The specific guitar a musician plays is part of their lifelong musical journey. From John Lennon to Bob Marley, an artist’s guitar not only contributes to their sound, but it also plays a part in the way their unique voice is expressed and heard.
In partnership with iconic American instrument brand Gibson, School of Rock, the leader in performance-based music education, introduces the School of Rock Limited Edition Gibson Les Paul Special. It’s an American-made signature guitar students will cherish their entire lives. It’s not intended to be a student’s first guitar, but instead designed to be his or her first forever guitar.
“At School of Rock we aim to instill in our students a musical passion that will last a lifetime. We designed this guitar to be part of that journey–something they will cherish the rest of their lives,” said Elliot Baldini, chief marketing officer of School of Rock and head of the School of Rock GearSelect program. “This vintage-inspired guitar pays homage to the history of rock and other music styles such as blues, reggae and pop. These timeless genres are the foundation of School of Rock’s patented curriculum.”
Only 100 School of Rock Limited Edition Gibson Les Paul Specials will be produced, and they will be available exclusively to School of Rock students, parents, and staff. To commemorate this special series, each guitar comes with a backplate recognizing it as being one of one hundred units. Additionally, School of Rock is donating 100% of all profits from the sale of these guitars to Save The Music, one of Gibson Gives’ key partners. Save The Music is the leading music education foundation in the United States. Their mission is to help students, schools, and communities reach their full potential through the power of making music.
“We want this guitar to not only inspire our students, but to also help make gear and music education more accessible to new musicians,” added Baldini.
“Save The Music shares the belief that when young people have the opportunity to make music, they start a journey that benefits them for a lifetime – in terms of both the creative outlet and the life skills that come with learning an instrument,” said Henry Donahue, executive director of Save The Music Foundation. “We can’t wait to hear the music that comes out of this project from the School of Rock and Save The Music communities.”
“It’s exciting to evolve our collaboration with School of Rock with the introduction of the Limited Edition Gibson Les Paul Forever Special guitar,” says Cesar Gueikian, Brand President, Gibson Brands. “We have been working on this project for over a year, during which our Gibson Lab team led by Mat Koehler, with Elliot Baldini, Rob Price and the group from School of Rock designed a versatile Les Paul Special that combines vintage features with modern concepts and looks badass! We look forward to seeing these guitars in the hands of the future generation of musicians that School of Rock is creating.”
The signature model features a classic aesthetic and boasts an array of unique features. Its glossy black, nitrocellulose finish is unique for a Les Paul Special model, as is the gold hardware. A compensated, wraparound bridge was chosen for the best intonation possible. All of the detailed specs and features are outlined here.
The School of Rock Limited Edition Les Paul Special is part of GearSelect, an exclusive program where students can buy music instruments and music gear directly at School of Rock. School of Rock now sells drums, keyboards, microphones, recording equipment, amplifiers, effects pedals, accessories, guitars, bass guitars and more. School of Rock has partnered with some of the music industry’s biggest brands to compile an incredible selection of musical gear.
Preorders for the School of Rock Les Paul Special can be placed here on a first come, first served basis.
School of Rock provides students of all ages an exciting and engaging learning environment for taking guitar lessons, drum lessons, bass lessons, keyboard lessons, and singing lessons. Drawing from all styles of rock and roll, School of Rock students learn theory and techniques via songs from legendary artists such as Led Zeppelin, Lenny Kravitz, Aretha Franklin and Green Day. Thanks to the school’s patented performance-based learning approach, students around the world have gained superior instrumental skills and confidence on the big stage, with some moving on to record deals and larger platforms such as American Idol, The Voice and Broadway.
