Gibson Les Paul Junior 3/4 Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1958), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 8-1892, sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, original brown alligator grain chipboard case.
This is a truly superb example of one of Gibson's more obscure "golden era" creations -- the 3/4 version of the classic single-cutaway 1950s Les Paul Junior. This short scale model was intended primarily for younger novice players; at the time the now-revered Junior was marketed as a student model! It proved only middlingly successful in the 1950s, at least partially because the company's catalogs hardly mentioned a 3/4 option. It was first made in 1956; all of 181 of these shipped in 1958 compared to over 2400 full-scale Juniors. The total of 3/4 Juniors built was well under 500 before the model was altered to a double cutaway in 1959. The 3/4 option was not extended into the SG line of the 1960s, but was offered for a while on the budget Melody Maker series.
The shorter 22 1/2" scale neck is not overly conspicuous, as everything else is the same as the standard Junior. The body and hardware are identical on both models. This makes the guitar exceptionally handy, but the fingering is tighter than the full-size model especially on the upper part of the fingerboard. The balance of the guitar is only slightly different from the standard long-neck Junior, skewed a bit to the body side and in some ways more comfortable.
Like the standard Junior, the 3/4 model features a solid slab-sided single-cutaway mahogany body with a yellow/brown sunburst top and deep mahogany back and sides. The simple pickup rig is also the same as all Juniors with one "dogear" P-90 pickup at the bridge position with a tone and volume knob. The electronics rig includes the now-cherished "bumblebee" tone capacitor.
This fairly rare 3/4 Les Paul Junior makes for an interesting variation on one of the all-time classic rock guitars, perhaps not to every players taste (particularly if you have large hands!) but still a very fine-playing instrument on the whole and a delight for smaller hands. As with all Juniors it offers up a rip-roaring tone when cranked and a sweet midrangey bark at lower volume.
Overall length is 37 in. (94 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 11/16 in. (4.3 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 22 1/2 in. (572 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a superb example overall, quite clean and 100% original with no repair or heavy wear, just some small dings and scuffs to the finish. The top retains a nice hue to the sunburst center showing very little fade to the yellow lacquer. There are some typical small dings around the headstock edges, and some scuffing to the back and sides. The original frets show only very light wear; whoever originally got this in 1958 simply did not play it that much. The D string tuner shaft is a bit bent but still fully functional.
Despite its shorter scale, this is a fine-playing and sounding guitar with an equally monstrous tone to its full-scale sister, especially if the string gauge is ramped up a bit. The short neck and narrower nut trade some lost room on the fingerboard for an even greater string-bending opportunity, courtesy of the lower tension. While perhaps one of the more eccentric feeling of 1950's Gibson solid bodies this is still a product of the company's greatest era. The original alligator-grain chipboard case is included in surprisingly serviceable condition, a neat package from Kalamazoo's heyday. Excellent + Condition.
