2003 NOS Gibson Les Paul Custom

This one of a kind 23-year-old Les Paul Custom is in its original new condition, as when I purchased it from Wray's House of Music in Lemoyne, PA 22 years ago. When the guitar left the store, it was detuned and stored in its original case in a modern atmospherically controlled environment. Nothing has ever been added or removed from this guitar. There are no scratches or separations on the guitar or hardshell case. The Gibson inspection card is included inside the case storage compartment along with the truss rod adjustment tool.

 The 2003 Gibson Les Paul Custom is a highly sought-after instrument from Gibson's "Good Wood" era, renowned for its build quality and premium materials. These guitars typically feature an all-mahogany body with a two-piece carved maple top, a solid ebony fretboard with mother-of-pearl block inlays, and gold-plated hardware. While the very first Gibson Les Paul Customs in the 1950s featured all-mahogany bodies, by 2003, standard production Customs returned to the traditional maple/mahogany combination for a brighter, more articulate attack. I have made every attempt to photograph all the various angles to showcase the beauty of this guitar. This would be an excellent collector's guitar.

Our friends at Gibson did drill one extra screw hole under the truss rod cover, which I show in the photos. When I was taking the photos, I did notice a very small finish check to the left of the serial number on the back of the headstock. It’s so small it barely shows up in the close-up photo that I took.

Serial Number: 00433450

Manufacturing Date: February 12th, 2003

Manufacturing Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Color: Wine red

Body: Solid mahogany paired with a two-piece carved maple top. The top and bottom are bound with a 7-ply white and black binding. Unlike lower-tier Les Paul models that only have binding on the top of the body, the Les Paul Custom is famously known for its "tuxedo" appointments, which include this matching 7-ply binding on both the front and back of the mahogany body.

Finish: Gloss nitrocellulose lacquer

Pickguard: 5-ply black and white

Pickups: 498T Alnico V (bridge), 490R Alnico II (neck)

Knobs: Original Gibson black speed knobs

Potentiometers: Manufactured by CTS for Gibson, Volume 300k Linear, Tone 500k Audio Taper, Capacitors: 0.022ⴏF

Scale Length: 24.75” (629 mm)

Fretboard: Solid ebony adorned with mother-of-pearl block inlays and a single-ply white binding

Fretboard Radius: 12”

Frets: 22, nickel-silver alloy medium jumbo frets

String Type: Original Gibson Brite Wires (nickel-wrapped steel)

String Gauge: .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046 (.010–.046 regular set)

Headstock: Bound with a 5-ply white and black binding with the iconic split-diamond pearl inlay

Tuners: Gold-plated Grover Rotomatic keystone 18:1

Bridge/Tailpiece: Manufactured by Schaller for Gibson Tune-O-Matic (TOM) bridge and OEM stopbar tailpiece

Nut Width: 1.6875 inches, 42.8 mm

Nut Material: Corian

Neck: One-piece mahogany set neck

Neck Profile: Rounded medium 'C' shape

Neck Thickness:

1st fret .858 inches, 21.79 mm

12th fret 1.002 inches, 25.46 mm

Neck Width:

1st fret width 1.751 inches, 44.48 mm

12th fret width 2.088 inches, 53.04 mm

Case: Original black Gibson USA hardshell with dark gray lining

Weight: 10 lbs. 15 oz

Best Practices for Severe Environmental Swings: If you receive this guitar during a period of extreme heat or cold, the delivery truck temperature and humidity can fluctuate rapidly during the day, causing wood to expand or contract and glue joints to soften.

Please Do Not Open Immediately: Let the box sit unopened in your house for at least 12 to 24 hours. This gives the box, the case, and the wood core time to reach ambient indoor temperatures slowly.

Expedited Shipping: I will make every effort to have the carrier deliver this guitar to you in a timely matter to avoid as little exposure to environmental changes as possible.