I am offering here a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Cherry Sunburst from 1973, the still manufactured in Kalamazoo, Michigan (USA), Deluxe version of the Gibson Les Paul from the Norlin era featuring a solid mahogany body without weight relief (weighing just 4.05kg total!), three-piece maple top, set three-piece mahogany neck with medium-wide “C” neck profile and 42.9mm nut width, bound rosewood fingerboard with classic trapezoid mother-of-pearl inlays, two warm sounding Gibson Mini Humbucker pickups as well as Gibson Deluxe Keystone tuners in a brilliant Cherry Sunburst nitrocellulose high-gloss finish with single-ply cream bindings and pickguard in excellent original condition, including the original Gibson hardshell case and a professional setup with 10-gauge Elixir strings.

After the Les Paul enjoyed only moderate sales success in its early years in the 1950s, Gibson made a second attempt in 1969 to market the Les Paul—this time offering a choice between P-90 singlecoil pickups (Les Paul Standard Goldtop) or, alternatively, two mini humbuckers (Les Paul Deluxe). With its warm tone and pronounced harmonic response, the Gibson Les Paul Deluxe offered an intriguing concept that contributed significantly to the Les Paul’s resurgence in the 1970s.

This fantastic 1973 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, still crafted at the Kalamazoo factory, combines the typical features of Gibson Les Paul models from the Norlin era. The instrument features a three-piece maple top over a two-piece mahogany body without weight reduction and has a set, three-piece mahogany neck. Added to this is the extremely attractive, high-quality rosewood fingerboard, whose dark colour harmonizes perfectly with the Cherry Sunburst nitrocellulose lacquer finish. The guitar already resonates superbly acoustically; the sustain is legendary, and the guitar feels and plays like a true vintage instrument.

Plugged in, the two original Gibson mini humbuckers deliver the right tones for virtually any musical genre between blues and rock: powerful double-coil sounds in the finest PAF tradition, offering a lively response with a brilliant high-frequency range. Thanks to their nuanced dynamic response, the mini humbuckers also react perfectly to your playing style, ensuring that every riff and lick is brought to life with expression.

A sound sample of this model can be found above at the end of the photo gallery.

The medium-width “C” neck profile fits comfortably in the hand, and together with the 42.9mm-wide nut and the 628mm scale length, it results in exceptionally smooth playability.

Visually, the beautifully aged Cherry Sunburst Nitro finish, with its subtle vintage patina, complements the shiny chrome hardware and the cream-colored bindings and plastic parts exceptionally well. The natural wear on the body’s finish bears witness to the decades of love and passion with which it was played, yet it remains in excellent condition for a guitar that’s over five decades old.

Technical Specifications:

• Origin: Nashville, TN, USA
• Year of Manufacture: 1973
• Body: Solid mahogany (no weight relief)
• Top: 3-piece arched solid maple top
• Neck: 3-piece mahogany neck, set-in
• Neck Profile: “C”
• Fingerboard: One-piece rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid mother-of-pearl inlays, bound
• Fingerboard radius: 12''
• Frets: 22
• Nut width: 42.9mm
• Headstock: Black Face with mother-of-pearl logo inlay
• Pickups: 2x Gibson Mini Humbuckers
• Electronics: 3-way switch, 2x volume and 2x tone controls
• Tuners: Gibson Deluxe Keystone tuners
• Bridge: Gibson Tune-o-Matic
• Stoptail: Gibson Stopbar
• Hardware: Chrome
• Body binding: Cream, 1-ply
• Pickguard: Cream, 1-ply
• Finish: High-gloss Cherry Sunburst, nitrocellulose
• Scale length: 628mm
• Weight: 4.05kg
• Serial No.: 128167
• Includes original black Gibson hardshell case (with visible wear)

These Norlin-era Gibson Les Paul Deluxe guitars from the 1970s are now extremely rare.

This guitar is in excellent, completely unmodified original condition and is in perfect working order. Visually, there is some age-related superficial wear, which results to an authentic vintage patina (see photos). The original frets are still in top condition.

The instrument has been professionally set up with 10-46 Elixir Optiweb strings, and I (a longtime guitar teacher) will ship it fully insured with DHL for €49.99 within Germany or for €119.99 within the EU. Worldwide shipping is available—individual shipping costs upon request.

All images shown are of the actual instrument for sale.