AS SENIOR DIRECTOR of product development at Gibson, Mat Koehler is behind the company’s drive for maximum vintage authenticity in its reissues, from Epiphone Coronets to Custom Color Firebirds. But the Les Paul — and the man who put his moniker on one of the most iconic electrics of all time — was the guitar that sparked his interest in working for the Nashville company and it remains one of his ruling passions.
“I’m from Waukesha, Wisconsin, Les Paul’s hometown,” Koehler says, “so the name Les Paul has always been legendary to me. My uncle had a music store there called White House of Music and you’d always hear whispers that ‘Les Paul’s in town.’ I was always around guitars, but the Les Paul had the mystique and that led to me wanting to to work for Gibson. So yeah, in a way, it means everything to me.”
With this thought to conjure with, we sit down with Mat to get his forensic view on the large and small transitions
