A very rare and limited edition Gibson Les Paul for someone who wants a truly unique Gibson!

2018 Gibson Les Paul Standard HP-II Limited Edition – Translucent Ebony – Bare Knuckle Ragnarok Pickups – Original Gibson Case

Up for sale is my 2018 Gibson Les Paul Standard HP-II Limited Edition in Translucent Ebony. This is one of the less commonly seen finishes from the short-lived HP-II series and has a really nice dark AAA figured maple top that changes quite a bit depending on the lighting.

The guitar has been played and shows normal cosmetic wear, primarily scratching/buckle rash on the back along with a few smaller marks from use. I’ve tried to photograph the condition clearly rather than hide anything. The front and figured top still present very well, and there are no known breaks or structural repairs.

Bare Knuckle Ragnarok Pickup Upgrade

The original Gibson pickups have been replaced with a Bare Knuckle Pickups Ragnarok neck and bridge set.

The Ragnaroks are high-output ceramic humbuckers designed around a tight, focused low end, aggressive mids, smooth high end and excellent note definition. They work particularly well for modern rock and metal, but they’re considerably more versatile than the output level might suggest.

• Ragnarok Bridge: Ceramic magnet, approximately 19 kΩ DC resistance
• Ragnarok Neck: Ceramic magnet, approximately 15.8 kΩ DC resistance

Because the HP-II uses an unusual Gibson pickup mounting arrangement, installing a conventional replacement humbucker isn't quite as straightforward as it is on a normal Les Paul. To fit the Ragnaroks correctly, the mounting/baseplate hardware from the original Gibson pickups was transferred to the Bare Knuckle pickups.

In other words, the actual pickups are Bare Knuckle Ragnaroks; the original Gibson mounting hardware was retained so the pickups integrate cleanly with the HP-II's factory mounting system. It makes for a clean installation without altering the guitar simply to accommodate conventional pickup mounting.

About the HP-II

The Les Paul Standard HP-II was Gibson's High Performance version of the Les Paul Standard for the 2018 model year. It combines the traditional Les Paul mahogany/maple construction with several features aimed at modern playability and versatility.

This Translucent Ebony Limited Edition version was offered in limited availability and originally carried an advertised price of $3,629.

Gibson Factory Specifications

Body

• Les Paul single-cutaway design
• Mahogany body
• AAA figured carved maple top
• Ultra-Modern / chambered weight relief
• Sculpted belly contour
• Fast-access neck heel
• Gloss nitrocellulose finish
• Translucent Ebony finish
• Made in USA

Neck

• Mahogany set neck
• Asymmetrical SlimTaper profile
• 24.75" scale length
• 1.745" / 44.32 mm soloist-width nut
• Adjustable titanium zero-fret nut
• 22 medium-jumbo frets
• 12" fingerboard radius
• Richlite fingerboard
• Trapezoid inlays
• Fast-access sculpted heel

Hardware

• Aluminum Tune-O-Matic bridge
• Titanium bridge saddles
• Aluminum stopbar tailpiece
• Grover locking kidney-button tuners
• Chrome hardware
• Chrome push/pull control knobs
• Heavy-duty/aviation-style 3-way pickup selector

Factory Electronics

• Originally supplied with Gibson Rhythm Pro neck and Lead Pro+ bridge humbuckers
• 2 volume controls
• 2 tone controls
• Four push/pull controls
• Internal DIP-switch configurable electronics
• Factory system designed to provide a large range of pickup voicing, coil and wiring combinations

Current Pickups

• Bare Knuckle Ragnarok neck humbucker
• Bare Knuckle Ragnarok bridge humbucker
• Ceramic magnets
• High-output passive design
• Original Gibson pickup mounting/baseplate hardware adapted to the Ragnarok pickups for proper HP-II fitment

Included

The guitar includes the original Gibson premium hardshell/composite case shown in the photos, along with the Gibson paperwork and accessories pictured.

Condition

I would describe the guitar as Very Good condition overall.

There is visible play wear and scratching on the back of the body, including buckle rash, plus some smaller cosmetic marks consistent with a guitar that has actually been used. The wear is shown in the photos. The figured Translucent Ebony top remains very attractive and presents much cleaner than the back.

This isn't being represented as a mint collector-piece guitar. It is a relatively uncommon HP-II in a great finish that has been played, upgraded with a high-end Bare Knuckle pickup set, and is ready to be used.

Please take a close look through the photos for the cosmetic condition. I'm happy to answer reasonable questions about the guitar before purchase.