mirrors,” has never allowed a single vintage
guitar expert to examine his instrument,
not even his friend George Gruhn. He has
steadfastly refused to make the guitar public
to any extent other than two questionable
photos. Examining these images, it appears
that Billy G’s Moderne looks very similar to
the Japanese Ibanez “Futura” Moderne copy
that surfaced in 1975. Moderne copies have
also been made with the names Greco and
Antoria on the headstock, and Gibson produced offshore Moderne copies in the year
2000 with the Epiphone name.
Speaking of replicas, luthier Glen Miller
(no relation to the late swing bandleader)
manufactures Moderne, Explorer, and Flying
V replicas at Wrona’s House of Violins in
Lewiston, NY. Miller began performing repairs
shortly after getting his first guitar in 1970,
and learned his trade in the shop of the late
vintage guitar dealer Dan Hairfield. In 2003,
Miller found a source for original Gibson parts.
“I had been searching for a Moderne and
came across a listing for some supposed
original Moderne parts,” he says. “I contacted
the seller, who had been a Gibson subcontractor and was fortunate enough to have
attended the auction [when they closed up]
the Kalamazoo factory in 1984. He purchased
many bodies, necks and other hardware, but
then put the parts in his storage area and forgot about them. I made a deal for most of the
stuff he had, including original ‘ 82 Moderne
bodies and necks, plus ten Gibson logos.”
Miller has built three Modernes from Gibson
parts, plus five from his own parts, in addition
to four Explorers and two Flying Vs.
The Plot Thickens
Unlike some, Glen Miller believes the original
Moderne never existed.
“I don’t think one was ever made in the
‘50s,” he comments. “It is clear from photos
that Gibson rushed some prototype Vs and
Explorers so they could display them at the
’ 57 NAMM show. The Moderne never made it
into a single picture taken at the show. All the
supposed sightings sound just like people who
claim to have seen a UFO. The prototype Vs,
Futuras, and Explorers with the Futura headstocks have all shown up. If there were any real
‘50s Modernes, at least one would have surfaced by now. A ‘50s Moderne does not exist.”
On this Epiphone reissue, you can clearly see the
headstock curves. Photo: Ronald Lynn Wood
