Gibson Custom LG-2 Western - Autumnburst

This Gibson Custom Shop LG-2 Western in Autumnburst is a beautifully upgraded take on the Nathaniel Rateliff LG-2 Western, offering the same small-body charm and vintage-inspired tone but with a more refined aesthetic and no artist association. It is a Custom Shop acoustic with unique appointments, a richer finish and a more premium feel throughout, making it an exceptional choice for players who loved the original model but wanted something more individual.

The most striking feature is the Autumnburst top. Where the Rateliff model used a traditional Vintage Sunburst, this premium Custom Shop instrument was ordered with a rare Autumnburst top. Rather than the moodier, starker 'tobacco stain' look of the standard finish, Autumnburst offers a much richer, warmer, and more cohesive transition. The edges feature a deep reddish-brown that blends smoothly into a glowing, honey-amber centre. It gives this small-body acoustic an incredibly elegant, boutique aesthetic usually reserved for top-tier custom maple models like the legendary SJ-200 Standard and it looks stunning on the Adirondack spruce top. The back, sides and neck are finished in Gibson's Progressive treatment, allowing the natural lighter colour of the mahogany to show through rather than the darker tint Gibson usually applies. The contrast between the Autumnburst top and the lighter Progressive mahogany is gorgeous and gives the guitar a more open, organic look.

The upgrades continue with mother of pearl split parallelogram inlays replacing the standard pearloid versions. The have all the beautiful colour that real MOP is known for  rather than the more plastic look and stationary look of pearloid. The headstock carries a Gibson Custom Shop logo on the back, and the truss rod cover has been upgraded from plain black to a black-and-white version for a more premium aesthetic. The pickguard is a .030 inch tortoise teardrop, another Custom Shop touch that elevates the look.

Under the hood, it retains the same core build that made the Rateliff model so popular: a mahogany body, Adirondack red spruce top, traditional hand-scalloped X-bracing, a short 24.75 inch scale mahogany neck with Historic V profile, Indian rosewood fingerboard and LR Baggs VTC electronics with discreet volume and tone controls mounted inside the soundhole. It is stage-ready straight out of the case, with the warm, woody, articulate tone that small-body Gibsons are known for.

This guitar is ideal for anyone who admired the Nathaniel Rateliff LG-2 Western but preferred a non-signature version, or who missed out before it was discontinued. As a Custom Shop acoustic with unique specs, it is more collectable and will hold its value better than a standard production model. It offers the same body, the same feel and the same musicality, but with a more distinctive finish and a more premium set of appointments.