This week, we look at some Gibson related news. First, we look at the departure of their current CEO, Cesar Gueikian, who has just announced his departure. Then we look at the news about Eric Clapton’s long-lost Cream-era Les Paul, which has just resurfaced. Finally, we check out the new Solar Guitars Chug Capo pedal.
Guitar Journal
Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian
Gibson officially took on Cesar Gueikian as CEO in 2023. He took over from James “JC” Curleigh and has been running the US guitar brand relatively successfully ever since.
However, this weekend Gibson put out an official statement that Gueikian is stepping down as CEO on 31 July. In his place, Anne Rohosy has been named the interim CEO until Gibson finds a suitable replacement.
Anne Rohosy
Anne Rohosy steps into the interim executive role with 30+ years of global brand experience. Her extensive Fortune 500 leadership background includes executive roles at Gibson, Nike, and Levi Strauss & Co.
Apart from that, we know very little about her, so it’s time for yet another Gibson CEO!
They seem to have been through many in recent years. We had James “JC” Curleigh, and previously there was Henry Juszkiewicz.
What’s Next for Cesar?
Gueikian is moving to the Board of Directors, where he will serve as a global artist ambassador and strategic advisor to Gibson’s leadership. I’m guessing there will be further announcements soon, so we will update you as more news breaks on this.
CEO Custom Shop Guitars
We know Cesar has been creating his own run of Custom Shop guitars at Gibson, so we could see him making more guitars. His CEO run of guitars was often teased via his social media and then sold of for charity or given to high profile clients.
He certainly appears to love working with artists and creating one-off instruments for them.
Eric Clapton Cream-era Les Paul
The Eric Clapton Cream-era Les Paul has resurfaced after nearly 60 years in the wilderness. This is not the stolen Beano Burst from the Bluesbreaker era, but a guitar Clapton originally purchased to replace that stolen guitar.
Unique Headstock Modification
When his John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers days finished, he formed Cream with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. This led to him buying another Les Paul Standard from Andy Summers (later of The Police fame) for £300.
After the guitar’s neck was severely broken during travel, it was sent to Dan Armstrong’s repair shop for repair. There it received a unique headstock modification, and when Clapton saw it, he no longer wanted the guitar.
He refused to pay for the repair, and the guitar ended up in a private collection.
Matt’s Guitar Shop
Matt’s Guitar Shop owner Matthieu Lucas now has the ‘missing’ guitar, and it is back out in the wild. The headstock looks awful, so I can see why Clapton no longer wanted the guitar. The guitar was used by Clapton to record ‘Spoonful’ with Cream, along with ‘I Feel Free’ and ‘I’m So Glad’, so it is part of rock history.
For 13 years, Lucas kept the location of Eric Clapton’s legendary Gibson guitar a secret at the request of collector Perry Margouleff.
Believing music history belongs to the world, Lucas secured a deal with Margouleff in New York and brought the guitar back to his Paris shop. Upon inspection, Lucas confirmed its setup matches Clapton’s preferences, featuring a slim late-1960 neck profile and a vibrant “tomato soup” sunburst finish.
It is known as Summersburst due to Andy Summers’ previous ownership.
Chug Capo
Ola Englund’s Solar Guitars has just announced their latest pedal, the Chug Capo. This is a high-speed, super-reactive digital pitch-shifting pedal, designed for dropping tuning fast and accurately. It was created for players who require quick drop tuning, and it is perfect for high-gain chugging!
It expands their Chug range of stompboxes, which are aimed at players who enjoy high-gain fun on guitar.
Super Fast, Accurate, Transpose
The built-in digital display shows the current transposition, ranging from -12 semitones (one octave down) to +12 semitones (one octave up).
It features a dedicated Mix Control knob that allows players to blend the pitch-shifted signal with the original dry guitar tone, unlocking massive layered octave textures and creative harmony effects. Users can also store a single “Favourite” preset, which can be recalled on the unit itself or toggled remotely.
While an external non-latching footswitch for preset switching is not included, the unit ships with a 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch TS adapter cable.
Solar Guitars has already verified seamless compatibility with industry-standard utility pedals, such as the Boss FS-5U and the Harley Benton Tap Tempo Switch. This latest release could be perfect for downtuning guitars accurately, especially if you enjoy high-gain, chugging!
MSRP – $249
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