Compact and handcrafted charm with concert-ready charisma
Available now, the new Gibson Parlor Rosewood EC is a compact, cutaway acoustic guitar offering an array of thoughtful specs in addition to a surprising richness and warmth for its size. Handcrafted in Bozeman, Montana, it’s perfect for intimate cafe shows where you can pour your heart out, but thanks to onboard L.R. Baggs™ VTC electronics, it’s also ready to ignite a stadium.
What are the primary design features of the Gibson Parlor Rosewood EC?
Featuring a smaller, comfortable body shape reminiscent of a streamlined SJ-200, the Gibson Parlor Rosewood EC captures timeless Gibson acoustic elegance in a more manageable form factor. Its balanced, full-bodied tone results from meticulously handcrafted details, including a dovetail neck joint, a radiused top, and traditional scalloped X-bracing. It also sports an elegant faux-tortoise pickguard, a practical and aesthetic topic we’ve covered elsewhere. That’s just the beginning.
Love classic tonewood combinations? A solid Sitka spruce top finished in gloss nitrocellulose lacquer complements solid rosewood back and sides, subtly accented with multi-ply binding. The body’s convenient cutaway design allows effortless access to the higher frets. This is a perfect design for a guitarist who is seeking versatility in a compact, easily portable package.
Image: The new Gibson Parlor Rosewood EC in Rosewood Burst gloss nitrocellulose
What are the specs for the neck and fretboard?
Players will appreciate the mahogany neck’s satin finish and Advanced Response profile, hand-shaped for a comfortable fit in the palm that’s neither too shallow nor too deep for the majority of players. The bound rosewood fretboard has a smooth-playing 16-inch radius, with 19 standard frets and mother-of-pearl parallelogram inlays. Like all Gibson guitars, every Parlor Rosewood EC is Plek’d at the craftory—get more insight into this process for acoustic models here.
Further refined touches include the iconic Gibson headstock logo inlaid in mother-of-pearl and premium hardware: TUSQ® nut, saddle, and bridge pins for enhanced tuning stability, alongside smooth gold-plated Grover® Mini Rotomatic® tuners. The rosewood bridge features the classic Gibson belly-up design.
Equipped for performance, the Parlor Rosewood EC comes fitted with the aforementioned L.R. Baggs™ VTC pickup and discreetly placed volume and tone controls at the soundhole edge, ensuring instant readiness for stage or studio use straight out of its included modern hardshell case.
Image: In addition to adding warmth and depth, the solid rosewood back and sides offer a striking aesthetic
“The guitars that we’re seeing every day are people’s dream guitars,” says John Hannigan, Gibson Acoustic Brand Manager. “We’re seeing these instruments from start to finish, knowing that people are going to pass these guitars through the generations of their families. The guitars we’re building are heirloom-quality instruments. These guitars will last a lifetime and longer.”
Shop Gibson acoustic guitars, find out more about how they are made, and enjoy a peek inside the acoustic collections of famous guitarists.
