Gibson Les Paul Custom Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1955), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 5-9035, black lacquer finish, mahogany body and neck, ebony fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is a seriously cool 1955 Les Paul Custom, showing really not much wear for 70 years on Earth with some nice case candy to boot. The Custom was Gibson's top-of-the-line solid-body throughout the 1950s, a shining "Black Beauty" with gold-plated hardware and deluxe appointments drawn from the company's flagship archtops. This model was introduced in 1954 with direct input from Les Paul himself as to what he wanted for his personal instruments. Gibson delivered, and Les and Mary Ford performed for the rest of the 1950s on (modified) Customs. This example was made in 1955, the first full production year and appears not too much used since.
The gleaming black finish was Les' idea -- he called it a "tuxedo effect" believing it made the player's hands stand out on black & white TV. Beyond this the Custom has several other unique features. The carved-top solid body is made entirely of mahogany; unlike the Standard model it has no maple cap. This was NOT Les' specification, and while he later claimed Gibson had "screwed it up," this does give the Custom a slightly warmer, airier natural sound with a less sharp top end which Gibson thought might appeal to jazz artists.
All the appointments are high-end; the fretboard is ebony with pearl block inlay and the elaborate split diamond motif on the headstock came from the Super 400, Gibson's most expensive guitar. There is multiple binding in the body and headstock and all hardware is gold-plated. Another feature specific to the Custom was thin, low and flat "Fretless Wonder" fretwire, again Les' personal preference. Unlike most 1950s survivors this Custom has not been refretted and retains the original wire in fully playable condition. This one also has a slimmer neck profile than some with a bit more dress-away on the lower sides making for a very sleek feel.
The Custom featured Gibson's then-new adjustable Tune-O-Matic bridge, mated to the stud-mounted stop tailpiece unit that had previously served as the bridge on the Standard and Junior. It was the only solidbody to carry the new high-end "Alnico V" staple-magnet pickup, again likely with input from Les himself. This is essentially Gibson's take on a DeArmond DynaSonic, which is what Les mounted in the neck position of in his personal Standard in 1953-4. Combined with the more typical P-90 in the bridge position, this crisp and powerful pickup gives the Custom a wide tonal range unique among Gibson solid-bodies.
In 1957 the Les Paul Custom was altered to feature three of the new Humbucking pickups, and the unique Alnico V/P-90 pickup mix was lost. Only around 1,000 of these first generation Customs were sold between late 1954 and mid-1957, 355 of them in 1955. Several well-known players made extensive use of them at the time including R&B/Jazz specialist Mickey Baker and Bill Haley's Comets' guitarist Frannie Beecher. Jazz master Jim Hall used one for a time in the 1950s with Chico Hamilton.
This superbly well preserved Custom looks like it was put away early on, seemingly coming down to us straight from the 1950s. This fabulous example is still of one of the classiest and sharpest looking solid-body guitars ever designed and a unique sounding one as well.
Overall length is 39 5/8 in. (100.6 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 in. (5.1 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 is a beautifully original guitar overall, showing some light wear but nothing tragic for 70+ years on the planet, really looking not much played in over many years. The only alteration is a driver's license number etched into the upper back just below the heel; this could be filled in and finished over but is part of the guitars history now. The all-original ebony finish is thinner than later examples, still shiny with hardly any checking and some fairly minor scratches, dents and dings scattered around. The back of the body has a small areas of belt-buckle worming into but not through the lacquer. The face has only a few tiny dinks and dents.
The back of the neck has some odd shallow dents lightly into the wood running down the sides behind the 5th to 14th fret areas on both sides; heavier in the upper register. It's hard to say how these occurred; perhaps a strap repeatedly stored in the case? Only one has broken through the finish (11th fret area, treble side) the rest are just dents to finished wood. These are feelable when playing but not too distracting. On the headstock rear there is an old music store sticker, adding a bit of history that the guitar was originally sold in Dallas, TX. The inked-on gold serial number is bold and perfectly legible; there are a couple of tiny chips to the back edge of the headstock.
The hardware remains original and complete, even the fragile laminated plastic jackplate is undamaged. There is typical wear to the gold plating overall as usual most heavily on the ends of the bridge and top of the stop tailpiece where it is largely worn away. The electronics all appear completely original including the pickups, switch, pots, wiring and caps. There is some very light wear to the pickup covers and minor scuffing to the pickguard.
The original frets are intact; these are Gibson's 1950s standard "Fretless Wonder" style and very low and flat; they show some light wear but play as well as they ever did. The ebony fingerboard has some very divots between the G and B strings, the bone nut remains original. This is simply a lovely example of a 1950s Les Paul Custom, lightly used but not abused with only minor scars to show for it. Both pickups have plenty of sing and the instrument offers a very powerful sound both clean and cranked. It comes in the original yellow lined pebble-grained black case, lightly worn with the fabulous original hang tag reading "Les Paul Custom Fretless Wonder" and the envelope with the small screwdriver provided for Tune-O-Matic adjustment. This is a simply stellar Black Beauty, super clean to look at but just worn enough to play without fear. Overall Excellent Condition.
