The original RD Artist was made from 1977 to 1982. It was the top of the Gibson RD line and had a reverse Firebird style body available in natural, sunburst or ebony finish. It had Gibson active electronics with expansion and compression circuitry, a bright switch and two specially designed active humbucking pickups. Both neck and body were maple and it had a 25.5 inch scale length neck (reduced to 24.75 inches in 1979), 22 fret ebony fingerboard (with block inlays) and gold plated hardware. The RD Artist had a stylized f-hole peghead inlay. The longer scale length pre 1979 models are the most collectible, with around 2350 made in this period.

In Gibson reissued the RD Artist in 2014 to coincide with its 120th Anniversary celebrations. The new RD Artists have GEM Gibson Active humbucking pickups, with Alnico II magnets and wound with42 AWG wire, but with active design. These reissues have a rosewood fingerboard with a “120th Anniversary” 12th fret inlay and all are finished in Alpine white.