2026 Gibson Custom Shop Mick Ronson 1968 Les Paul Custom – Collector's Edition | Limited to 100 Worldwide | Murphy Lab Aged | Serial MR018 | Mint | COA, Replica Strap, Custom Case

The Guitar

Gibson Custom built 100 of these. This is number MR018.

The Mick Ronson 1968 Les Paul Custom Collector's Edition recreates one of the most recognizable guitars in rock: the Custom Ronson stripped down to bare wood on the top, played through a fixed wah, fuzz and echo, and welded permanently into the visual identity of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. If you know the guitar, you know it on sight. Black body and back, natural stripped top, gold hardware gone dull with use.

Gibson Custom and the Murphy Lab did not approximate that. They recreated it, down to the specific wear patterns Ronson put into the original over years of touring and recording. The Ebony and Antique Natural finish with Murphy Lab aging is the whole point of this instrument, and it is the reason a run of 100 sold the way it did.

Underneath the aging is a properly spec'd 1968 Custom. One piece mahogany body with a two piece plain maple cap, multi-ply binding on the top, back and headstock. Solid mahogany neck carved to the Authentic '68 Medium C profile with a nylon nut and a 1 11/16" width. Bound ebony fingerboard with mother of pearl block inlays and 22 frets.

The electronics are where this gets interesting. Two unpotted, aged '68 Custom humbuckers with Alnico 2 magnets, run uncovered with double black bobbins, which is exactly the configuration behind that cutting, aggressive midrange Ronson was known for. Unpotted is a deliberate choice and it matters: it gives you the responsiveness and the edge-of-feedback behavior that a wax potted pickup smooths out. Hand wired harness, CTS 500k audio taper pots, Black Beauty capacitors.

And then the knobs, which are the detail that tells you how seriously Gibson took this. They are deliberately mismatched, reproducing what was actually on Ronson's guitar rather than what looks tidy in a catalog photo: gold top hats on the volumes, black witch hats on the tones, gold reflectors and dial pointers. Nobody does that by accident.

Aged gold hardware throughout, an ABR-1 bridge, a heavily worn stop bar tailpiece, and Grover Rotomatics with milk bottle buttons.

Condition: Mint

Used, but in mint condition, or at least as mint as any Murphy Lab aged guitar can be. There is no wear on it beyond the aging Gibson Custom put there deliberately, and all case candy and documentation is present and accounted for.

Additional photos are always available on request, and we're happy to answer any question before you buy.

What's Included

This is a Collector's Edition and it comes complete:

∙ Custom case with a reproduction of Mick Ronson's signature on the exterior

∙ Certificate of Authenticity booklet with his reproduced signature on the cover

∙ Replica strap

∙ All factory documentation

Who Is This For?

This is for the Bowie collector, the Ronson devotee, or the Les Paul Custom player who wants a Murphy Lab instrument with a real story behind the wear rather than generic relicing. A run of 100 from Gibson Custom is genuinely small, and Artist Collector's Edition guitars at this level tend to disappear into collections and stay there.

It is also, separate from all of the history, an exceptional guitar. Unpotted Alnico 2 humbuckers in a properly aged '68 Custom is a combination with real teeth, and the Murphy Lab work means it feels broken in the moment you pick it up instead of five years from now.

Mint condition, complete with all documentation and case candy.

Additional photos available on request, just send a message.

Specifications

∙ Year: 2026

∙ Model: Gibson Custom Shop Mick Ronson 1968 Les Paul Custom, Artist Collector's Edition

∙ Serial Number: MR018

∙ Country of Origin: USA (Gibson Custom Shop and Murphy Lab, Nashville, Tennessee)

∙ Finish: Ebony and Antique Natural, Murphy Lab aged

∙ Edition Size: Limited to 100 instruments worldwide

∙ Body: One piece mahogany with two piece plain maple cap; multi-ply binding on top, back and headstock

∙ Neck: Solid mahogany, set neck, nylon nut

∙ Neck Profile: Authentic '68 Medium C

∙ Fingerboard: Ebony, single-ply binding, mother of pearl block inlays

∙ Frets: 22, medium jumbo

∙ Nut Width: 1 11/16"

∙ Scale Length: 24.75"

∙ Pickups: Two unpotted, aged '68 Custom humbuckers, Alnico 2 magnets, uncovered, double black bobbins

∙ Electronics: Two volume, two tone, three-way toggle; CTS 500k audio taper pots; hand wired harness with Black Beauty capacitors

∙ Knobs: Deliberately mismatched per Ronson's original: gold top hat volumes, black witch hat tones, gold reflectors, dial pointers

∙ Bridge: ABR-1

∙ Tailpiece: Stop bar, heavily aged

∙ Tuners: Grover Rotomatic with milk bottle buttons

∙ Hardware Finish: Aged gold

∙ Condition: Used, mint

∙ Included: Certificate of Authenticity booklet with reproduced Mick Ronson signature, replica strap, all factory documentation

∙ Case: Custom case with reproduction Mick Ronson signature on the exterior

Shipping

Local pickup in Snohomish, Washington is always welcome. All instruments shipped by KanaLei Guitars are shipped using Reverb's Safe Shipping option, so your purchase is protected from the moment it leaves our hands to the moment it arrives at yours.