Moore Guitars × Jared James Nichols
Gibson built a handful of these in the 1950s and never released a single one. The Custom Shop has finally brought it back, and we are giving one away, fitted with a custom black pickguard signed by Jared James Nichols, to the player who does the best job over his single "Way Back."
Free to enter. No purchase necessary. Open to US residents 18 and over.
Entries close September 18 at 11:59pm Central.
Jared James Nichols with his Futura
The prize
In 1957 Gibson sketched a radical new shape and built a small number of prototypes. Perhaps four to six exist. Then they shelved it, reworked the body, and the world got the Explorer instead. The Futura became one of the great what ifs in guitar history.
Those original prototypes were mahogany. When Gibson revived the shape as a Custom Shop model years later they built it in korina. This reissue goes back to mahogany, which makes it the version that finally gets the original spec right.
Two unpotted Custombucker humbuckers with Alnico 3 magnets, hand wired, Antique Natural nitrocellulose over a two piece mahogany body, aged gold hardware, VOS treatment, and a Lifton historic reissue case.
And one thing no other Futura has. Jared runs a black pickguard on his own mahogany Futura, cut for him by a maker in Nashville. We have had the same maker cut one for this guitar, and Jared has signed it. The winner gets both guards, so they can run it exactly like his or hang the signed one on the wall.
The actual giveaway guitar, signed guard fitted
| Finish | Antique Natural VOS |
| Body | Two piece mahogany |
| Pickups | Unpotted Custombuckers, Alnico 3 |
| Hardware | Aged gold |
| Case | Lifton historic reissue |
| Pickguards | Stock white, plus a custom black one signed by Jared |
| Retail value | $5,499 |
The artist
Jared plays blues rock the loud way. No pick, fingers on the strings, straight into the amp. He is the most visible champion of the Futura today, and the mahogany one he plays is the same model we are giving away.
“Way Back” is the single from his new album Louder Than Fate, out now on Frontiers Music. It is the track you will be soloing over, so put it on and live with it for a bit. Stream it wherever you listen, and watch the official video right here.
Jared on the Way Back Challenge
How to enter
Play like you play. You do not have to copy Jared's solo or anybody else's style. That is the whole point.
Name, email, and where you plan to post along with your handle there. About twenty seconds, and that is your entry. We will email you straight back with your $25 code.
Play over the song, film it, and post it publicly. Stream it or use the backing track below, whichever you prefer. Instagram, YouTube, TikTok or Facebook, whichever one you actually use. Tag @mooreguitars and @jaredjamesnichols, with #WayBackChallenge and #contest in the caption. That is how we find your entry, so do not skip the tags.
Two ways to do it, and either one is a valid entry.
Put “Way Back” on, turn it up, and film yourself playing over it. This is what most people will do and it works perfectly well.
Every one of these goes straight to the song. All of Jared's other links live on his Linktree.
Jared's camp cut two files for this contest.
The backing track is the full song with his solo lifted out, so the space is yours.
Jared's solo on its own, so you can hear exactly what he played.
MP3, about 7 MB each, plays on anything. Recording in a DAW? Take the studio masters instead, 48kHz 24-bit WAV, 52 MB each: backing track or solo only.
Our YouTube handle is different from our Instagram one. On Instagram and Facebook we are @mooreguitars. On YouTube we are @MooreMusicGuitars.
What you can win
| Prize | How it is won | How many | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gibson Custom 1957 Mahogany Futura Reissue VOS With the stock white pickguard plus a custom black one signed by Jared |
Judged on your video | 1 | $5,499 |
| Seymour Duncan JJN P90 Silencer pickup | Judged, second and third place | 3 | $149 ea |
| Signed copy of Jared's album Louder Than Fate | Random drawing, everyone who registers | 10 | |
| Moore Guitars store credit | Sent automatically when you register | All entrants | $25 |
You do not need to post a video to be in the drawing for a signed album. Registering is enough. The guitar and the pickups are judged on playing, so those need a video.
How it gets judged
We shortlist the top 30. The community votes those down to 10. Then the judges pick the winner from the final ten.
Does your solo actually say something over this particular track.
Sound like yourself. Copying Jared note for note is not what wins this.
Attitude, touch, and commitment to the take.
Audio we can hear and video we can watch. A phone is completely fine. This is not a production contest.
The judges: Jared James Nichols, a judge from Vintage Guitar magazine, and a representative from Moore Guitars. Judges score independently before conferring, and Jared has the final say on any tie.
Gibson and Vintage Guitar magazine are both backing the challenge and will be sharing entries on their channels.
Enter
Takes about twenty seconds. Give us the handle you will post under so we can match your video to your entry when it goes up.
No purchase necessary. Free to enter. Void where prohibited. By entering you agree to the official rules and our privacy policy. Message and data rates may apply if you provide a mobile number.
Follow along for entry highlights and the winner announcement.
The fine print
No. Entry is completely free and no purchase is necessary. Stream "Way Back" wherever you normally listen, on Spotify, Apple Music or anywhere else. You do not need to buy it.
Please do not. Thirty percent of the score is originality, and copying the original solo is a good way to not win. Play like you play.
Whatever you own. A phone camera is fine. Presentation is fifteen percent and all that means is we can hear you and see you. Plenty of great entries get filmed in a bedroom.
US residents aged 18 or over, or the age of majority in your state if that is higher. Employees of Moore Guitars, Gibson, Seymour Duncan, Vintage Guitar magazine and their families are not eligible, and neither are any players we invite to post demonstration entries.
Entries close September 18 at 11:59pm Central. Finalists are posted September 22, community voting runs through September 29, and the winner is announced October 1.
One video entry per person. Duplicate registrations are removed. If you post more than one video, the last one you post before the deadline is the one we judge.
By the tags. Post publicly, tag @mooreguitars and @jaredjamesnichols, and put #WayBackChallenge and #contest in the caption. Tagging us is what tells us your entry exists, and the handle you gave us when you registered is how we match it to you, so use the same account you told us about. If you do not see yourself in the finalists and you think we missed you, message us before September 22 and we will sort it out.
By entering you give Moore Guitars and our partners permission to repost, edit and use your video in marketing, including paid advertising, and to feature you in the entry gallery. You keep ownership of your performance. You must be the person playing, it must be filmed by you, and it cannot contain anybody else identifiable without their written permission.
Yes, and it is easy. Include #contest near the start of your caption alongside #WayBackChallenge. That is a legal requirement for contests like this, not just a preference, and entries without it may be disqualified.
It happens, because Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook all run automatic music matching on commercially released songs. You will not be disqualified for something the platform did. Keep your original video file, message us, and we will get your entry judged, including from your original file if we have to. Hang on to that file until the winners are announced.
Your post has to be public for us to see and judge it. If your account is private you can make the single post public, or switch your account to public for the entry period.
Yes. The guitar has a retail value of $5,499 and prizes of this size are taxable income. We will issue the required tax form and the winner is responsible for any tax owed. We recommend speaking to a tax advisor. The winner will need to complete a W-9 and an eligibility affidavit before the guitar ships.
The complete official rules cover eligibility, the entry period and time zone, judging criteria and panel, odds for the album drawing, the content licence, publicity release, prize conditions and substitution, liability, governing law, dispute resolution and the winners list.
Sponsor: Mulzer Music LLC, doing business as Moore Guitars, 301 N Royal Ave, Evansville, IN 47715. This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram, Facebook, Meta, YouTube or TikTok.
Put the song on, play something that sounds like you, and it could be sitting in your room.
Questions? Call us at (888) 794-8482.
