Gibson Les Paul Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1955)
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Item # 12164
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Gibson Les Paul Model Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1955), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 5-3595, gold lacquer top, natural back and sides finish, mahogany body with maple cap, mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original brown hard shell case.
OK, you want a REAL relic? One that has been authentically played in the real world for decades, not aged with sandpaper and chisels to an approximation of "vintage authenticity?" Well here it is. This is a VERY well-used but largely original example of one of Gibson's most important guitars: the original gold-top Les Paul Model. This veteran of decades in the gigging trenches is epically worn but an extremely fine playing and simply magical sounding guitar.
This original "Les Paul Model" dates to early/mid 1955 and is the second major variation of this all-time classic solid-body, with the much more player-friendly stop tailpiece replacing the earlier "Les Paul" trapeze. Les Paul himself was unhappy with the initial models, constructed so the strings wrapped UNDER the bar of the unit instead of over it as intended. Gibson president Ted McCarty personally designed the stud-mounted bridge/tailpiece unit used here that corrected that problem and eliminated the trapeze altogether.
The top is finished in gold lacquer, the back and sides natural mahogany. The round-backed neck profile is not as deep or rounded as some later models, with more material dressed away along the sides. The bound rosewood fingerboard has pearloid trapezoid inlays. The twin P-90 pickups reside under cream plastic covers with center-mount screws. The headstock reads "Les Paul Model" and carries Kluson Deluxe tuners with keystone-shaped buttons. In an idiosyncratic touch, the pearl Gibson logo is set lower down on the headstock than later '50s models.
From the second year of Gibson's improved "stoptail" Les Paul, this is a MUCH more player-friendly guitar than the 1952 or '53 models with the strings mounted under the trapeze bar. This version arguably fully established the Les Paul as the "other" prime contender in the new solidbody market and Fender's greatest competition. Still only 862 of these sold in 1954, a serious drop from the year before and signal the model was losing sales to the newer Custom and Special variants, and possibly the new fender Stratocaster as well.
The first solid-bodies with the class of a Gibson, these guitars convinced many players to lay down their electrified arch-tops and enter the new world of higher volume. Later developments of the Les Paul line included the upscale Custom, down-market Special and Junior, and reworked Standard in gold and sunburst, but this is the guitar that started it all. To this day many players feel these stud-bridge, P-90 Les Pauls are as flat-out bad-ass a solidbody guitar as has ever been made. One or more users certainly played this one for keeps along the way!
Overall length is 39 in. (99.1 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 15/16 in. (4.9 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This nearly 70 year old Les Paul remains in mostly original condition, showing a LOT wear but no major alterations and carefully restored only as needed to make it sing again. The finish remains completely original with no overspray anywhere. It shows heavy checking, with an epic collection of dings, dents and scrapes, worn into the lacquer in many places. The gold top has heavy lateral checking, with some flaking and greening mostly across the arm wear edge but still less of this typical wear than some. There is a deep scrape across the lower top, with a strip of binding replaced on the lower edge adjacent to some heavy dings well into the wood.
The back and sides show heavy wear with wood rubbed off the edges and a couple of ancient tape marks on the lower back. The back of the neck is well worn through to the wood with numerous light dings and dents, but only one deeper scrape on the treble side behind the first fret. The headstock has a LOT of wear, especially to the edges with a huge chip knocked off the upper bass side corner and similar smaller one off the treble. This looks to have happened half a century or more ago as the wood is heavily oxidized. The screened-on Les Paul logo is heavily worn but visible. Amazingly somehow the neck never got broken or even cracked! The original tuners were remounted (and they ARE the originals; the same owner put them on another guitar!) with visible pressure rings remaining on the headstock face.
Most of the other hardware is original or at least correct including the pickups, bridge, strap buttons, pickguard and bracket. The original neck pickup was removed at one point and there was something else there, but the rout was not enlarged. There is a row of odd small screw holes across the bottom of the cavity, but we are not sure what someone was attempting. When the guitar came to us the disconnected original pickup was held in place by ancient tape, which was carefully removed leaving some light scarring to the face. The bridge pickup is original; some solder joints have been redone. Three of the pots and the large wax bass pickup tone cap are original, the treble pickup volume pot and small green tone cap appear to be 1970s vintage. The cream plastic jackplate is (unsurprisingly) a repro. There is no Rhythm/Treble ring on the switch, but the amber tip remains original.
The neck has some patched binding, and the fingerboard has been trued (with some light residual divoting) and refretted with appropriate wire, not quite as thin as the original. The bone nut appears original. The guitar is superbly playable with a really singing sound, even when not plugged in! When all-time classic solidbodies are discussed, gold top 1953-6 Les Pauls are always in the mix. This one is simply an amazing survivor, worn honestly over countless gigs. Many guitars this heavily used were refinished, broken or re-worked along the way, but this one remained (mostly) in its original state, then sat frozen for decades in the "under the bed" stash of a former pro player. Amazingly it is housed in an original period pink-lined Lifton brown case that shows some epic wear (and an old repainting) but is still solid and functional with some cool vintage stickering. Relics do not come any "realer" than this, truly a classic guitar with "played in soul"! Overall Very Good + Condition.
OK, you want a REAL relic? One that has been authentically played in the real world for decades, not aged with sandpaper and chisels to an approximation of "vintage authenticity?" Well here it is. This is a VERY well-used but largely original example of one of Gibson's most important guitars: the original gold-top Les Paul Model. This veteran of decades in the gigging trenches is epically worn but an extremely fine playing and simply magical sounding guitar.
This original "Les Paul Model" dates to early/mid 1955 and is the second major variation of this all-time classic solid-body, with the much more player-friendly stop tailpiece replacing the earlier "Les Paul" trapeze. Les Paul himself was unhappy with the initial models, constructed so the strings wrapped UNDER the bar of the unit instead of over it as intended. Gibson president Ted McCarty personally designed the stud-mounted bridge/tailpiece unit used here that corrected that problem and eliminated the trapeze altogether.
The top is finished in gold lacquer, the back and sides natural mahogany. The round-backed neck profile is not as deep or rounded as some later models, with more material dressed away along the sides. The bound rosewood fingerboard has pearloid trapezoid inlays. The twin P-90 pickups reside under cream plastic covers with center-mount screws. The headstock reads "Les Paul Model" and carries Kluson Deluxe tuners with keystone-shaped buttons. In an idiosyncratic touch, the pearl Gibson logo is set lower down on the headstock than later '50s models.
From the second year of Gibson's improved "stoptail" Les Paul, this is a MUCH more player-friendly guitar than the 1952 or '53 models with the strings mounted under the trapeze bar. This version arguably fully established the Les Paul as the "other" prime contender in the new solidbody market and Fender's greatest competition. Still only 862 of these sold in 1954, a serious drop from the year before and signal the model was losing sales to the newer Custom and Special variants, and possibly the new fender Stratocaster as well.
The first solid-bodies with the class of a Gibson, these guitars convinced many players to lay down their electrified arch-tops and enter the new world of higher volume. Later developments of the Les Paul line included the upscale Custom, down-market Special and Junior, and reworked Standard in gold and sunburst, but this is the guitar that started it all. To this day many players feel these stud-bridge, P-90 Les Pauls are as flat-out bad-ass a solidbody guitar as has ever been made. One or more users certainly played this one for keeps along the way!
Overall length is 39 in. (99.1 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 15/16 in. (4.9 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This nearly 70 year old Les Paul remains in mostly original condition, showing a LOT wear but no major alterations and carefully restored only as needed to make it sing again. The finish remains completely original with no overspray anywhere. It shows heavy checking, with an epic collection of dings, dents and scrapes, worn into the lacquer in many places. The gold top has heavy lateral checking, with some flaking and greening mostly across the arm wear edge but still less of this typical wear than some. There is a deep scrape across the lower top, with a strip of binding replaced on the lower edge adjacent to some heavy dings well into the wood.
The back and sides show heavy wear with wood rubbed off the edges and a couple of ancient tape marks on the lower back. The back of the neck is well worn through to the wood with numerous light dings and dents, but only one deeper scrape on the treble side behind the first fret. The headstock has a LOT of wear, especially to the edges with a huge chip knocked off the upper bass side corner and similar smaller one off the treble. This looks to have happened half a century or more ago as the wood is heavily oxidized. The screened-on Les Paul logo is heavily worn but visible. Amazingly somehow the neck never got broken or even cracked! The original tuners were remounted (and they ARE the originals; the same owner put them on another guitar!) with visible pressure rings remaining on the headstock face.
Most of the other hardware is original or at least correct including the pickups, bridge, strap buttons, pickguard and bracket. The original neck pickup was removed at one point and there was something else there, but the rout was not enlarged. There is a row of odd small screw holes across the bottom of the cavity, but we are not sure what someone was attempting. When the guitar came to us the disconnected original pickup was held in place by ancient tape, which was carefully removed leaving some light scarring to the face. The bridge pickup is original; some solder joints have been redone. Three of the pots and the large wax bass pickup tone cap are original, the treble pickup volume pot and small green tone cap appear to be 1970s vintage. The cream plastic jackplate is (unsurprisingly) a repro. There is no Rhythm/Treble ring on the switch, but the amber tip remains original.
The neck has some patched binding, and the fingerboard has been trued (with some light residual divoting) and refretted with appropriate wire, not quite as thin as the original. The bone nut appears original. The guitar is superbly playable with a really singing sound, even when not plugged in! When all-time classic solidbodies are discussed, gold top 1953-6 Les Pauls are always in the mix. This one is simply an amazing survivor, worn honestly over countless gigs. Many guitars this heavily used were refinished, broken or re-worked along the way, but this one remained (mostly) in its original state, then sat frozen for decades in the "under the bed" stash of a former pro player. Amazingly it is housed in an original period pink-lined Lifton brown case that shows some epic wear (and an old repainting) but is still solid and functional with some cool vintage stickering. Relics do not come any "realer" than this, truly a classic guitar with "played in soul"! Overall Very Good + Condition.