Gibson Les Paul Junior Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1958), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 7312, cherry lacquer finish, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This lovely example of an original late 1958 double-cutaway Les Paul Junior has an odd minor anomaly we have seen documented but never had an example of in the shop before. The serial number on the back of the headstock is in the ink-stamped, date encoded series Gibson used on solidbodies in the 1950s, but the first digit (the one that signifies the year of manufacture) is not present. This is rare but known phenomenon, specific to the very earliest double-cutaway Les Paul Juniors and Specials made just after the transition to the double-cut body style in a 7XXX-8XXX number grouping.
This particular cherry Junior was made right around the end of 1958; the 4-digit serial number is specific to the short period right at that time! The first "modernized" version of Gibson's perennial student solidbody is a very cool if fairly short lived stepping stone between the original slab-bodied single-cutaway 1950s design and the elegantly sculpted cherry SGs of the 1960s. This new version was introduced in mid-late 1958 and phased out in early 1961, with several subtle evolutionary steps along the way. The original pots are dated to the 41st week of 1958.
The body is the thick slab-o-mahogany 1950's construction with less rounded edges than later examples, dressed in a beautiful unfaded deep cherry color, a brand new finish for Gibson at the time. This Junior as always mounts the most basic of Gibson hardware: a single "dogear" P-90 pickup by the bridge, tone and volume knobs, the one-piece Gibson stop tailpiece/bridge unit and not much else! A single-layer tortoise celluloid pickguard and the silkscreen logos on the headstock complete the cosmetic trim.
The neck joins the body at the 22nd fret making the entire fingerboard accessible, Gibson's new selling point at the time. It has the typical '58 round-backed neck profile, slimmer than many '59s with a bit more dressed away on the sides compared to some. The unbound, dot inlaid rosewood fingerboard carries the larger frets Gibson started using around this time, perfect for the heavy-bending rock guitar styles still in the future in 1958. the tuners are Kluson Deluxe strips.
The Junior in any form is one of the all-time classic rock guitars, with a roaring tone when cranked that can be dialed back to a sweet midrangey bark at lower volume. An old "New Yawk" favorite (these were inevitable sightings plugged into Marshalls at CBGB's and Max's back in the '70s), these double cutaway Juniors are a true classic of the bare-bones genre. This beautiful, great playing and sounding Junior has not seen too much use over the past 65+ years and survived unbroken and unbowed, still ready to go rocking along!
Overall length is 39 in. (99.1 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 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 quite a clean guitar overall, a really nice example with only one minor alteration: somebody (probably long ago) wrapped the P-90 coil in copper foil under the cover in a largely vain attempt to tame the pickup's characteristic hum. This does not affect the pickup's function in any practical way, but we have left it in place to avoid possible damage to the delicate coil windings if it were removed.
Apart from this the guitar remains all original with no cracks or breaks (neck heel and headstock damage are very common on these) and just very light wear from use over the last 65 years. The deep cherry finish has some fade on the top (noticeable when the pickguard is removed) but only tiny dents and scuffs with no really notable wear. The back of the neck is also very clean with a few tiny dents and no finish worn away.
All hardware is original and complete (even the tuners and buttons) and apart from the added shielding the pickup and wiring remain original. The original frets and fingerboard show hardly wear and playability remains excellent. With the rip-roaring sound these are well-celebrated for. This is simply a really nice double cutaway Junior, housed in a good quality modern HSC. Overall Excellent Condition.
