⭕ A TRULY ONE-OF-A-KIND WORK OF ART . . .

2006 GIBSON CUSTOM SHOP CS-336
W/ ORIGINAL HAND-CRAFTED LEATHER ARTWORK
DONE BY MANNY, SON OF MANUEL


First, a bit of history about the man who made this incredible work of art. Just about everyone has heard of Manuel, the infamous costumer and artist who has dressed everyone from Johnny Cash to Bob Dylan to all three Hank Williams and the Grateful Dead. Often referred to as the Rhinestone Rembrandt, Manuel made quite a name for himself since leaving Nudies famed western store in Hollywood, California, in the late 80s, where he designed clothes for such legends as Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger.


But while all the notoriety went to Manuel, it was his son Manny who was working behind the scenes designing and making most of the clothes sold by his father. The outfit Bob Dylan wore to play for the Pope? That was all designed and made by Manny. The black suit Johnny Cash was buried in? You guessed it ... Manny designed it and built it himself. And this only scratches the surface of the many outfits - from head to toe - that were designed and built by Manny for his fathers clients.


Manny has since branched out on his own and is currently living and working in Nashville where he continues the family legacy of dressing and producing garments for some of the worlds most foremost celebrities and musicians, gaining international notoriety over the last 10 years at fashion shows throughout the world, including Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas, Texas.


Several years ago, Manny had a vision of covering a guitar with one of his hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind leather creations, but couldnt find the right guitar for it. He attended a charity function at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in late 2005 and was telling the legendary Paul McCartney - who has worn several creations by both Manuel and Manny - about his idea. McCartney pointed out that Gibson Guitars was one of the evenings main sponsors and that he could probably talk them into giving him a guitar to work on. McCartney proceeded to introduce Manny to Gibson President Henry Juszkiewicz, and Mr. Juszkiewicz arranged for Manny to receive a guitar for his project.

The guitar Manny received a few months later was a 2006 Gibson Custom Shop CS-336. The only part of the guitar that was finished was the neck. The body of the guitar was left with a natural wood finish, with no color or clear coat applied. Inspired by some of the design work hed done for the late Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, Manny immediately went to work hand-carving the pieces of leather that would grace the front, back and sides of the guitar. In just a few days, he finished the incredible designs you see here and applied them to the guitar using a special process. When he was done he sent the guitar back to the Gibson Custom Shop, where they proceeded to outfit the guitar with all of the electronics and hardware. They set up this beautiful work of art so that it could be played and enjoyed as both a playable instrument and a one-of-a-kind work of art.


There isnt another one like it anywhere in the world, and Manny has never attempted another one since. This is the only one in existence, therefore a true one-of-a-kind artwork by one of the worlds most acclaimed fashion designers.