Gibson Custom Shop James A. Willis Guitars
James A. Willis is a prolific artist known for painting and sculpting from his travels through New York’s ever-evolving city. Willis, however, is no stranger to sculpting instruments. In 2012, we displayed a few of his sculpted guitars among a number of his beautiful paintings at Gibson’s art show held at our showroom. We remain impressed with his truly inspirational work, and thanks to our close relationship with Gibson, we are the only dealer with his three Edgar Allan Poe inspired art pieces. Among them; a Les Paul with a hand carved pattern on top, an incredible-looking SG featuring carvings of vine and flora on its body, and lastly, a Flying V with a very interesting and intricate carving on the rear. A fourth guitar, the Les Paul “Warhorse”, features hand-carved woodwork, custom-cut and scrimshawed hardware, and rustic finish work, recalling life in the trenches during one of the most significant events in American history. These are all one-of-a-kind guitars with a ton of character and are some of the most intriguing art-pieces we’ve seen come through our door. All of these instruments are available right here on our site! If you have any questions or inquiries about these guitars, feel free to email our sales staff at sales@themusiczoo.com. More info and images of the guitars are displayed below along with links to purchase them on our site…Have a look!
One of three originals works of art inspired by the writing legacy of Edgar Allan Poe, created by Gibson Custom Artist in Residence James A. Willis, the “EAP” Les Paul captures the spirit of one of storytelling’s darkest authors in understated details that unfold from the guitar in subtle layers. Featuring a hand carved pattern on its top, a hand rubbed midnight blue finish and crisp outlines of white binding, the guitar’s minimal felling presentation, like the famed author, is quiet, yet somehow elusively rich. Click here to view this guitar on our site!
One of three originals works of art inspired by the writing legacy of Edgar Allan Poe, created by Gibson Custom Artist in Residence James A. Willis, The “MOTRD” SG features incredible hand carving details that extend from the central character on the back of the guitar to its front, where vines and flora grow into a beautiful presentation that captures the narrative’s dark voice and shocking end. Click here to view this guitar on our site!
One of three originals works of art inspired by the writing legacy of Edgar Allan Poe, created by Gibson Custom Artist in Residence
James A. Willis, “The Raven” Flying V features intricate hand carving on its back, hand applied gold leaf details and the aged, worn-look hardware common to this unique collection. In collaboration with the Gibson Custom Shop and its team of Luthiers, the guitar’s finish is a hand rubbed black and satin final coat, allowing the tool marks and handwork to live through the final stages of completion. Click here to view this guitar on our site!
One of the first pieces inspired by Gibson Custom’s Artist in Residence program, the James A. Willis WARHORSE speaks to Willis’ southern roots as wellas his appreciation for the folk art created by soldiers during America’s Revolutionary War. Featuring hand-carved woodwork, custom-cut and
scrimshawed hardware, and rustic finish work, the guitar recalls life in the trenches during one of the most significant events in American history. The WARHORSE is fine art achieved through a tribute to the common Revolutionary soldiers’ handiwork, often one of the few distractions enlisted men had during those difficult and lonely times. To capture the look and feel of an 18th-century musket/Revolutionary War musket, this one-of-a-kind guitar is purposefully rough. Whenever possible, Willis used period-appropriate 
materials and eschewed modern tools and complex finish techniques. The result: a singular piece of art that can never be duplicated. Gibson Custom supplied the WARHORSE’S body platform, a 1957 Reissue Les Paul, and the Gibson Finish and Hardware teams collaborated extensively with Willis, providing historical research, materials testing, and final assembly. Click here to view this guitar on our site!
