Gibson RD

The Gibson RD series solid body electric guitars were launched in 1977. Distinguished by its active electronics (RD is the abbreviation for "research and development"), they were designed to appeal to those interested in synthesizers as well as guitars. An "unhappy marriage of traditional and modern design", the series was unsuccessful, though the concept of the RD was continued for a while in the Les Paul Artist series.

The RD series (guitar and bass) was the result of Gibson's desire to tap into the developing synthesizer market, which was thought to have taken customers away from guitars. The series had a longer scale (25½" as opposed to the more usual 24¾"; the bass guitar in the series had a 34½" scale), a maple body shaped somewhat like Gibson's Firebird and Explorer, and state-of-the-art pre-amplified (active) electronics. At the time Gibson was owned by Norlin, which also owned Moog Music. The active electronics were designed by Bob Moog, shortly before he left his own company, and included a compression and expansion circuit. Five models were made: the Standard and Standard Bass lacked the active electronics available on the Artist, Custom Artist, and Artist Bass.

The best known and top of the line RD, the Artist featured active circuitry with switchable bright mode, treble and bass boost, compression and expansion. It did not have a passive mode. The electronics consisted of a 9v battery powering a circuit board the length of the body, accessible from the back cover. It was also available as a bass. The neck scale was shortened in 1979 to 24¾", a return to the standard Gibson scale used on other solid bodied guitars. The post '79 instruments are less desirable today than the original '77 Artist, which has become something of a modern classic. In recent years, RD Artists have become quite collectible among collectors and players alike.

The Custom featured active circuitry with a switchable bright mode. The electronics consisted of a 9v battery powering a circuit board smaller than the Artists, but still of significant size, accessible from the back cover. No passive mode.

...
Wikipedia