Gibson has announced a new partnership with the Australian-born guitarist Orianthi Panagaris. The new Gibson Orianthi SJ-200 Custom in Cherry will be available worldwide this coming May 2021. "Creating a signature acoustic with the amazing Gibson team was truly an honor! I couldn't be happier!" says Orianthi. "It's the same full SJ-200 sound, but it plays much faster with a 345 neck on it, and with the modified unique LR Baggs custom pickup, it's a balanced guitar and cuts through. I can't wait for you all to be able to pick it up and shred away on it in May." "We are thrilled to welcome Orianthi to the Gibson family," says Elizabeth Heidt, global head of entertainment relations for Gibson. "We have been fans of her artistry from the start and it is a win for Gibson to have this incredibly talented woman join us." Orianthi has been knocking people out with her playing for over a decade and has played and collaborated with Michael Jackson, Alice Cooper, Carrie Underwood and Richie Sambora, among many others. In late 2019, Orianthi visited the Gibson Acoustic factory in Bozeman, Montana and a creative collaboration was born. Orianthi worked with the luthiers in the Gibson Acoustic Custom Shop to create her perfect signature guitar with a special neck modeled after a Gibson ES 345, a redesigned pickguard with Lotus Flowers, as well as mother-of-pearl dot inlays in the neck. More features include a AAA Sitka spruce top and maple back, gold Grover Keystone tuners, a stunning and distinctive Cherry nitrocellulose lacquer finish, and an LR Baggs Orianthi System, with under-saddle piezo pickup and sound hole mounted preamp and controls and more. Orianthi's first new studio album in seven years and her first new music as a solo artist in six years, "O", came out in November via Frontiers Music Srl. Born in Australia, Orianthi was inspired to learn guitar at a young age after discovering her father's vinyl collection. She rose to international fame at age 24 after the release of her hit single "According To You" and a high-energy performance backing Carrie Underwood at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Although she had already been invited to jam with the likes of Carlos Santana and Steve Vai, mainstream audiences had not previously heard of this captivating guitar prodigy. Her recognition increased even further when Michael Jackson called with an offer to be his guitarist for his dates at the O2 Arena in London. Although the concert series was not to be, the release of the behind-the-scenes documentary "Michael Jackson's This Is It" showcased Orianthi's masterful playing as well as her creativity and collaboration.
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