Gibson Les Paul Custom Model Solid Body Electric Guitar, c. 1971, made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, sunburst lacquer finish, mahogany body with maple cap, laminated mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This very attractive early-70's Les Paul Custom sports an unusually Fender-like finish for Gibson, a dramatic dark-red-yellow sunburst that give it a very distinctive look compared to the earlier all-black livery. This style Custom came to the fore around 1970, with typical period features including a 'sandwich' laminated mahogany body with a maple cap, 3-piece laminated mahogany neck with "Made in USA" stamp and a volute, an ebony fingerboard, "Patent #" humbucking pickups and Kluson sealfast tuners with metal buttons.
Inconsistencies in this era's production and serial numbers make these guitars hard to date exactly, but the visible pot dates in this one are from 1971, as are the old-style capacitors. The Schaller-made tune-o-matic bridge and black "speed" knobs are slightly later '70's parts, but appear to have been on this guitar for a very long time-the bridge in particular has a lot of visible wear. This striking sunburst Custom is a very classy guitar at home in any musical world from jazz to metal, with a powerful tone ranging from thick to biting. A cool looking, playing and sounding 40-year old Les Paul with an excellent vibe!
Overall length is 39 1/4 in. (99.7 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.)., 9.5 lbs. This guitar has been well played but also well cared for- there is general play wear overall, some fairly heavy checking to the top but no serious finish loss or repairs. One fairly large chip is missing on the rear headstock edge on the treble side. The gold plating is heavily worn in spots, with corrosion to the metal underneath on the bridge and tailpiece. The jackplate is a replacement (the damaged original is in the case) and the jack itself appears to have been re-spliced at some point-the other electronics appear intact and unaltered. Appears to have had an older refret, the frets have a smooth crown are still in very good condition. A fine player with quite a powerful sound, includes a battered form-fit purple lined OHSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.
