Gibson 1954 '54 Les Paul Custom Pre-Historic Reissue 1992 Black Beauty

For sale is a really nice example of a Gibson ‘54 LP Custom RI from their “good wood” era. It has a bigsby installed with a vibramate plate, so it can be restored back to factory stop tail if desired (though I don’t have the tailpiece). Overall, it is in very good shape, with minimal marks and some slight impressions from playing, but considering it’s nearly 30 years old it looks very good. The black finish makes it rather difficult to capture these slight impressions. I listed the guitar as “good” because we all can have different ideas of condition and what that means, but I would say that’s objectively a pretty conservative evaluation of its condition. The only significant ding is at the top of the back of the headstock which is through the finish and shows a bit of the mahogany. The finish is applied thinly and just looks like a beautiful inky black color. The guitar has a nice top carve as well, with a pretty pronounced belly.

This guitar has the infamous staple pickup in the neck position and it sounds amazing. It’s really the standout feature of one of these Customs. The bridge p90 has a really interesting tone, that almost sounds like a slightly cocked wah. Kinda dark and unique. Awesome jazz tones to be had out of this guitar. I haven’t had another electric guitar that gets these tones, overall it really excels at clean tones and is really special.

I don’t own a proper scale, but I will say it is in the heavier side as the bigsby/vibramate adds some extra weight. Definitely north of 10 lbs., so this is one that is ideal for sitting and playing. Slim neck on this one, very comfy to play. Frets are in good shape with pretty minimal wear and plenty of life. These are not like the “fretless wonder” type frets but rather are a taller profile and will be more preferable to most. The guitar sports a nice dark ebony fretboard.

These pre-historic reissues differ a bit in specs from the more modern recreations. The slim neck, taller frets and short neck tenon make up some of these differences. This one also has Grover tuners that work and feel great. While the pre-historic specs may not be quite exactly what an original ‘54 would have featured, this guitar comes in at a considerably lower price point where new ones are selling for north of $6-7k.

The guitar has its original case in good shape, but does have some small tears and scuffs. The case shroud is in good shape. This guitar predates the custom shop, so no CoA from this era.

I will send more pics upon request. Serious inquiries only. Thanks for looking and please ask any questions!