Gibson US-1 Superstrat Natural Flame Maple (1987)

'87 Gibson US-1 Superstrat Natural Flame Maple, balsa core, ebony board, new bone nut, rewired electronics, 3.70 kg and more.

A Gibson that sounds like Van Halen, hairspray and neon? It exists – and this one's an original from 1987!

The US-1 was Gibson's way into the market for fast, light superstrats in the mid-80s. You'll spot it straight away by the pointed 'Scimitar' headstock with its Flying V-style Gibson logo – no mistaking this one for a Les Paul.

The body was designed to keep the weight down without giving up sustain or tone. At its heart is a light balsa core, which Gibson called 'Chromyte', framed in basswood. On top sits a flame maple cap with gorgeous figuring that really comes alive under the natural finish. Early versions used poplar instead of basswood – lighter, but a little thin-sounding. With basswood this one still comes in at a very reasonable 3.70 kg, with a good helping of sustain.

The maple set neck carries an ebony fingerboard with a 12" radius and classy split-diamond inlays. The frets show minor playing wear but don't need replacing.

In 2026 we gave the US-1 a thorough going-over: Limitless Custom Guitars made and fitted a bone nut (Vintage Bone), adjusted the neck relief and set up the action. The middle pickup sounded noticeably weak, so Heavy Horse Electronics rewound it. Nick Page Guitars then rewired the complete electronics with high-quality cable.

All pickups are original Gibson: single coils at the neck and middle, a humbucker at the bridge. The three mini switches let you turn each pickup on or off and combine them any way you like, and a push-pull volume pot splits the humbucker. That takes you from glassy single-coil cleans all the way to a fat 80s rock wall. The lower mini switch (bridge) is a 3-way switch and was probably replaced at some point, but like the others it only works as on/off. The Floyd Rose-style locking vibrato with Gibson branding and the gold Grover tuners round off the package.

Condition: well looked-after used condition with the marks of almost 40 years, mostly on the black back. The strap buttons have been changed and the middle screw on the locking nut replaced. It comes in a Thomann case (not original) with our data sheet and the Limitless Custom Guitars invoice, as pictured.

Our US-1 delivers pretty much everything you'd want from a punchy 80s superstrat – and it's a genuine Gibson rarity you won't find on every corner.

Price€2,790 VAT not outlined (§ 25a UStG)