Courtesy of Gibson Brands

Courtesy of Gibson BrandsGibson’s Epiphone brand has just introduced a new signature electric guitar co-designed by Heart‘s Nancy Wilson.

The Nancy Wilson Fanatic guitar features a mahogany body shaped like a Gibson Nighthawk model, with a maple veneer top, a mahogany neck and an ebony fretboard. The front of the instrument boasts a Fireburst Gloss finish.

Wilson explains in a statement that Gibson originally approached her to design a signature electric guitar in the 1980s, and recalls, “I put pencil to paper to first design the body shape and chose a curvy female diminutive silhouette for the cut away. Many years later the body shape remains exact and the hardware I requested makes the Fanatic a solid citizen amongst the great rock guitar screamers.”

In a YouTube promo video for the Fanatic, Nancy discusses the characteristics of the guitar she likes, noting, “It plays more like a vintage style. You know, kind of like a Les Paul. It’s got dense wood. It’s got sustain. It’s got bigness, fatness and kind of dirt…that you want to hear. It’s a rock ‘n’ roll guitar, definitely.”

She adds, “It just plays great. It’s a good shape. It’s a good size. It’s a good weight. It’s just a really easy-to-play guitar.”

Nancy says she named the guitar after Heart’s 2012 studio album Fanatic. The Fanatic’s list price is $529.

In other news, Wilson has revealed that her previously reported debut studio album, which she’s been working on during the COVID-19 pandemic, will be released this April.

Meanwhile, as previously reported, Wilson will be among the honorees at the 2021 She Rocks Awards, which will be held virtually on Friday, January 22, and will be livestreamed at Parade magazine’s official website and BelieveInMusic.tv, starting at 6:30 p.m. PT.

By Matt Friedlander
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