designed to do jazz, rock, and blues well, without the weight of an LP or the size of a 335 or 175. In the early 90s, I owned a Howard Roberts Fusion III, the newer model of this guitar with gold hardware, a different bridge, balsa (!?!) center block, and slightly stretched out shape. I settled for the 90's version back then because the 80s version was really rare, and it was before Ebay and Reverb, so finding such an obscure model in the store was impossible.

    Well, I owned that Howard Roberts for a few years, until my gf (at the time) had some car trouble, and we were essentially poor musician kids. I sold the guitar to pay for the car. Even today, this model (especially the early 80s) is rare on Reverb and Ebay. So when one came up this week, in excellent condition, I thought about it for a few days and grabbed it. It was apparently bought by 1 guy who intended to learn guitar but never did. It remained in the closet for 41 years, and it certainly looks like it.

    This one has a maple center block, and is all original. The fretboard is ebony, and the body is slightly bigger than an LP, and slightly thicker on the sides than a 335.The neck is a Tim Shaw and the bridge is a Tarback. I am not sure if I am going to keep these in the guitar, as I have 2 un-aged Antiquities sitting on the shelf. I do like the way the neck pickup sounds, but not crazy about the bridge pickup.





    Attached Files
    Administrator of the SDUGF

  • #2
    Those are NICE. I've dug those for years. The closest I came to getting one is an Epi Alleykat, as I can't justify the Gibson.
    Ain't nothin' but a G thang, baby.

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    • #3
      love that
      this is what inspired my fascination with the ES Les Pauls

      and the TP-6 tailpiece

      a quick sound sample please before you swap pickups

      how thick is the neck?
      is it baseball bat or 60s slim?

      is the neck wide 43mm at the nut or 42mm (1.650 inches)
      EHD
      Just here surfing Guitar Pron
      RG2EX1 w/ SD hot-rodded pickups / RG4EXFM1 w/ Carvin S22j/b + FVN middle
      SR500 / Martin 000CE-1/Epiphone Hummingbird
      Epiphone Florentine with OEM Probuckers
      Ehdwuld branded Blue semi hollow custom with JB/Jazz
      Reptile Green Gibson Custom Studio / Aqua Dean Shire semi hollow with piezo
      Carvin Belair / Laney GC80A Acoustic Amp (a gift from Guitar Player Mag)
      GNX3000 (yea I'm a modeler)

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      • #4
        Finally! Congrats Dave you have been talking about that guitar for years.

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        • #5
          Congratulations!! That's beautiful.

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          • #6
            Ohhh... I saw Howard Roberts and thought YES, I am a sucker for oval hole archtops. Only.... it's not. Well, I hope you dig it, Dave. Should serve you well.
            aka Chris Pile, formerly of Six String Fever

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            • #7
              That's a sweet guitar!

              I like the character it gets from the slightly lopsided burst.
              Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

              Originally posted by Douglas Adams
              This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

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              • #8
                Hey cool - time to break out the BOSS CE-1 and crang out some sus chords

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                • #9
                  Thanks all! The neck is like a 60s neck more than the fat 50s. The nut is 1.67". Yes, I've wanted this instrument since I was about 12. Any other semi-hollows I've owned was because I couldn't get this one.
                  Administrator of the SDUGF

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                  • #10
                    Congratulations, I’m happy you found it

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                    • #11
                      sweet guitar! im sure itll give you many years of joy and great tone

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                      • #12
                        I'm jealous now
                        thats awesome

                        is the body thick like a 175
                        I know you said it was thicker than a 335
                        EHD
                        Just here surfing Guitar Pron
                        RG2EX1 w/ SD hot-rodded pickups / RG4EXFM1 w/ Carvin S22j/b + FVN middle
                        SR500 / Martin 000CE-1/Epiphone Hummingbird
                        Epiphone Florentine with OEM Probuckers
                        Ehdwuld branded Blue semi hollow custom with JB/Jazz
                        Reptile Green Gibson Custom Studio / Aqua Dean Shire semi hollow with piezo
                        Carvin Belair / Laney GC80A Acoustic Amp (a gift from Guitar Player Mag)
                        GNX3000 (yea I'm a modeler)

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Very nice when a dream finally comes true.

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                          • #14
                            Dude, that is awesome! I hope it brings you 41 more years of great joy!

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                            • #15
                              Love it! Congrats such a drool worthy guitar.

                              Tarbacks are meh go with the Ant's!
                              My Bands -
                              https://kamikazechoir.hearnow.com/
                              www.instagram.com/kamikazechoir
                              www.reverbnation.com/theheartlessdevils

                              Just some fun guitar stuff from time to time
                              GUITAR KULTURE

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