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4, 57 KGHistoryIn the early 1950s, Fender released the Esquire and Broadcaster guitar models. They proved to be very popular among guitarists, causing a major surge in popularity for the company which had been impossible for other companies to ignore.In 1951, Ted McCarty, then-president of Gibson, along with his design team, began work on a new solid-body guitar in order to compete with Fender’s instruments. They then reached out to famous guitarist Les Paul about collaborating with Gibson on their new solid-body guitar design, intended to be an expensive, high-quality instrument on par with Gibson’s reputation as an upscale, luxury brand.A 1953 advertisement for the then-new Gibson Les Paul Model.Les Paul had been known to put together and tinker with guitars, the most famous example of which being “The Log,” a 1939 creation which was comprised of an Epiphone arch-top body which had been sawn in half, a Gibson neck, and a 4x4 plank of solid pine. It had been pitched to Gibson circa 1945, but the design was rejected.Later in 1951, Les Paul was presented with a prototype of this new guitar. Les Paul initially wanted the guitar to have a solid maple body with a mahogany cap; however this was rejected to keep the instrument at a lower weight. Also suggested by Les Paul was the iconic “gold top” finish, which he believed would emphasize the quality of the instrument.In 1952, the Gibson Les Paul Model was officially released. It featured a solid mahogany body with a maple cap, a mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard, two P-90 pickups, and a trapeze-style tailpiece. The guitar made its first public appearance during a June 1952 concert given by Les Paul in New York City.1958-1960 Les Paul Standard “Burst”A 1950's advertisement for the Les Paul Standard "Burst."During the latter half of the 1950s, the Les Paul lineup consisted of the Les Paul Junior, Les Paul TV Model, and Les Paul Special, considered “entry level” models, the Les Paul Model as the “standard” model, and the Les Paul Custom as the highest-quality “deluxe” model.However, sales of the Les Paul Model had been in a sharp decline since 1954, with less and less people purchasing the guitars. The Les Paul Model was upgraded to feature two humbucking pickups in 1957, but this was not enough.In 1958, the Les Paul Standard was introduced at that year’s Summer NAMM Show, now featuring a book-matched flamed maple top in a cherry sunburst finish.Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones with his 1959 Gibson Les Paul.These models were not initially popular, and were discontinued after 1960 in favor of a lighter, differently-designed model, which was rebranded as the SG after 1963 due to the deal between Les Paul and Gibson coming to an end.However, a while after they were discontinued, they began to find popularity as famous guitarists the likes of Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page began using the Les Paul Standard as their guitar of choice.The 1958-60 Les Paul Standard has since become one of the most popular, sought-after guitars in the world, with examples of the instruments reaching prices of $400,000 USD and more, as only around 1,700 of these guitars ended up being made. It is unknown how many intact instruments are extant today, though it is believed to be in the hundreds.DesignA double-cutaway Les Paul Standard. (Image courtesy of Reverb)The most well known, recognizable design of the Gibson Les Paul is a single-cutaway, carved top model with a sunburst or “gold top” finish and two humbucking pickups. Different designs have been produced, including the Les Paul Junior, the Les Paul Special, and the double-cutaway versions of both aforementioned guitars. In addition, a double-cutaway variation of the Les Paul Standard was produced in some form from the years of 1998 to 2006.A typical wiring diagram for a Les Paul. (Image courtesy of Lindy Fralin Pickups)The most common wiring style of a Gibson Les Paul consists of two volume and two tone controls, two for each pickup, and a three-way toggle switch, while a plate on the back can be unscrewed to provide access to the wiring. Typically, the control knobs themselves on a Les Paul are constructed from plastic material. The jack plate, a square plastic piece that covers the output jack, is normally located on the lower bout of the guitar’s body, near the knobs on the right hand side.The carved top is a separate piece from the rest of the body. Typically, Gibson will use a maple top on a mahogany body. Depending on which model is being produced, there is either binding running along the front edge of the body, binding running along both the front edge and back edge of the body, binding only on the neck, or no binding whatsoever.A 1976 Gibson Les Paul Custom, showing off binding on the front and back edges of the guitar. (Image courtesy of Guitar Gallery)Currently, Gibson offers a mounted pickguard on nearly all of their Les Paul offerings, with the 2024-present Gibson Les Paul Supreme being one exception. When one is included, they are teardrop shaped, and are held in place with a screw at the top-right of the guitar, near the end of the fretboard, and a screwed-on bracket near the middle of the guitar for extra support.A typical Tune-O-Matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece. (Image courtesy of Amazon/Musiclily)The bridge of a Les Paul is usually a Tune-O-Matic bridge with a stopbar tailpiece. The strings are threaded through holes at the bottom of the stopbar tailpiece, and are placed in the slots of the Tune-O-Matic bridge before traveling up the fretboard to be threaded into the tuning posts at the headstock of the guitar.PAF pickups as seen in a 1959 Les Paul. (Image courtesy of Geartalk.com)The earliest Les Paul models featured two P-90 single coil pickups, which were eventually replaced with a pair of PAF (Patent Applied For) humbuckers. The PAF humbucking design was created by Seth Lover in 1955, and is one of the most popular and sought-after guitar pickups ever, and many varieties of the design, including reproductions, are still used to this day.Some production Les Pauls fit a third humbucker between the original two. The pickup selector is usually located on the top left side of the guitar, next to the fretboard.The Les Paul’s neck typically features a rosewood fretboard with twenty two frets, a mahogany neck, and trapezoid shaped inlays. The neck is usually painted to match the back of the body. As with most Gibson instruments, the neck is glued into the body with a “set neck” design, rather than bolted on with a “bolt on” design.During the 2011-2012 model years, Gibson used baked maple instead of mahogany as a fretboard on several Les Pauls, due to difficulties sourcing rosewood. As of 2013, the rosewood fretboard had returned, and rosewood is still used to this day on new Gibson guitars.A 1972 Les Paul Custom's headstock angle. (Image courtesy of Guitar Gallery)The famous Gibson "split diamond" headstock logo.The headstock is typically ebony black with 3 tuners on each side of it, being the same style used for the Gibson SG, and the company’s hollow-body models. The truss rod cavity is covered up by a truss rod cover, and etched on top of the cover is the model line the guitar belongs to, such as the Les Paul Standard, Les Paul Custom, Les Paul Classic, and Les Paul Junior. Custom Shop Les Pauls have the famous “split diamond” inlay on the headstock. Like all of Gibson’s guitar models, the Les Paul’s headstock is angled at seventeen degrees.Finishes/ColorsA 1994 Les Paul bearing a sunburst finish. (Image courtesy of Reverb)The finishes available for a Les Paul are very unique when compared to Gibson’s SG or finishes offered by Fender. Whereas the SG or Stratocaster usually use one color, or a plain sunburst, the Les Paul often has sunbursts of different colors and intensity. Heritage Cherry Sunburst is among the most popular of Les Paul finishes, after several famous guitarists such as Jimmy Page and Slash utilized guitars bearing this finish. When a single, solid color is used for a Les Paul, it tends to be ebony black, alpine white, or some form of transparent color. Natural wood finishes have also been offered over the years.Famous UsersJimmy Page of Led ZeppelinSlash of Guns N' RosesPaul McCartneyJeff BeckEric ClaptonAlex Lifeson of RushLes PaulZakk Wylde of Black Label Society
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