The cockpit has been customized to evoke Gibson’s designs with mahogany and flamed maple wood veneers in the dashboard and leather seats.
Gibson Guitar and Nissan have created a NV200 Mobile Repair & Restoration Van that debuts next week at the New York Auto Show. The van will serve as a guitar repair shop at places where players gather, such as major music festivals, concerts, recording studios or even private homes.
“The NV200 van’s small footprint makes it ideal for maneuvering in tight places, which is perfect for both urban music venues and crowded outdoor concerts where space is at a premium,” said Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz.
The van has a 131-horsepower, 2-liter inline 4-cylinder engine and a CVT transmission. Base prices for NV200 vans start at more than $20,000. The NV200 Compact Cargo provides 122.7 cubic feet of space behind the front seats and a 53-inch cargo height, which is comparable to many standard roof full-size vans. It also offers tall cargo door openings – including the standard 40/60-split rear doors – and a low load floor height of 19.5 inches. Payload capacity is rated at 1,500 pounds.
In the custom Gibson version, a pullout bench that features an array of tools such as calipers, scale rulers, fret files, fret pullers, different types of sandpaper, super glue, wood glue, tuning forks, a radius planer, various guitar parts (strings, tuning machines, frets, nuts, bridges, knobs, linseed oil, potentiometers, pickups), pliers, screw drivers and a soldering station. Luthiers can either extend this bench to the edge of the NV200 to work on instruments or guide in on its pair of casters to a separate location to perform repair or setup work on guitars.
Located directly behind the front seat is a custom rack that holds up to four guitars in various stages of repair and disrepair. The cockpit has been customized to evoke Gibson’s designs with wood veneers in the dashboard such as mahogany and flamed maple. There are also leather-trimmed seats.
