Music

Gibson and Coronet create world's most valuable guitar

Gibson and Coronet create world's most valuable guitar
The US$2 million Eden of Coronet at Baselworld 2015
The US$2 million Eden of Coronet at Baselworld 2015
View 4 Images
The Eden of Coronet is confirmed as the most valuable guitar in the world at Baselworld on March 20
1/4
The Eden of Coronet is confirmed as the most valuable guitar in the world at Baselworld on March 20
The white Gibson SG is now home to more than 400 quality diamonds embedded in 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) of 18 K gold
2/4
The white Gibson SG is now home to more than 400 quality diamonds embedded in 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) of 18 K gold
The Eden of Coronet is reported to be the first collaboration between Gibson Brands, jewelry designer Aaron Shum of Coronet and musician/designer Mark Lui
3/4
The Eden of Coronet is reported to be the first collaboration between Gibson Brands, jewelry designer Aaron Shum of Coronet and musician/designer Mark Lui
The US$2 million Eden of Coronet at Baselworld 2015
4/4
The US$2 million Eden of Coronet at Baselworld 2015
View gallery - 4 images

Though full to bursting with showy and expensive luxury wearables, the Baselworld Watch and Jewelry Show is not usually the kind of venue where you'd expect to find guitar maker Gibson displaying one of its custom instruments. This year, however, saw a US$2 million diamond-encrusted SG called the Eden of Coronet verified as the world's most valuable guitar by Guinness World Records.

Given the emphasis on the arty nature of the showpiece, it comes as no surprise that little information on the guitar part of the equation has been released. The white Gibson SG that's now home to more than 400 carat of diamonds embedded in 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) of 18 K gold is reported to be the first collaboration between Gibson Brands, jewelry designer Aaron Shum of Coronet and musician/designer Mark Lui, and is said to be a reflection of the latter's passion for both music and jewelry.

It features two covered humbucking pickups and chrome (not gold) hardware, with a Mark Lui Design Works nameplate to the right of the neck pickup and a "Coronet" plate between the pickups. Though the three-way pickup selector and the instrument jack are visible, the two volume knobs and two tone knobs appear to be hidden underneath the layer of diamond decoration. But as you can see from this video, the instrument is playable.

The white Gibson SG is now home to more than 400 quality diamonds embedded in 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) of 18 K gold
The white Gibson SG is now home to more than 400 quality diamonds embedded in 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) of 18 K gold

The Eden of Coronet is the result of 700 man-days of work from a 68 person team and was confirmed by Guinness World Records as the most valuable guitar in the world at a ceremony in the prestigious Hall 1 at Baselworld on March 20.

When describing the sparkly guitar as a masterpiece, Gibson Brand's CEO Henry Juszkiewicz also indicated that the collaboration was "definitely an important milestone for what we target to achieve." Could this be the first of many over-the-top, ostentatious and, quite honestly, pretty ugly one-offs from one of rock music's primary innovative forces? Let's hope not.

As Baselworld comes to a close later this week, the Eden of Coronet will begin a tour of China's major cities. It's not clear what will happen to the instrument after that, though we can say with some certainty that this is one guitar that we won't get to review.

Source: Gibson

View gallery - 4 images
5 comments
5 comments
Kim Patrick
That guitar's got no soul.
motospyder
Expensive? No doubt. But all those diamonds could only diminish the sound of that wonderful guitar. The SG is nearly perfect as is. And it is heavy enough without all the bling.
Plus, Kim Patrick is right: "that guitar's got no soul."
Dave Lawrence
That's an embarrassment to all concerned - what an ostentatious prat
Dean Forman
Should be called the SDG!
PS. Henry, Min-ETuners and circuit boards on LP's are world-class STUPID! Cease and desist. You know those words, right?
Colin Fox
Stupid idea and design. Will not play any better