The GRAMMY-nominated Afrofuturist guitarist becomes the first woman of colour to receive an Epiphone signature model with this customised SG.
Epiphone has announced the Fatoumata Diawara SG, marking a significant moment for the brand as their first signature guitar for a woman of colour. Created in collaboration with the GRAMMY-nominated Malian guitarist, singer-songwriter, and actress, the signature model builds on her love for the Epiphone Muse SG with personal touches that reflect both her aesthetic and performance specifications.
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Fatoumata Diawara has built an impressive career fusing traditional Wassoulou sounds with modern global influences. Her collaborations span from Angélique Kidjo and Oumou Sangaré to Disclosure, Damon Albarn, Paul McCartney, and Herbie Hancock. She’s also appeared in acclaimed films, including Timbuktu and Sia, The Dream of the Python, although music has remained her primary focus since shifting from acting early in her career.
Her breakthrough 2018 album Fenfo earned two GRAMMY nominations: Best World Music Album and Best Dance Recording for “Ultimatum” with Disclosure. Most recently, she released London Ko, an Afrofuturist project co-produced with Mathieu Chedid (M) featuring six tracks with Damon Albarn and bold visuals from Ethiopian artist Aida Muluneh.
The signature SG features a mahogany body topped with Diawara’s custom graphic, paired with a set mahogany neck sporting a Custom C profile. A bound rosewood fretboard carries 22 medium jumbo frets with pearloid trapezoid inlays, while gold hardware includes a LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge, LockTone Stop Bar tailpiece, and Epiphone locking tuners. Graph Tech nut rounds out the tuning stability package.
It’s a visually striking guitar, down to the details. Red pickup rings, Speed knobs, rear control covers, and a matching toggle switch tip create a coordinated look. The headstock displays the Epiphone logo and Gibson Crown in mother-of-pearl, with a two-ply truss rod cover engraved with Fatou’s signature in gold.
The signature SG packs versatile electronics, pairing two Epiphone Alnico Classic PRO humbuckers with modern controls that include push/pull coil-splitting on the volume knobs for single-coil tones. Two tone controls provide further shaping, and one includes a push/pull phase switch that unlocks out-of-phase sounds when both pickups are engaged, expanding the tonal palette considerably for both studio and stage work.
As Diawara herself notes: “This guitar carries my Malian roots and my voice. It connects where I come from to where I’m going.”
Each guitar ships in a hardshell case and is available now through Epiphone.com, Gibson Garage locations in Nashville and London, and authorised Epiphone dealers worldwide.
Head here to learn more. For local enquiries, head to Australis Music Group.
