Nouveau Collection Acoustics
Sometime around Norlin's 1987 sale of Gibson, the decision was made to produce the Nouveau line of guitars. The Gibson Nouveaus were going to consist of cost-effective necks and bodies made in Japan and assembled and finished in Nashville and branded as American Made. Although the original sales literature introduces these as purely Gibson guitars, somewhere between manufacturing and finishing, they became the known as the Epiphone Spotlight series, resulting in an Japanese-made, USA assembled Epiphone. The first Nouveau guitars introduced by Gibson were a line of flat top semi-hollow guitars under the "Nouveau by Gibson" brand in 1986. In 1987 electric guitars joined the line. By September 1987 Gibson moved the flat top Nouveaus to the Epiphone line, under the brand "Nouveau by Epiphone" and the electrics were moved to Epiphone by February 1988. By early 1989 the entire Nouveau line was discontinued. |
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Contents |
Models
NV6
- 1986-1988
- Square shoulder dreadnought body style
Models:
- NV6
- NV6R
Body:
- Spruce top
- Mahogany back & sides
- Rosewood back & sides (NV6R)
- 15.75" body width
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck
- Ebony fretboard with pearloid geometric-shaped inlays
- Open-book headstock with diamond "Gibson" inlay.
- 20 frets
- 25.5" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Multi-ply 3-ring rosette
- 3-ply white body binding
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Ebonized belly bidge
- Teardrop shaped tortoise pickguard
- "Nouveau" inlay on headstock
Colors:
- Natural (NA)
NV12
- 1986-1988
- 12-string square shoulder dreadnought body style
Body:
- Spruce top
- Mahogany back & sides
- Rosewood back & sides (NV6R)
- 15.75" body width
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck
- Ebony fretboard with pearloid geometric-shaped inlays
- Open-book headstock with diamond "Gibson" inlay.
- "Nouveau" inlay on headstock
- 20 frets
- 25.5" scale
Binding:
- Multi-ply 3-ring rosette
- 3-ply white body binding
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Ebonized belly bidge
- Teardrop shaped tortoise pickguard
- Individual die-cast tuners
Colors:
- Natural (NA)
NV185
- 1986-1988
- Round shoulder Jumbo body style
Body:
- Spruce top
- Mahogany back & sides
- Rosewood back & sides (NV6R)
- 15.75" body width
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck
- Ebony fretboard with pearloid geometric-shaped inlays
- Open-book headstock with diamond "Gibson" inlay.
- 20 frets
- 25.5" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Multi-ply 3-ring rosette
- 3-ply white body binding
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Ebonized belly bidge
- Teardrop shaped tortoise pickguard
- "Nouveau" inlay on headstock
Colors:
- Natural (NA)
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