Gibson Les Paul Junior Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1959), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 927335, cherry lacquer finish, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This is a nice original 1959 double cutaway Les Paul Junior, the very cool if short lived stepping stone between the original slab-bodied single-cut 1950s design and the elegantly sculpted SGs of the 1960s. This Junior was made around the end of 1959; the 6-digit serial number means all 5-digit possibilities had already been used. It has the typical '59 chunky round-backed neck profile, a bit less meaty perhaps with a hair more dressed away on the sides compared to some from earlier in the year.
The charry-finished body is the thick slab-o-mahogany 1950's construction, the neck joins at the 22nd fret making the entire fingerboard accessible. The Junior as always mounts a single "dogear" P-90 pickup by the bridge, a tone and volume knob, the classic Gibson stop tailpiece/bridge unit and not much else! A single-layer tortoise celluloid pickguard and a silkscreen logo on the headstock complete the cosmetic trim.
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 at CBGB's and Max's back in the '70s), these double cutaway Juniors are a classic of the bare-bones genre. This great sounding Junior has seen some use but no abuse over the past 60 years and is now looking for a new loving home!
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 Junior shows a modicum of fairly light of cosmetic wear, but unlike many has no headstock or heel breaks and an excellent neck angle to boot. The cherry lacquer finish has faded somewhat over much of the guitar, most heavily (as usual) on the front. The lacquer shows typical checking and numerous small small dings, dents and scrapes, mostly on the back and sides. There are no large areas of finish loss. The rear top edge of the headstock is a bit worn down into the wood.
The pickup and wiring are original and unaltered including the now-coveted "Bumblebee" tone cap. All hardware is original including the Kluson strip tuners, tailpiece and studs, pickguard, black numbered knobs even down to the strap buttons and oft-broken black plastic output jack plate. The guitar has been refretted with wire just a bit larger than the original; these are more conducive to the hard rock style playing these guitars excel at and have plenty of life left in them.
The instrument is housed in a modern hardshell case; we'd have to assume the original chipboard gave up the ghost some time ago. This old Junior is in perfect playing condition and just oozes vibe, as cool as it gets even before you plug it in. Excellent - Condition.
