I bought the guitar brand new in Feb. 1953 in Hot Springs, Arkansas at Biles Music Company. I am the original and only owner and the only player of the instrument. Serial #31581
The Bigsby tremolo was installed in place of the (original) trapeze tailpiece. I added that and the Humbucking pickups P90s in the early 1960's.
It is the original neck and there was a slight crack near the nut because I had left it tuned to standard all these years and this has been professionally repaired. It has not been dropped or broken. The gold top has been professionally refinished.
This is a player's dream customized guitar! It's in excellent playable condition. It's just too heavy for my shoulder now. I played this guitar for years professionally and have cherished it. I want it to go to a good home where someone will enjoy playing it as much as I have over the years. I am still playing now but only the piano.
I had to stand up and play a four-hour gig in high/spike heals and it was hard to step on the reverb and vibrato foot switches so there are toggle switches to turn on/off anything you want to use with your right thumb.
The case is the original case but I painted the outside black.
The Gibson Les Paul Standard stands as one of the most widely played and universally recognizable guitars ever. First marketed as the Les Paul model in 1952, the Les Paul evolved throughout the '50s until the design was replaced by the SG in late 1960. Up until 1958, the Les Paul sported a gold finish, and guitars from this era are collectively referred to as Goldtops. Goldtop Les Pauls are extremely prized by collectors, and each year showcases the major innovations made by Gibson throughout the decade.
Years of Production: 1955 - 1960 (switched to SG body), 1969 - present
Unique to this Year: First year of Les Paul production. In 1952, model uses flimsy trapezoid tailpiece and shallow neck angle which causes stability and playability issues. For this reason, '52 Goldtops are rarely collected to actually be played.
Body Style: Single cutaway solidbody
Wood Composition: Mahogany body, Maple top, Mahogany neck, Rosewood fingerboard
Design Elements: Two single-coil P90 pickups, trapezoid inlays, Kluson deluxe tuners, four control knobs, white pickguard, bound fingerboard, trapeze tailpiece
Finish Specifications: All standard Les Pauls from before 1958 have a gold finish. Some early examples also have gold finishing on the back of the neck and body.
Notable Les Paul Players: Jimmy Page, Slash, Neil Young, Alex Lifeson, Pete Townshend
