Gibson Les Paul Model Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1954), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 4-0379, gold lacquer top, natural back and sides finish, mahogany body with maple cap, mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, period brown hard shell case.

This is a beautifully weathered original example of one of Gibson's most important guitars, the early gold-topped Les Paul Model. This one dates to the beginning of 1954 and is the second major variation of this all-time classic solid-body, with the much more player-friendly stop tailpiece replacing the earlier "Les Paul" trapeze the model was introduced with. Les Paul himself was very unhappy with the initial models, constructed so the strings wrapped UNDER the bar of the trapeze unit instead of over it as intended. Gibson president Ted McCarty personally designed the stud-mounted bridge/tailpiece unit used here that both corrected that problem and eliminated the trapeze altogether.

Other features of this 1954 model include the bound rosewood fingerboard with pearloid trapezoid inlays, twin P-90 pickups under shallow-depth cream plastic covers with center-mount screws and Kluson Deluxe tuners with keystone-shaped buttons. In an idiosyncratic touch, the pearl Gibson logo is set lower down on the headstock than later '50s models. Another oddity on this guitar is the plastic used for the pickup covers which has a slight swirl pattern in the cream color. This is specific to guitars from this 1953-4 period, and sometimes also seen on early ES-295 archtops.

From the first full year of Gibson's improved "stoptail" Les Paul, this is a MUCH more player-friendly guitar than the 1952 or '53 models with the strings mounted under the trapeze bar. This one has a particularly good neck angle with plenty of room for bridge adjustment, which is not always the case. This is a fine example of these revolutionary guitars which arguably established the Les Paul as the "other" prime contender in the new solidbody market and Fender's greatest competition. Just over 1,500 of these instruments were sold in 1954, and while this one has seen some solid play time and has a couple of replaced electronics components it has no major alteration or repair.

The first solidbodies with the class of a Gibson, these guitars convinced many players to lay down their electrified arch-tops and enter the new world of higher volume. Later developments of the Les Paul line included the upscale Custom, down-market Special and Junior, and reworked Standard in gold and sunburst but this is the guitar that started it all. To this day many players feel these pre-Tune-O-Matic, P-90 Les Pauls are as flat-out bad-ass a solidbody guitar as has ever been made.

Overall length is 39 in. (99.1 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 15/16 in. (4.9 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.)., 8.78 lbs.

This 72 year old Les Paul remains an excellent player; great sounding, super vibey and original except for the pickup selector switch, one capacitor, the nut and a repro cream plastic jackplate, all restorable parts. The switch is an older Switchcraft part but not the EXACT correct model for this guitar; it originally had a longer shaft which has been milled down somewhat but still makes the original amber tip sit just a bit high. The waxy "Grey Tiger" tone cap on the neck pickup is original; the cap on the treble side is a period paper-wrapped piece but not a Gibson standard part. Both of these changes appear to have been done decades ago, likely when the guitar was fairly new. The rest of the rig: pickups, pots and wiring remain original, the cream plastic jackplate is a repro but the fragile original is preserved in the case. Someone added a small bit of silicone to the lead pickup cavity to raise and/or damp vibration in the pickup; we have added a bit of foam underneath to allow it to be raised closer to the strings for more output but this can be reversed if desired.

The original gold-topped finish is somewhat worn but unaltered with no overspray anywhere; it shows less checking than many but has faded and darkened a bit with a collection of dings, dents and scrapes overall. There are two larger edge chips through the top finish to the wood and/or undercoat, one on the upper edge of the top and one along the bottom edge but very little greening across the top edge of the gold lacquer, where heavier loss often occurs. The upper side above this scrape has a heavy wear spot as well. The back of the neck is cleaner than many with only some small dings and dents; the headstock has some typical chipping and the "Les Paul" stencil has aged and darkened.

The hardware is correct and intact except as noted above including the tuners, pickups, pickguard, tailpiece, knobs, strap buttons; the nickel plating has some typical wear. There is an odd spot on the top under the pickguard where a small amount of wood was carved out to allow the guard bracket to sit lower; we have not seen this before but it is not noticeable with the guard mounted. The original narrow frets have been crowned down a bit and show some light subsequent wear; there is some light wear to the rosewood fingerboard. The bone nut is an older replacement. At well under 9 Lbs. this guitar is lighter than some with a truly inspiring feel and a really superb sound. When all-time classic solidbodies are discussed, these gold top 1953-56 Les Pauls are always in the mix. This one is worn in just right with a killer vibe. It is housed in an original period "Cali Girl" brown case with the odd longer upper bout area that is more often seen with '55 and '56 Les Pauls. This is also worn but still solid, and some original paperwork is in the pocket along with an old 1960s Gibson string set. Overall Very Good + Condition.