If you’ve ever seen Gibson’s ad campaign for “American-made, world-played” guitars throughout the ’80s, then you saw the America guitar. A handful production models of the America guitar made their way across the United States in the early ’80s, but YouTuber and collector Trogly of the Trogly’s Guitar Show wanted the specific one from the advertisement. And as luck would have it, he’s finally got it.
One viewer happened to see Trogly’s video on the guitar literally one day before someone walked into their shop with the very guitar itself – which is identifiable thanks to its placement of the pickup selector in the “Northeast.”
“As soon as I saw it, I knew it was the one,” said Trogly. “I later found out he works for Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville and it had been consigned to them by the family of the guy who carved these guitars for Gibson, James Hutchins.”
On owning the guitar, Trogly offered: “Even if you offered me a million bucks, this is one of those guitars that is just worth more than money to me. It’s the map guitar. The one everyone has seen and that has been used in everything Gibson-related that says ‘American-made, world-played.’ It is a legacy piece and one day you will see it in my museum!”
