The Les Paul as it was born: Gold Top, mahogany and maple, two P-90s.

The Les Paul Standard ’50s P-90 is part of Gibson USA’s Original Collection and goes back to the configuration of the very first Gold Tops: a carved maple top on a solid mahogany body, and a pair of P-90s instead of the usual humbuckers.

It has the weight, sustain and neck of a Standard, with a rawer, more articulate voice. Great for blues, rock’n’roll, roots, garage and indie, and much more versatile than you’d expect once you start working the volume knob.

How it sounds

Pickups and wiring. Two P-90s with Alnico V magnets, audio taper pots and Orange Drop capacitors, hand-wired. Full, direct mids: warm and round on the neck, cutting on the bridge without getting thin. The controls are smooth and progressive, so you can go from crunch to clean from the guitar alone. P-90s sit naturally in a mix in the studio and handle both clean and driven tones on stage.

Body and neck. Non-weight-relieved mahogany body, maple top and set mahogany neck: the combination behind the Les Paul’s attack and sustain. The Vintage ’50s profile fills the hand; rosewood fingerboard with a 12" radius, 22 medium jumbo frets and a Graph Tech nut.

Hardware. ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge, aluminum stopbar tailpiece and Vintage Deluxe tuners with keystone buttons. Classic, easy to adjust and reliable on stage.

Condition

This guitar is part of our #megliodelnuovo (“better than new”) program: every pre-owned instrument is fully inspected and professionally set up by our team before it’s listed, and comes with The Live Sound’s extended shop warranty.

Why this one

This isn’t an “alternative” Les Paul: it’s the format the Les Paul started with. Compared to the humbucker-loaded Standard ’50s it’s more open and dynamic; compared to cheaper P-90 guitars it keeps USA construction, a nitro finish and premium electronics. A great first Gibson USA, or a different voice for players who already own a humbucker Les Paul.

Specifications

• Condition: pre-owned, inspected and set up (#megliodelnuovo)
• Body: mahogany, no weight relief
• Top: maple
• Finish: Gold Top, gloss nitrocellulose
• Neck: mahogany, set neck, Vintage ’50s profile
• Fingerboard: bound rosewood, acrylic trapezoid inlays
• Radius: 12"
• Frets: 22 medium jumbo
• Scale length: 24.75"
• Nut: Graph Tech, 1.695" (43.05 mm)
• Pickups: 2x Gibson P-90, Alnico V
• Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way toggle
• Wiring: hand-wired, audio taper pots, Orange Drop capacitors
• Bridge: ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic
• Tailpiece: aluminum stopbar
• Tuners: Vintage Deluxe with keystone buttons
• Hardware: nickel
• Knobs: Gold Top Hats with pointers
• Factory strings: .010–.046
• Weight: 4.45 kg (9.8 lbs)

About The Live Sound

We’re a guitar-specialist shop in Cavagnolo (Turin), Italy, run by a professional live and studio guitarist. Every instrument is checked and set up in-house. Questions or extra photos? Just send us a message.