Following the reintroduction of the Howard Roberts Custom, Gibson continued to collaborate with the distinguished jazzman (who was known as an enthusiastic modifier of his own instruments).

1979 saw the launch of a new Roberts model, the Fusion. It’s single-cutaway outline is reminiscent of the ES-175, one of the guitars Roberts used regularly before acquiring his “signature” Epiphone. However, the Fusion is both narrower and shallower than the 175, and lacks it’s hollow body, featuring an ES-335-like solid center section instead.

This example is an early Fusion, without some of the refinements that Gibson and Roberts were to add later.