NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 14, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Gibson Guitar, the world's premier musical instrument manufacturer and leader in music technology announced the launch of the official Gibson Island on Second Life.com (SL). Gibson is the first major music manufacturer to establish an official island in Second Life and has advanced the opportunity for consumers to participate in an exciting virtual world complete with digital luthiers, instruments and guest stars. The Gibson Island will officially launch at 8am SL Time on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 with an exclusive live music performance at 6pm SL Time.

In tribute to the legendary Gibson Les Paul guitar and the musician, the Gibson Island is in the shape of the famous guitar body and rises up from the ocean in Second Life. The "island" will feature humbucker mountains, full theatres, mini-theatres and other areas resembling pick ups and other aspects of a Gibson guitar.

As part of the launch, 70s multi-platinum solo artist and former Fleetwood Mac vocalist/guitarist Bob Welch will perform in an exclusive concert with other Second Life musicians. Bob Welch's avatar, "Bob Welch Magic" will also appear on stage along with celebrity musicians Cypress Rosewood and Von Johin. The concert kicks off a series of concerts which will be produced and performed only on the Gibson Island in Second Life over the period of a few months. Wednesday's inaugural concert series is a first for the musical instrument manufacturing industry and features an entire day of exclusive performances on the Gibson Island.

The Gibson Island features various stages including mini-theatres featuring classic blues performances by Matt Murphy, Howlin' Wolf and more. A variety of movie screens scattered around the island provides exclusive audio content and experiences along with news and information sites.

Second Life residents will have the opportunity to experience some of the world's most popular Gibson guitars for free. Over two-dozen "high prim" virtual Gibson models will be available throughout the Gibson Island only, allowing Second Life residents to own their dream guitar in this virtual world.

Second Life is a dynamic virtual world in which to participate in. A whole world of information and creativity is at your fingertips. To create a Second Life account/avatar and enter the Gibson Island, go to SecondLife.com, and follow the instructions to setting up a new account, for free. Once you have set up your account and installed custom software you will go "inworld" to the Second Life grid. At the bottom of the Second Life user interface, you will find a "Map" button. Press the map button and then type in "Gibson Island" in the field next to the "search" button. Then select the "search" button. The map will then locate Gibson Island and you will then select the "Teleport" button. At that point you will transport to Gibson Island.

About Second Life:

Second Life is a 3-D Virtual world entirely created by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown to host over 14 million inhabitants from around the globe. From the moment you enter the world, visitors discover a vast digital continent, teaming with people in entertainment, other experiences and new opportunities. The millions of users launched Second Life five years ago along with Linden Labs and some of the world's greatest musicians have already created their own avatars to explore the virtual capacity of Second Life. The virtual world is free to join and available for Mac, Windows and Linux computer platforms. To register go to http://www.secondlife.com

About Gibson Guitar:

Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. Gibson's HD.6X-PRO Digital Guitar and the Gibson Robot Guitar represent the biggest advances in electric guitar design in over 70 years. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.'s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Slingerland, Valley Arts, Maestro, Oberheim, Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, Baldwin, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, and Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson's website at http://www.gibson.com or http://www.gibson.com/press.

     CONTACTS:
     Caroline Galloway   GIBSON    440-338-3469/615-423-4904
     caroline.galloway@gibson.com
     Maureen O'Connor    Rogers & Cowan  310-854-8116
     moconnor@rogersandcowan.com

SOURCE Gibson Guitar

 http://www.gibson.com