Les Paul electric guitars. How do you tell a real Gibson Les Paul from a fake one? Reasons to choose a Les Paul guitar

Gibson Guitars Les Paul V last years have become an icon in rock music, they inspire young people not only with their great sound, but also with the names of the guitarists who play them. What is worth only the name of the Les Paul, Jimmy Page, Gary Moore and many other guitarists. Unfortunately, the price of even the cheapest models goes off scale for a critical amount for many amateur guitarists and not only. But the market does not stand still, and if there is demand, then there will be offers.

Let's take a look today at 5 Gibson Les Paul alternatives that guitarists have on the market.

No, of course you can try it on various online auctions, but firstly, it will be a used tool (although who said it’s bad?), secondly, this tool will have to be bought from photos on the Internet, yet not everyone can do this make up your mind.

Schecter Solo-6 Classic Guitar

The Schector Solo-6 Standard features the same single-cutaway mahogany body as Gibson's classic Les Paul, 24-3/4″ scale, 22 fret mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard. The Schector Ultra Access neck attachment system makes it easy to play in all positions on the neck. The bridge is made in the spirit of Tune-O-Matic. Duncan Designed HB humbuckers at the bridge and P-100s at the neck, the pickups produce a fairly similar sound to older Les Pauls. The fittings are chrome-plated, the pegs are from Schector.

Approximate price $900.

Tokai Love Rock LS90Q Electric Guitar

Tokai guitars, when they first appeared on the Russian market, made a lot of noise, especially after the enthusiastic exclamations of the owners of the instruments of this brand on various guitar forums. Rumor has it that it was for the high quality and cheap price that one of the American guitar manufacturers sued Tokai Guitars. This protected the North American market from Tokai for a while, but now guitars are experiencing a rebirth and simply flooded stores in Europe and America, although there are still problems with them in Russia, especially in the outback.

Tokai LS90Q is made in Korea. The body is made from a single piece of mahogany with a maple top, the neck is also made from a single piece of mahogany. The instrument has great sustain, just like you would expect from a real Les Paul. For such a price approximately $1100) is a great alternative to Gibson.

Washburn Idol WI 18

The Washburn WI 18 guitar is part of the Washburn Idol Series, which has received numerous awards from guitar magazines. The tool is one of the most affordable of all on this list. The guitar also has a single cutaway body, but the shape has moved a bit away from the classic Les Paul. The wide body made it possible to make it thinner in order to avoid problems with the instrument's balance. The WI 18 has a mahogany body with a maple top, a glued-in mahogany neck, and just like the Schector, it's easy to get to the upper frets. The fingerboard is made of rosewood, the pickups are humbuckers from Washburn, the bridge is Tune-O-Matic.

Approximate price $450.

Yamaha AES620

The Yamaha AES620 is probably the most visually different guitar on this list. The guitar was chosen number one in Guitar Player magazine's "Editor's Pick" nominations (Editor's Choice), as well as in Guitar One magazine's "One" nomination. The AES620 sounds very tight, they sound very punchy, the solo sound is very similar to a classic Les Paul. The bridge with the strings through the body of the guitar, gives a sufficient level of sustain. No wonder Frank Gambale chose this instrument as starting point for his signature Yamaha model.

Approximate price $470

Epiphone Limited Edition 1959 Les Paul Standard

Les Pauls from Epiphone are rightfully considered one of the best instruments as an alternative to the older Gibson brothers. Who better than Gibson (and Epiphone is a division of Gibson) can best copy their own designs. The Epiphone Limited Edition 1959 Les Paul Standard is a replica of the 1959 guitars. The appearance is exactly like the instruments of the 50s, including the neck shape inherited from the same time. The body of the guitar is made of mahogany with a maple top. The top is made from AAA grade maple, which adds to the beauty of the instrument. The guitar is equipped with Gibson USA BurstBucker pickups that exactly replicate the sound of classic '59 pickups.

Approximate price $980.

Not to say that there are so few alternatives to the Les Paul on the market, there are hundreds of non-name instruments with insane fretboard inlays, but the list presented will allow you to evaluate the cost of instruments in this category. If you want the body and neck to be from one piece of wood, you will have to fork out, if there are no preferences on this matter, then you can save money.

1. History of the Gibson Les Paul

The Gibson Les Paul was released in 1952 in the United States of America, becoming the second solid body electric guitar in the world. Distinctive features The new model included a mahogany body and neck, which gives the instrument a deep bottom and tight mids, a thick, domed maple top that adds bright highs to the sound, and a glued neck-to-body connection that provides long sustain. Since the end of 1956, PAF humbuckers, designed by engineer Seth Laver and considered today as classic Les Paul sound, were installed on the instrument.

However, at the dawn of the era of guitar music, the Gibson Les Paul was not very popular, so in 1961 it was replaced by the ergonomic Gibson SG as a counterpart to the inexpensive Fender Stratocaster. A similar fate befell the futuristic Explorer and Flying V models, which were an innovation of the company's president Ted McCarthy and were far ahead of their time. The resumption of Les Paul production began only in 1968, and in 1974 the Gibson factory moved from Kalamazoo (Michigan) to Nashville (Tennessee), where the production of instruments continues to this day. The semi-acoustic guitar factory is located in Memphis, Tennessee and the acoustic guitar factory in Bozeman, Montana.

The entire chronology of Gibson Les Paul production can be conditionally divided into four eras:

1) 1952-1960 (golden time for the production of authentic guitars - the creation of solid-body instruments, the invention of PAF humbuckers, the appearance of sunburst colors, the use of a tune-o-matic bridge coupled with a stop bar tailpiece, reducing the neck thickness "58-"59-"60 s deep gluing into the body, the use of light Honduran mahogany and Brazilian rosewood);

2) 1968-1982 (resumption of production of guitars - experiments with gluing the neck and body from several pieces, using maple as the material of the neck and fretboard, reducing the depth of pasting the neck into the body, using a volute on the neck of the neck, opening a second factory in Nashville, which laid the beginning of competition with the Kalamazoo factory and the release of custom and innovative instruments The Les Paul, Artisan, 25/50 Anniversary, Artist, Custom Super 400, Spotlight);

3) 1983 - present (return to the production of guitars from solid pieces of mahogany, the gradual introduction of various perforations inside the body, diversification of the model range, the appearance of non-authentic Pre-Historic reissues, the closure of the plant in Kalamazoo);

4) 1993 - present (creation of the Gibson Custom, Art & Historic Division, regular release of limited editions of historical reissues, rare and anniversary versions, as well as signature models famous guitarists).

Gibson Les Paul guitars have been played by many legendary musicians and bands over the past half century: Les Paul, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons, Ace Frehley, Randy Rhoads, Zakk Wylde, Slash, Gary Moore, Vivian Campbell, Joe Perry, Richie Sambora, Guns n' Roses and others

2. Design features of the Gibson Les Paul

Consider the design features of the iconic musical instrument. Various varieties of mahogany (Honduran, Pacific) and corina are used as the body material. Pacific mahogany is distinguished by its light weight and lower overdrive sound, which adds depth to the guitar. In general, the difference in weight may be due to the use of rare types of wood, cutting the workpiece higher up the trunk, or other drying technology. Korina, in turn, has a pronounced middle and excellent resonance, providing the instrument with a density of accompaniment. The design of the body can be solid, perforated (with holes or samples of various geometries) or hollow.

The bulge top has a variable thickness of 6 - 18 mm and is made from maple with an artistic grain pattern. It is extremely rare that Hawaiian koa is used as the material, which gives the guitar the richest overtones and the best readability when playing solo, walnut or sequoia, which have the sharpest and sharpest sound, as well as mahogany, which provides the instrument with a very fat overdrive.

Due to the convex top and the use of the tune-o-matic bridge, the Les Paul neck is glued into the body at an angle of 4-5º, and the head is additionally tilted at an angle of 17º. As a result, the guitar's resonance improves and the attack becomes brighter, and the bridge pickup rises much higher than the neck. In addition, due to the inclination of the neck, it is more convenient for the guitarist to play while standing.

Gibson traditionally uses a thin nitrocellulose lacquer to finish guitars, allowing the wood to breathe and resonate to the maximum by eliminating the effect of shrinking wood. At the same time, the disadvantages of this coating is its low wear resistance, therefore, in order to avoid scratches, tools must be handled very carefully.

Rice. 1. "Angle of pasting the neck and tilt of the head"

In the period from 1969 to 1976, the body was a 4-layer "sandwich": the lower soundboard of mahogany - a thin layer of maple - the upper soundboard of mahogany - maple top (glued from 3 components).

Rice. 2. "The case in the form of a" sandwich "mahogany - maple - mahogany"

Around the same time, from 1969 to 1982, guitar necks were made from 3 longitudinal pieces of wood (not counting the “ears” of the headstock), and from 1970 to 1982, a volute was present on the neck of the neck. Between 1975 and 1982 maple was used for necks instead of mahogany, which is now found on signature models by Zakk Wylde and DJ Ashba. There is no fundamental difference in sound between maple and mahogany necks, except for a slightly sharper attack and readability and slightly less juicy overtones. The only exception is the 5-piece construction of maple-walnut or maple-ebony gluing, which was used for a limited time from 1978 to 1982 and provides the instrument with a voluminous bottom and a dense middle. Maple was an optional fingerboard material from 1975 to 1981.

Between 1952 and 1960, Les Paul necks featured a deep set-in body. After the resumption of production of the model in the interval from 1969 to 1975, the neck insert had an average depth, then became short. Currently, the Standard version, and then the Studio, again received a deep neck inset. In addition, Historic Reissue and Collector’s Choise reissues, which are made from lightweight mahogany, as well as a number of expensive and personalized versions (Elegant, Ultima, Carved Flame, Black Widow, Alex Lifeson, Zakk Wylde, etc.) have a deep inset.

Rice. 3. "Neck Bonding Depth"

Rice. 4. "Long and short neck"

Rice. 5. "Short and deep neck insertion"

Les Paul necks can be divided into medium '60, thick '59, and very thick '58 necks. Also, in the circle of collectors, the profile "57" is distinguished, to which all instruments of 1952-1957 are conditionally referred. If we compare the thickness of the neck at the 1st fret with other manufacturers, we can draw the following gradation: Gibson - 23/22/20 mm (" 58 / '59 / "60), Jackson - 20/18 mm (RR1 / RR3), Ibanez - 18/17 mm (USRG / SuperWizard). Based on statistics, approximately 60% of guitars have a "59 profile, 30% -" 58 (most versions of Custom) and only 10% - "60 (versions of Classic, 1960 Reissue, the latest Standard, etc.).

Rice. 6. "60, 59, 58 neck profiles"

Starting with the 2008 model year, the Standard version introduced an asymmetric profile geometry, where the rounding in the area of ​​thin strings has a smaller radius, providing comfort when placing the thumb. All Gibson necks are equipped with a compression (one-sided) truss rod for a ring wrench.

Rice. 7. "Symmetrical and asymmetrical neck profile"

Fretboards include classic African rosewood, Indian and Brazilian rosewood, granadillo, ebony, richlight and maple. African Rosewood is characterized by a fat sound with damped high frequencies. Indian rosewood has a sharp attack and high readability, while Brazilian rosewood has an additional pronounced upper middle and richer overtones. Granadillo is generally identical to the Indian rosewood. Ebony has a fat compressed sound and at the same time provides the instrument with a bright attack and excellent readability. Richlight is a pressed paper impregnated with phenolic resins, which has the sharpest and sharpest sound and surpasses ebony in this respect. Maple gives the guitar the fastest and most collected attack, coupled with excellent readability of whole chords and individual notes, but slightly less overtone richness.

The fretboard radius on most guitars is 12", which adds to the convenience of playing chords in the starting positions. The ends of the frets roll under the fretboard binding, being a hallmark of Gibson.

An important design feature of the guitar is that it has a shortened scale of 24.75” (629 mm). As a result, the strings are less taut in the same tuning than on standard 25.5” (648mm) scale instruments, resulting in a less harsh attack but more sustain. Therefore, Les Pauls require thicker string sets.

In addition, shortening the scale reduces the distance between the frets, making it easier to play complex figures with a large stretch of the fingers (in the spirit of Randy Rhoads). In particular, the distance between the nut and the 22nd fret on a 25.5" scale guitar is 463mm, and on a 24.75" scale guitar it is 447mm. Those. Les Paul necks are shorter by about 1.5 cm.

The stop bar holder fixes the strings and transmits their vibration to the body, and the tune-o-matic bridge allows you to set the height of the strings above the neck and adjust the scale. On vintage guitars, the tune-o-matic studs are screwed directly into the wood, while on modern instruments they are screwed into bushings. All Les Pauls are shipped from the factory with a slightly screwed tailpiece. After the stop bar is fully pushed into the body, the strings are pressed against the nut and the resonance of the guitar is improved. When doing braces, a 9-42 set feels identical to a 10-46.

Rice. 8. "Correct stop bar position"

PAF pickups were originally equipped with cupronickel caps to reduce hum. On modern Les Paul models, they are more of a tribute to history. In this case, the covers can be unsoldered and replaced with others, however, it is important to correctly determine the center distance of the adjustable magnetic conductors on the southern coil. For example, in 57" Classic and 490R probes it is 9.5 mm (49.2 mm covers are suitable: PRPC-010 - chrome, PRPC-020 - gold, PRPC-030 - nickel), and in 498T probes - 10, 3 mm (requires 52.4 mm caps: PRPC-015 - chrome, PRPC-025 - gold, PRPC-035 - nickel) It is not recommended to buy non-original pickup accessories, as they can reduce the useful signal.

Rice. 9. "Gibson 57" Classic pickup with cover removed"

Potentiometers on Gibson Les Pauls are often set to different values. Volume controls can have a resistance of 300 kOhm, and tone - 500 kOhm. After changing the Volume pots to 500K, the guitar sound becomes brighter due to less high cut. An additional advantage is the installation of push-pull regulators to cut off the coils in single mode. Keep in mind that as a result of the variable thickness of the maple top, the new potentiometers will only fit into the bottom holes of the deck.

Rice. 10. "Wiring diagram for Gibson sensors (4Conductor) with push-pull potentiometers for cutting coils to a single"

Having made a small digression, it should be said that push-pull are universal switches. They can be used both instead of volume potentiometers (the most popular), and instead of tone potentiometers, and also set separately (you will need to drill the guitar). They are suitable for switching the series / parallel coil connection in each pickup, switching in phase / out phase between two pickups, humbucker / single cutoff (at the same time, both 1 and 2 pickups can be connected to one potentiometer), as well as for choosing the cutoff coil south / north (if you put 2 switches on 1 sensor). Also, they can be used instead of a toggle switch. In general, any whim for your money!

The toggle switch in the standard switches 2 pickups according to the scheme B, B + N, N. In versions of the Les Paul with 3 pickups (Black Beauty, Artisan, Peter Frampton, Ace Frehley), the toggle switch has an additional contact, due to which switching is carried out according to the scheme B, B +M, N. However, this wiring was considered unsuccessful by most guitarists, so many acted as follows: the toggle was left for the classic switching between bridge and neck, and for the middle pickup they output their own volume and optional tone controls, as a result of which it became possible to connect it to any time regardless of the main pickups.

Rice. 11. "Toggle switch with additional contact"

For decades, Les Paul guitars have had solid bodies. However, since 1983, Gibson began to actively experiment with perforation inside the soundboard, as a result of which the instruments received a body with 9 asymmetrical holes for proper balancing and reducing the weight of the instrument.

The Elegant version, released in 1997, contained a completely empty body (the tree was preserved only in the central part for attaching the pickups and the bridge). Compared to solid-body counterparts, when playing acoustics, such an instrument sounds much brighter and louder, because thanks to the internal cavities, the wood resonates better. When overdriven, the guitars are virtually identical. But when playing solo, the difference becomes very noticeable - a solid-body guitar sounds fatter and more compressed, and a hollow one - more voluminous and airy. At the same time, it should be noted that a body with voids does not give any increase in sustain. Another distinctive feature of the Elegant version was the neck with a multi-radius fingerboard and deep gluing into the body, which was widely used until 1969, when the company changed ownership and the policy of reducing the cost of production began (Norlin period).

The Supreme version, which replaced the Elegant in 2003, contains fewer cavities. In fact, the guitar is glued together from 3 components: the upper and lower soundboards are made of maple, and the side and a specially left central section (backbone) are made of mahogany. Due to the maple body, the sound of the instrument differs significantly from the classic Les Paul sound - the guitar has completely removed the bottom, but the pick harmonics from any note (even into acoustics) sound very bright. Another distinguishing feature of the Supreme version is the absence of covers on the rear deck for access to electronics, which greatly complicates the possibility of changing the wiring diagram and replacing potentiometers. As a kind of compensation, the manufacturer left an enlarged hole on the shell under the jack plate.

Currently, the Standard version has separate samples within the corpus that are not interconnected. However, this reduces the weight of the guitar and makes it resonate better. The Standard version also followed suit. In addition, 9 holes are made in the Classic case, similar to the Custom version. The only guitar that retained a one-piece body is the Gibson Les Paul Traditional (of course, like all Historic Reissue and Collector's Choise reissues), although for some time it also had holes. In addition to the listed 5 types of internal cavities on serial instruments (incl. two versions of Standard - 2008 and 2012 model years) in the Custom Shop workshop, 2 more types of perforation are used to a limited extent - 17 holes and 17 cutouts, the description of which is contained in the corresponding section (versions Standard Custom Shop And carved flame).

Rice. 12. "Internal cavities of Les Paul versions"

Rice. 13. Gibson Les Paul Standard (2008-2011) and Custom/Classic Enclosures

Rice. 14. "X-Rays of Custom/Classic, Florentine/Elegant/Ultima/Black Widow and Supreme Cases"

3. Gibson Les Paul Lineup

To date, the Les Paul lineup is represented by the following guitars: Custom, Supreme, Standard, Traditional, Classic and Studio. In addition, signature models of famous guitarists (Gary Moore, Slash, Zakk Wylde, Ace Frehley, Alex Lifeson, DJ Ashba, etc.) and Collector's Choise with deep neck insets, lightweight mahogany, etc.), as well as narrow series (Government, Peace, LPJ, LPM, etc.).

It is important to note that the Les Paul Custom version and Gibson Custom Shop guitars are not identical. The former are mass-produced instruments with an ebony fingerboard instead of rosewood, while the latter are custom-made guitars made in a special workshop in small runs. Limited run. These include all reissues of Historic Reissue and Collector's Choise, limited editions of Florentine, Carved Flame, Black Widow and others, as well as signature models of famous guitarists, which will be discussed in the next section.

Gibson Les Paul Custom– holed mahogany/maple body, mahogany/ebony or richlight neck, mother-of-pearl diamond headstock with 5-ply binding, mother-of-pearl rectangle markers, top guard with 7-ply binding.

Gibson Les Paul Supreme– hollow body maple/mahogany/maple, neck mahogany/ebony or richlight, headstock planet with 5-ply binding, cut pearl rectangle markers (similar to 25/50 Anniversary and Custom Super 400 versions), 7-ply top binding, enlarged body and jack plate, lack of covers on the back deck.

Gibson Les Paul standard– body with voids (up to model year 2008 - with 9 asymmetrical holes, up to model year 2012 - hollow) - mahogany / maple, neck - mahogany / rosewood, thin neck profile, cut-off humbuckers. The Standard Premium and Standard Premium Plus specifications have a nicer maple top.

Gibson Les Paul traditional- one-piece body (a little earlier - with holes) - mahogany / maple, neck - mahogany / rosewood, cut-off humbuckers, protective panel on the top deck.

Gibson Les Paul classic– holed mahogany/maple body, mahogany/rosewood neck, lightweight wood, slim neck profile, exposed pickups, aged markers, top deck guard.

Gibson Les Paul Studio- body with voids - mahogany / maple, neck - mahogany / rosewood (less often granadillo or ebony), body and neck without edging. Older versions have a body with 9 asymmetrical holes, a guard on the top, the thickest neck in the line with dotted markers. The Studio Standard specification has body and neck bindings, Studio Custom has gold hardware, and Studio Pro Plus has a wavy maple pattern.

Rice. 15. "Gibson Les Paul lineup: Custom, Supreme, Standard, Traditional, Classic and Studio"

There are dozens of color combinations and shades that Gibson Les Pauls are painted in. The most popular of them are Cherry Sunburst, Honey Burst, Desert Burst, Tobacco Burst, Lemon Burst, Ice Tea, Ebony, Wine Red, Alpine White, Gold Top, etc.

Today, every guitarist has the opportunity to touch the instrument, which has become a symbol of rock music. However, inexperienced musicians should beware of Asian copies, many of which are sold under the guise of real guitars.

The distinguishing features of the original Gibson Les Paul from counterfeit copies are mainly in the neck technology. Real Les Pauls come with a 2-screw bell anchor cover, while many fake Les Pauls have a 3-screw bell. Original Les Pauls have the fret ends rolled up under the neck binding (binding), while most fakes have the nut on top of the fretboard (except when they have been changed). The Les Paul neck is glued at an angle to the body, and the head is tilted relative to the neck and is one with it. At the same time, the neck of the neck either does not have a stepped transition, or there is a volute on it (1970-1974 - mahogany, 1975-1982 - maple).

Rice. 16. "Trust cap and neck binding"

Rice. 17. "The neck of the neck is classic and with a volute"

Of course, the sound of seasoned species of expensive mahogany and ebony cannot be compared with Chinese, Korean and other imitations. Some "experts" arrange on the Internet comparative tests of American and Asian guitars, plugging them through cheap cords into digital processors connected to a home stereo system. Naturally, any instrument in such conditions will sound approximately the same. However, it is worth connecting a real guitar through the price of several thousand rubles per meter (Analysis Plus, Evidence Audio, Lava Cable, Monster, Van Den Hul, Vovox, Zaolla Silverline) to (Diezel VH4 / Herbert / Hagen, Custom Audio Amplifiers OD-100, Marshall JVM410H Mod, Earforce Two, Fortress Odin, etc.) at a concert volume (120-130 dB), how the difference in sound will become obvious even to a person uninitiated in musical matters. In other words, hobbyist equipment simply cannot unlock the potential of Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop level instruments.

4. Review Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop

1 Gibson Les Paul Custom

Gibson Les Paul Custom (1969)

The first version of the Les Paul Custom was released in 1954. Distinctive features of the instrument were an ebony fretboard, the absence of a maple top, instead of which a convex mahogany was made, and gold fittings. Thanks to black color the guitar was given the promotional name Black Beauty. Starting in 1957, PAF humbuckers were installed on the instrument.

Gibson Les Paul Custom (1971)

Since the model was relaunched in 1968, it had a maple top, but the neck insertion became medium (1969) and then short (1976). In the period from 1969 to 1982, guitar necks were glued from 3 longitudinal pieces of wood, while from 1975 to 1982 maple was used instead of mahogany, which was also offered as an option for fretboards in 1975-1981.

Gibson Les Paul Custom (1972)

At the same time, in the interval from 1969 to 1976, the body was a "sandwich" of 4 transverse pieces of mahogany-maple-mahogany-maple top (glued together from 3 components). Since 1983, the deck has been perforated in the form of 9 asymmetrical holes to ease the load and properly balance when playing while standing. The weight of Custom is 4 to 5 kg.

Gibson Les Paul Custom 20th Anniversary (1974)

In 1974, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the release of the Custom version, a series of Les Paul Custom 20th Anniversary guitars was announced, with a name marker on the 15th fret. In terms of design and sound, the instrument does not differ from its contemporaries, having a body in the form of a “sandwich” and a mahogany neck glued together from 3 pieces. However, starting next year, the neck material of all Les Pauls was changed to maple, so the 20th Anniversary represents a kind of boundary between two eras. Due to the collector's value, the cost of the guitar in the secondary market today reaches $5,000-10,000.

Gibson Les Paul Custom (1979)

Black, white and cherry red remained the traditional paint colors for Custom versions until the early 1990s, when the Plus and Premium Plus specifications appeared in various sunburst colors. Today in the secondary market you can find vintage Custom with a transparent top, which indicates that they were repainted by the previous owner. The maple pattern on such instruments, as a rule, is very inexpressive or completely absent.

Gibson Les Paul Custom (1980)

The sound of the Gibson Les Paul Custom is considered the standard among solo guitars - a fat compressed tone, rich overtones and a long sustain, coupled with a high readability of notes, make this instrument inaccessible to most existing models. At the same time, as a rhythm guitar, the Custom does not have any outstanding performance regardless of the material of the neck and body (except for the Black Beauty reissue). All produced instruments are equipped with a classic pair of pickups - 498T in the bridge and 490R in the neck.

Gibson Les Paul Custom (1997)

During the heyday of hard rock in the 70s and 80s of the last century, Gibson Les Paul Custom guitars were used as the main concert instrument by such famous guitarists as Ace Frehley, Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde.

Gibson Les Paul Custom (2006)

It is interesting to note that the production of the production version of the Custom was transferred to the Custom Shop workshop only in 2004, more than 10 years after its creation. Gibson currently produces four Custom reissues, the 1954 Reissue, 1957 Reissue, 1968 Reissue, and 1974 Reissue, with the design differences described above.

2 Gibson Les Paul Recording

Gibson Les Paul Recordings (1971-72)

The experimental Gibson Les Paul Recording was produced in small series between 1971 and 1979. Within 9 years, a little over 5,000 instruments were made. The starting price was $625. The predecessors of the guitar were the Personal and Professional versions that appeared in the late 60s. As conceived by Les Paul himself, unusual Recording was supposed to sound like Fender, Rickenbacker, Gretsch, and of course Gibson popular in the 50s with Soap Bar pickups.

Distinctive features of the Recording were a “sandwich” body with a mahogany top, a belly cut and no electronics covers on the lower deck, a three-piece mahogany neck with deep insertion, a volute and rhombuses on the head, a rosewood fingerboard with rectangular markers and a cut off 22nd fret, a non-standard bridge , as well as installed diagonally low-resistance pickups with a multifunctional tone block, including Volume, Decade, Treble and Bass pots, along with Hi / Lo Output, In / Out Phase and Tone 1/2/3 toggle switches for quickly changing the internal switching scheme. In 1976, instead of the Hi / Lo toggle switch, two separate sockets began to be made on the shell, the tone block knobs changed their location, and the toggle switch moved to its usual place.

When played on a clean channel, the Recording boasts a transparent and crisp sound, similar to modern cut-off humbuckers, with advanced signal EQ making it possible to get very interesting combinations and realizing Les Paul's own idea of ​​\u200b\u200ba universal instrument. In overdrive, thanks to the mahogany top, the guitar has a dense and sharp sound at the same time, however, due to weak pickups by today's standards, it is not able to fully reveal the potential inherent in wood. However, the readability of the stock pickups is excellent, and the background is absent even on high-gain.

All in all, the Les Paul Recording can be seen today as a clean-sounding, crunchy instrument ideal for vintage guitar lovers. In fact, it is a classic Gibson, but with different pickups and tone block. The body is made without cavities and holes. The neck has a deep inlay. The weight is 4.5 kg.

3Gibson Les Paul Artisan

Gibson Les Paul Artisan (1977)

The Gibson Les Paul Artisan was produced by the Kalamazoo factory between 1977 and 1982. With the advent of this guitar, the era of Gibson custom instruments began long before the opening of the Custom Shop division. A year later, the limited edition 25/50 Anniversary was announced, and two years later the world saw an innovative Artist with active electronics. To date, the possession of the big three rarities Artisan - Anniversary - Artist is a significant collectible value. At the time of production, the cost of the guitar was $1040.

The instrument's distinctive features are the fretboard and headstock inlays with flower petals and hearts, along with the vintage-inspired Gibson logo. It is important to note that during the release period, the design of the guitar underwent noticeable changes. Thus, the originally installed stop bar was replaced by a tailpiece with micro-tuning screws, the vintage bridge was replaced by a modern tune-o-matic, versions with two pickups appeared, the “sandwich” body became solid, and the volute disappeared from the neck of the neck. The neck is traditionally made of three pieces of maple with an ebony fingerboard and has a short inlay. The body does not contain cavities and holes. The mass of the tool is 4.7-5 kg.

In terms of overdrive sound, the Artisan surpasses the serial Custom and, similarly to the Anniversary and Artist versions, has a voluminous low end, dense mids and juicy overtones with a long sustain. Connecting the center pickup in the middle position of the toggle switch adds fatness to riffs, but reduces readability.

Taken together in the late 1970s against the backdrop of internal competition from Kalamazoo and Nashville, the groundbreaking Artisan, Anniversary and Artist represent the finest instruments from the golden era of the Les Paul until the historic Historic Reissues in 1993.

4 Gibson Les Paul 25/50 Anniversary

The 25/50 Anniversary series was produced in 1978-1979 at the Kalamazoo factory with a circulation of over 3500 copies. The guitars had their own numbering and were supplied by pre-order made no later than December 31, 1978. The set included a belt buckle with the brand logo of the series. The price of the instrument was $1200.

Gibson Les Paul 25/50 Anniversary (1979)

At the time of its release, the 25/50 version was an innovative step in guitar building and included innovations that became widespread in subsequent years - a neck glued from 5 pieces of maple-ebony or maple-walnut (not counting the “ears” of the headstock) with a fretboard made of ebony, adjustable tailpiece with micro-tuning screws, as well as an enlarged tone block with an additional toggle switch for cutting off coils for singles. Zero threshold and anchor bell were made of bronze. The body does not contain cavities and otvetstviya. The neck of the guitar has a short inlay. Weight 25/50 Anniversary is 4.5-5.1 kg.

The maple ebony neck Les Paul is one of the most powerful guitars of all produced versions of the legendary instrument. The classic Custom with mahogany and maple necks are noticeably inferior to the Anniversary in terms of accompaniment density. Thanks to the use of non-standard woods, the 25/50 version has a voluminous low end and fat mids, while retaining rich overtones and long sustain on solos. When playing with muted notes, the guitar is highly readable.

Unfortunately, Gibson did not use ebony or walnut inlays in the necks of other custom instruments (with the exception of the Les Paul Artist with active electronics that replaced the 1979-1982 Les Paul Artist in 1979-1982, the limited Custom Super 400, and Vivian Campbell's signature version in 2018 ), which makes 25/50 Anniversary very valuable not only for musicians, but also for collectors.

5 Gibson Les Paul artist

Gibson Les Paul Artist (1979)

The Gibson Les Paul Artist succeeded the 25/50 Anniversary and was produced at the Nashville factory between 1979 and 1982. Both guitars had a re-glued 5-piece maple neck with ebony stripes. Artist's design differences included a different inlay for the headstock and ebony fretboard, a belly cut on the bottom, a combination of 3 potentiometers and 3 switches, and the installation of two printed circuit boards of Moog active electronics into milled recesses in the body.

The release of the Artist version can be regarded as the answer of the Nashville factory to the innovative 25/50 Anniversary from Kalamazoo, released a year earlier, due to intra-corporate competition between the factories during their coexistence in 1974-1984. The price of the guitar was $1300.

In terms of overdrive sound, the described instruments are identical and have a voluminous bottom, dense mids and juicy overtones with a long sustain. The fully adjustable active electronics expand on traditional Les Paul performance and are innovative for their time. The body does not contain cavities and holes. The neck has a short insert. The weight of the Artist is 4.6-4.7 kg with printed circuit boards and 4.2-4.3 kg in case of dismantling the electronics.

6 Gibson Les Paul Florentine

Gibson Les Paul Custom Florentine Limited Run (1996)

The Gibson Les Paul Florentine has been produced in small batches since the founding of the Custom Shop in 1993 and is the forerunner of the Elegant, Ultima, Black Widow versions. All guitars are hollow-bodied with only the backbone remaining under the pickups and bridge. The structural differences of the Florentine are only the short neck set-in and the presence of f-cuts on the maple top in most specimens.

The Florentine and Elegant instruments are identical in sound and have good acoustic properties, as well as a more airy, but less compressed sound when playing solo. The hollow body has practically no effect on the density of the accompaniment and the magnitude of the sustain. The mass of Florentine is 3.7 kg.

7Gibson Les Paul Elegant

Gibson Les Paul Elegant (2004)

After expanding the Custom Shop in 1997, Gibson released an innovative version of the Elegant, which lasted until 2004. The instrument has a hollow body, a deep set neck, a multi-radius ebony fingerboard with natural mother-of-pearl markers and a thicker top binding, which is a rarity for Gibson. Between 1997 and 1999, a circular Custom Shop logo was emblazoned on the headstock above the truss bell. Weight Elegant is 3.7 kg.

8 Gibson Les Paul Ultima

Gibson Les Paul Ultima (2003)

In 1997, along with the Elegant version, the Custom Shop division introduced the world's most expensive mass-produced instrument in history, the Les Paul Ultima. The price of the guitar in stores was about $ 10,000. Structurally, these versions were identical and had a completely hollow body, but compared to the Elegant, the top-end Ultima contained a premium exterior finish. The fretboard inlay was offered in 4 versions - flame, tree of life, woman with harps and butterflies. The tailpiece was made in the form of a classic stop bar or a vintage bigsby. Body edging and knob handles unusual shape made from natural mother of pearl. There is a circular Custom Shop logo on the head. The neck of the guitar has a deep inlay. The mass of Ultima is 3.7 kg.

On overdrive, Ultima outperforms similar Elegant and Florentine, having a lower and sharper readable sound at the same time. At the same time, when playing solo, the instruments are generally similar and have a voluminous, but not as compressed sound in comparison with solid-body counterparts.

Due to low demand in the mid-2000s, the release of the guitar was transferred to pre-order mode, and a few years later it was finally discontinued. In the mid-2010s, Gibson re-released a limited edition version of the Ultima with a one-piece body, deep-set neck and classic natural colored mother-of-pearl diamond head inlays for $9,000. Currently, the previously produced Ultima are a significant collector's value, their cost in the secondary market reaches 6000-8000$.

9 Gibson Les Paul Supreme

Gibson Les Paul Supreme (2013)

The Supreme version, which appeared in 2003, does not formally belong to the Custom Shop, but is structurally very similar to the products it produces. The guitar has a hollow body divided into sections, which are glued similarly to an acoustic one - the top and bottom are made of maple, and the sides are made of mahogany. At the same time, there are no holes for replacing electronics on the back deck, which greatly complicates the possibility of upgrading through an enlarged hole under the jack plate. The neck has a short insert. The Supreme weighs 3.9 kg.

When playing riffs, the guitar is fundamentally different in sound from all Les Pauls - it has completely removed the bottom and lacks the density of the accompaniment, but there is a very bright upper middle and high frequencies that cut the ear. When playing solo, the difference is insignificant and consists in less juicy overtones and easily extractable picking harmonics. The instrument's sustain is comparable to other custom Les Paul versions.

Gibson Les Paul Supreme Limited Run (2007)

In 2007, the Les Paul Supreme was released in a limited edition of 400 pieces, featuring a larger volume of mahogany inside the body and a fretboard without mother-of-pearl markers. In terms of sound, the guitar is similar to the classical model, differing in slightly less accompaniment density, but with a pronounced upper middle, as well as a sharper and sharper attack. The Supreme Limited Run weighed 4.4 kg.

10 Gibson Les Paul Carved Flame

Gibson Les Paul Carved Flame Chameleon Limited Run (2003)

In 2003-2005, the Custom Shop branch released an innovative version of the Carved Flame in a limited edition. The maple top of the guitar has a milling in the form of flames, painted in chameleon colors. The case contains a unique perforation, including 17 rectangular cutouts of various sizes. The neck has a deep inlay. The weight of the Carved Flame is 3.8 kg.

Gibson Les Paul Carved Flame Natural Limited Run (2003)

Sound-wise, the Carved Flame is one of the best custom Les Pauls out there. Due to the presence of cavities, the guitar sounds bright and loud in acoustics. When played on overdrive, the instrument features a deep low end, fat and juicy overtones, a very fast and collected attack, coupled with a high readability of chords and individual notes. During the performance of the compositions, it seems that the guitar has pickups with ceramic magnets, and the fretboard is most likely made of granadillo.

In terms of the combination of characteristics, the Carved Flame surpasses most of the Custom Shop versions produced. Unfortunately, Gibson did not use this perforation on other custom guitars (apart from some Class 5s), which makes this instrument very valuable not only for musicians, but also for collectors.

11 Gibson Les Paul Black Widow

Gibson Les Paul Black Widow 1957 Chambered Reissue Limited Run (2009)

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the Custom Shop released the Widow Limited Run, which included the Black Widow, Blue Widow, Green Widow, Red Widow, Purple Widow, and Orange Widow collectible guitars. Structurally, Black Widow is similar to the Elegant version, but in terms of sound it is radically different from its prototype due to the use of lightweight mahogany. The neck has a deep inlay. The Black Widow weighs 3.4 kg.

Black Widow instruments were released in 2009 in a limited edition of 25 pieces and have their own serial numbers with a linear series abbreviation, as well as the brand name of the series in the form of a spider. In November 2015, during a visit to Moscow, the legendary Slash became the owner of one of the 25 exclusive guitars with serial number BW 009.

As a result of the use of lightweight wood, coupled with internal cavities, the Black Widow 1957 Reissue version turned out to be one of the lightest in the entire Les Paul line. When playing riffs, the instrument has a very low and tight overdrive, comparable to other reissues. At the same time, the guitar sound is dry on the solo, as if there are no internal cavities at all, and the reverb was completely removed on the amplifier. In general, Black Widow can be described as the exact opposite of the Supreme version.

12 Gibson Les Paul Korina

Gibson Les Paul Standard Korina Limited Run (2001)

In 1958, Gibson introduced three innovative corina models to the world - the Les Paul, the Explorer, and the Flying V. Compared to mahogany guitars, Gibson's main wood, the corina (white limb) body and neck give the instrument more midrange. In turn, the use of Indian or Brazilian rosewood provides the guitar with a sharp attack and high readability. This makes the Korina sound more aggressive than standard Les Pauls, but it doesn't always have the deep bottom end of the R9 and R0 reissues. On a solo, a little volume and airiness are added to the notes. At the same time, authentic pickups do not allow the instrument to reach its full potential when playing overdriven. On the collectible 1958 Reissue Korina, the neck has a deep inset. The body is made without cavities and holes. The mass of Korina is 3.8-4.2 kg.

Gibson Les Paul Standard Korina 1958 Reissue 40th Anniversary (1998)

The 1958 Reissue shown was produced in 1998 by the Custom Shop to original 1950s specifications. A decade later, Gibson again announced a series of reissues of Korina in honor of the semi-centennial anniversary of the legendary guitars. The price of the instrument in the secondary market reaches $10,000-15,000.

Unfortunately, despite the improved frequency characteristics and excellent resonance of wood, coupled with a small mass, korina is not widely used in guitar building due to its high cost caused by the exceptional growth of the rock in the tropics of West Africa, a small number of workpieces suitable for production and complex drying technology. As a result, the corina, positioned as a "super mahogany", remains for the most part the lot of premium guitars in the Custom Shop class.

13 Gibson Les Paul Koa

Gibson Les Paul Custom Koa Limited Run (2009)

As a result of replacing the maple top with a Hawaiian koa when playing solo, the guitar gained fantastic readability on the bridge pickup, coupled with very rich overtones and almost endless sustain on the neck. At the same time, when playing riffs, the instrument does not differ from traditional specimens. The neck has a short insert. The case contains perforation in the form of 9 asymmetrical holes. The mass of Koa is 4.1-4.4 kg.

The presented guitar was released in 2009 in a limited edition in the Custom Shop. Many subsequent reissues of Koa were made with internal cavities and do not have such a fat compressed sound. The price of the tool in the secondary market reaches $5,000-10,000.

Unfortunately, similar to the situation with white korina, the use of koa in guitar building is limited by its high cost associated with the growth of wood in the Hawaiian archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. Closest in sound to koa are Brazilian rosewood, cocobolo, granadillo and wenge, used on expensive Custom Shop class instruments.

14 Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom Shop

Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom Shop (1995)

From 1995-1997, the Custom Shop produced a limited edition Classic version with a mahogany top and Indian rosewood fretboard. In terms of sound, the guitar is as close as possible to the R9 and R0 reissues, having wall-beat lows, dense mids, very sharp highs, coupled with high readability, juicy overtones and almost endless sustain. The neck inlay is made of mother-of-pearl with a greenish tint. There are no protective covers on the pickups. The hardware is represented by vintage tuning pegs and an inverted bridge with studs without bushings. The body contains 9 asymmetrical holes. The neck has a short insert. The weight of the Classic Custom Shop is 3.7-3.9 kg.

15 Gibson Les Paul Standard Custom Shop

Gibson Les Paul Standard Custom Shop (2011)

In 2011, the Custom Shop branch released classic version Standard, painted in an unusual gray color with blue flames. Distinctive features of the instrument were the absence of protective covers on the pickups, coupled with chrome frames, cutoff of the neck pickup in series / parallel connection of coils, as well as the use of a lighter solid piece of mahogany as the body material (similar to the R8 reissue). The sound of the guitar is practically no different from the classic Standard. The body does not contain cavities and holes. The neck has a deep inlay. The Standard Custom Shop weighs 4.2 kg.

Gibson Les Paul Standard Limited Run (2002)

In 2002, the Custom Shop department released an unusual emerald-colored Standard with colored mother-of-pearl inlays with black trim. The neck has a deep set and "60" profile, the tuners, bridge and pots are made in vintage style, and the body contains a unique perforation in the form of 17 holes. The Standard Limited Run weighs 4 kg.

The sound of the guitar on overdrive is close to the R7-R8 reissues and is characterized by a fat middle, coupled with rich overtones, however, it does not have such a wall-beat low as in the R9-R0 versions.

16 Gibson Les Paul Standard 1960 Reissue

Gibson Les Paul Standard 1960 Reissue VOS 50th Anniversary (2010)

The 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard reissue differs from the 1959 reissue described below in neck thickness and body weight. Otherwise, the instruments are identical and, in comparison with modern versions, are characterized by a narrower headstock with vintage tuners and a logo, an inverted tune-o-matic bridge on support studs, the use of lightweight mahogany coupled with Indian rosewood, R0 inscription in the tone block, etc. The Historic differs from the Standard Historic in the use of the lightest woods, the installation of transparent potentiometer knobs, a slightly raised truss bell and a golden Gibson logo. When overdriven, the 1960 Reissue has a very low and tight sound comparable to the 1959 Reissue. The body does not contain cavities and holes. The neck has a deep inlay. The mass R0 is 3.6-3.7 kg.

Beginning in 2004, Gibson released a series of chambered reissues with chambered reissues, which have a larger but less compressed sound and are the lightest guitars in Les Paul history. The mass of CR0 is only 3.2-3.3 kg.

In 2010, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Les Paul Standard, the Custom Shop division announced the 1960 Reissue 50th Anniversary limited edition, which includes Version 1, Version 2 and Version 3 in a total edition of 500 pieces, each of which received a gold certificate of authenticity. Subsequently, Gibson issued an additional edition of the commemorative guitars with a standard certificate without separating the versions. The main difference between the instruments was the thickness of the neck: Version 1 had a "59 neck (early 1960), Version 2- "60 neck (mid-1960), and Version 3- thinner "60" neck with 20 mm at the 1st fret and 22 mm at the 12th fret (late 1960). For visual differentiation Version 1 painted in Heritage Cherry Sunburst and Heritage Dark Burst colors, Version 2- Light Iced Tea Burst and Sunset Tea Burst, and Version 3 - Cherry Burst with chrome potentiometer knobs.

It is interesting to note that the production version of the Classic 1960, unlike the limited 1960 Reissue, has a neck with a short insert at an angle of 5º, a body with 9 asymmetrical holes and a weight of 3.8-3.9 kg.

17 Gibson Les Paul Standard 1959 Reissue

Gibson Les Paul Standard 1959 Reissue Yamano (2005)

The Reissue Series is a reissue of the classic 1958-1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard to authentic factory specifications. During the three years of the Les Paul's golden era, only 1,700 guitars were produced, of which 635 were in 1959. Currently, these instruments are the most expensive guitars in history and can often cost more than $1 million with a selling price of $300. This is the Les Paul used by Gary Moore on the Still Got The Blues and Blues Alive albums, which is owned by Kirk Hammet today.

Gibson Les Paul Standard 1959 Reissue VOS (2016)

Les Paul Reissues have been released regularly since 1983 to this day (small-scale production began back in the 1970s). However, for the first 10 years, the guitars were made of standard mahogany and had a short neck set (Pre-Historic period). The authentic R9s, which began production after the Custom Shop opened in 1993, differ from the regular Standards in the use of lightweight mahogany, which makes them sound far below the newer instruments. The difference in mass may be due to the use of rare varieties of mahogany, a cut of the workpiece higher up the trunk, or another technology for drying wood. At the same time, Indian rosewood is used as a fingerboard, which gives the instrument a sharper sound and better readability.

Gibson Les Paul Standard 1959 Reissue CS VOS (2015)

Over the years, Reissue has been equipped with "57 Classic, Burst Bucker or Custom Bucker pickups, which are a tribute to history and do not allow the guitar to fully reveal its potential when playing on overdrive. Authentic necks are slightly inferior in width and thickness to modern specimens and have vintage tuners with short stems and plastic handles, the Les Paul inscription and anchor bell are shifted upwards, the tune-o-matic bridge with a narrow bed is mounted in wood on studs without bushings and turned with adjusting screws towards the pickups (model ABR-1), potentiometers equipped with metal brackets, bumblebee-type capacitors are installed inside the tone block and the inscription R9 is applied.

Gibson Les Paul Standard 1959 Reissue VOS M2M (2016)

Gibson currently produces the Standard Historic and True Historic specifications (the latter uses the lightest wood available). Along with regular reissues since 2006, buyers have been offered VOS (Vintage Original Specification) modifications - artificially aged guitars that give the impression of playing a vintage instrument of the 50s, as well as Aged - heavily aged specimens. In turn, M2M (Made to Measure) is a line of exclusive instruments made to the specifications of a 5-star Gibson dealer.

Gibson Les Paul Standard 1959 Reissue Brazilian Rosewood #9 3434 (2003)

In 2001-2003, a limited edition R9 was released with a Brazilian rosewood fretboard, giving the guitar a sharper attack, a pronounced high-midrange and very rich overtones when played solo. The price of the instrument in the secondary market reaches $10,000-15,000.

Gibson Les Paul Standard 1959 Reissue 50th Anniversary Proto #8 (2009)

23. GibsonLesPaulZakkWylde (Bullseye + Camo)

Mr. Zakk Wylde's signature Gibson Les Paul differs significantly in design and tone from classical guitars thanks to its maple neck and active EMG pickups. Examples of the instrument's sound can be heard on Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society albums. The body does not contain cavities and holes. The neck has a deep inlay. The mass of Zakk Wylde is 4.4-4.7 kg.

Gibson Les Paul Custom Zakk Wylde Bullseye

The guitar was produced in 2 versions: Bullseye (zebra) and Camo (khaki). Aside from the paintwork, the main difference was that the Bullseye version had an ebony fingerboard, while the Camo came off the production line with a maple fingerboard (which was offered as an option on the Custom version from 1975-1981).

Gibson Les Paul Custom Zakk Wylde Camo

The serial numbers also had a slight difference: the Bullseye had ZW serial numbers, while the Camo had ZPW serial numbers. The first 25 Bullseye guitars are especially valuable for collectors and are called ZW Aged. The letter A was added to the serial number of the instruments - Aged (aged), so the Bullseye serials looked like ZWA. The Camo series also has its own peculiarity - the first 25 instruments were called Pilot run and were the prototype of the original Camo. The guitars have been artificially aged - this is what Mr. Wilde's original instrument looks like.

Since the guitar is very popular and costs more than $3,000 even on the secondary market, various Chinese imitations have appeared over time. Here are a few essential factors that will help you distinguish the original from the fake:

1. Serial numbers of fakes are significantly different from the originals.

2. Authentic 3-piece neck design, deep bonded body, frets rolled to the binding.

The fake is made from a single piece of maple with a glued headstock, a short inset into the body, a binding without banding.

3. On original instruments, EMG pickups have a logo with a sticker on the back and black metal wiring. On Chinese imitations, the sensors are unmarked and with multi-colored wires.

4. The original tool has an anchor rod for the "mother" spanner. Chinese replicas have a plug-in anchor key "dad".

5. On original instruments, the triangular inlays below the Gibson logo on the headstock are even and symmetrical. In Chinese replicas, they are absolutely clumsy, of unequal sizes with different angles of inclination.

24. Gibson Les Paul Slash (Rosso Corsa + Vermillion)

The signature Gibson Les Pauls of the famous guitarist Slash were produced in more than ten modifications (Custom Shop, Snakepit, several Standard, Goldtop, several Appetite for Destruction, Rosso Corsa, Vermillion, several Anaconda) from 1990 to 2017 with an edition of 4 to 1600 pieces . All instruments were based on the classic Gibson Les Paul Standard.

Gibson Les Paul Slash Rosso Corsa (2013)

In 2013, Rosso Corsa and Vermillion signature versions were released almost simultaneously, with a circulation of 1200 pieces each. Both guitars feature a thin ‘60 neck with a short tenon, rosewood fretboard, 9-hole perforated body and Seymour Duncan APH-2 Slash Alnico II Pro pickups, which are similar to the Duncan Custom ceramic model with Alnico magnets. The main difference between the instruments, apart from the shade of the maple top, is their weight - the Rosso Corsa weighs 4.8 kg, while the Vermillion weighs 4.1 kg. The difference in weight may be due to the use of different varieties of mahogany (African and Honduran), changing the density of mahogany (cutting the workpiece above or below the trunk relative to the root, growing in different climatic conditions) or drying technology (natural and industrial).

Gibson Les Paul Slash Vermillion (2013)

In terms of sound, both guitars are improved versions of the Standard. The signature Slash pickups have a balanced frequency response, including bright highs, sharp mids and acceptable lows, coupled with excellent overdrive readability. However, Rosso Corsa sounds significantly lower than the lighter Vermillion, being an exception to the general Custom Shop trend. The rest of the instruments are identical.

25 Gibson Les Paul Alex Lifeson

Gibson Les Paul Alex Lifeson (2014)

Named Gibson Les Paul by Canadian guitarist Alex Lifeson largely repeats the innovative version of Axcess and differs from the classical guitar in the use of a thinned body with ergonomic milling of the back, the absence of a neck heel and the presence of a Floyd Rose GraphTech Ghost tremolo with piezoceramic pickups integrated into the saddles. Volume potentiometers are equipped with cut-offs for parallel connection of humbucker coils. The tremolo pickup is small, but due to the convex top and the high position of the bed, it is quite enough to increase the tuning. The pickups are more recessed into the body than on classic Les Pauls with a tune-o-matic bridge. The body is made without cavities and holes. The neck has a deep insertion at an angle of 4º. The mass of Alex Lifeson is 3.9 kg.

With a lightweight mahogany body and an Indian rosewood fretboard, the instrument has a very powerful sound in overdrive, comparable to the reissues. Compared to classical guitars, riffs sound much thicker and lower, while having a fast and sharp attack. At the same time, on a solo, the instrument does not differ at all from authentic Les Paul with a fixed tailpiece, retaining juicy overtones and long sustain. When playing on a clean sound, the cutoffs of the pickups allow you to perform beautiful picks, and the piezo pickup gives the effect of a 12-string guitar with bright highs and an elastic middle.

In general, Alex Lifeson signature model can be described as the most comfortable and functional Les Paul with great sound on all channels of the tube amplifier. In terms of the combination of characteristics, this guitar is one of the best versions of the legendary instrument.

26 Gibson Les Paul Joe Perry

Gibson Les Paul Joe Perry (1997)

Aerosmith's personalized Gibson Les Paul was released in 1996 by the Custom Shop division in an edition of 200 copies. The guitar featured a transparent black body, a 3-piece flame maple neck, an ebony fingerboard with black binding and a bat logo at the 12th fret, Joe Perry lettering on the head with an individual serial number, and pickups with black caps and a custom-wound bridge pickup.

In the period from 1997 to 1999, the release of the guitar was transferred to mass production with changes in specifications. In particular, the instrument received a rosewood fretboard with classic inlay and no edging, open pickups and a battery-powered “wow” effect built into the tone block, activated by one of the potentiometers. The Joe Perry inscription moved from the head to the tailpiece, the Gibson logo was written with a diacritical point shifted to a capital letter, and the serial number became standard. The body of the guitar contains a perforation of 9 holes. The neck has a short insert. Joe Perry weighs 4 kg.

In 2004, the Custom Shop division released the next signature version of the Boneyard, featuring a tiger top, aged neck markers, custom logo and serial number on the head, and an optional Bigsby tremolo.

27 Gibson Les Paul Ace Frehley

Gibson Les Paul Ace Frehley "59 Reissue (2015)

The signature Gibson Les Paul of the legendary guitarist Kiss is represented by three limited editions of Ace Frehley (1997, 1997-2001), Budokan (2011-2012) and ’59 Reissue (2015) in various versions of Signed, Aged and VOS with different serial numbers (Ace RRR; Ace Frehley# R Ace Frehley RRR, AFB RRR; AF RRR) with a total circulation of 300 copies.

The first version was released in 1997 and was in fact the only Ace Frehley signature model that is based on the modern Les Paul Custom. The guitar features a two-piece sunburst AAA figured top, mahogany body and neck, ebony fretboard with lightning inlays and signature at the 12th fret, three DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups, mother-of-pearl tuner knobs, metal tone block caps and truss caps with an ace of card image, and a painted on head portrait of a musician in the image of an alien. The instrument was used in the concert tour and filming of the Psycho Circus video from the band's self-titled album. It is interesting to note that following a limited edition of 300 pieces, production of similar serial guitars with an AA top, metal knobs, plastic truss and tone block covers, as well as standard serial numbers on the head began in the same year, which continued until 2001 and is appreciated today. much lower than Custom Shop products.

In turn, the second version of the Budokan released in 2011-2012 is actually a reissue of the musician's vintage Les Paul Custom produced in 1974 with the traditional "sandwich" body for its time, a three-piece top without a pattern and a three-piece mahogany neck with a volute. The guitar is painted in a non-standard sunburst color and has holes for a different type of tuning pegs. However, unlike the original, DiMarzio PAF sensors are installed in the middle and in the neck. It is worth mentioning that on the instrument of the musician himself, the neck sensor was replaced with a light-smoke machine to create the effect of a burning guitar.

The third edition for 2015 is a re-release of the personal 1959 Les Paul Standard with lightened mahogany and a deep set neck, characteristic of the golden era. At the same time, on the presented guitar, the frets are not rolled up for edging, and there are also holes on the head for a different type of tuning pegs, which brings it closer to the Collector's Choice series, made according to the individual specifications of the owner of the rarity. In terms of sound, the instrument does not differ from the "nominal" reissues, having a deep bottom and a dense middle. The body is made without cavities and holes. The weight of Ace Frehley "59 Reissue is 3.9 kg.

28 Gibson Les Paul Gary Moore

Gibson Les Paul Gary Moore (2013)

The personalized Gibson Les Paul of the famous bluesman Gary Moore was produced in 2000-2001 and was made on the basis of the legendary model of 1959, which participated in the recordings of the immortal albums Still Got The Blues and Blues Alive, an exact copy which today is Collector's Choice # 1. Two years after the tragic departure of the musician in 2011, Gibson decided to reissue the signature series of his instruments.

Formally, the Les Paul Gary Moore does not belong to the Custom Shop division, but in reality it differs little from the products it produces, except for the absence of bindings on the body and neck. According to Gary Moore himself, the advantage of his signature model is the unique combination of the authentic sound of old instruments with the ease of playing on new ones - the quintessence of the best qualities from both worlds.

This guitar features a granadillo fretboard and is made from lightweight mahogany wood, which makes it similar to modern Les Paul R9 and R0 reissues when playing riffs and solos. The redesigned Burst Bucker pickups with covers give the instrument great readability on the bridge, coupled with very rich overtones on the neck. In this case, the upper sensor is turned by the south pole in the opposite direction. The case contains perforation in the form of 9 asymmetrical holes. The neck has a short insert. Gary Moore weighs 3.9 kg.

In terms of value for money, Gary Moore's signature model is the best version in the Les Paul line, since the sound of the guitar is practically the same as the 1959-1960 Reissues at a much lower cost.

5. Chronology of Gibson Les Paul Production

1) 1952-1958 - produced Les Paul Model, Gold Top colorway, Soap Bar (P-90) singles, Brazilian rosewood fretboard, trapezoidal tailpiece on early versions, then stop bar without tune-o-matic.

2) 1954-1960 - produced Les Paul Custom, Black Beauty colorway, Soap Bar singles (P-480), ebony fretboard, no maple top, replaced with domed mahogany.

3) 1954-1960 - produced Les Paul Junior , Dark Burst colorway, Soap Bar bridge single-coil (P-90), missing maple top, body and neck bindings, stop bar tailpiece without tune-o-matic bridge, dot markers; parallel production of Les Paul with stop bar and bigbsy holders begins.

4) 1955-1960 - produced Les Paul Special , unlike Junior having two Soap Bar singles (P-90).

5) 1956 - the humbucker appears PAF(now '57 Classic), which is starting to replace Soap Bar singles on Gold Top, and next year on Custom.

6) 1958-1960 - produced Les Paul standard (officially named only in 1975), sunburst colorway, PAF humbuckers, neck thinner annually (profiles '58, '59 and '60); at the same time Gibson announces futuristic models explorer And Flying V, made from korina, an example of which is the Les Paul Korina.

7) 1961-1967 - Gibson discontinues the Les Paul, launching an ergonomic model instead SG, called at the beginning Les Paul by analogy with its predecessor.

8) 1968 - Gibson resumes production of the Les Paul due to increased demand for older guitars.

9) 1968-1985 - produced Les Paul deluxe , Gold Top colorway, mini humbuckers in single-coil format.

10) 1969-1982 - Gibson changes the production technology of Les Paul in order to reduce the cost of production costs ( Norlin period): body is a “sandwich” mahogany-maple-mahogany-maple top (1969-1976), the neck is glued from 3 pieces (1969-1982), issued from maple (1975-1982) or glued maple-walnut or maple - ebony (1978-1982), has a medium (1969-1975) and short inlay (1976-present), on the neck there is a volute (1970-1982) and a stamp Made in U.S.A. (1970-present), maple pickguard available as an option (1975-1981), serial number represents a combination of YDDDYRRR (1977-2013), Gibson logo has slightly changed spelling (no dot on "i", closed outline of "b" letters " and "o"), the marking Second denotes discounted guitars.

11) 1974 - Gibson factory moves from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Nashville(Tennessee), at the same time, at the old factory, until 1984, limited production of expensive versions of the Les Paul (The Les Paul, Artisan, 25/50 Anniversary, Custom Super 400, KM, Leo "s, etc.) continues, with which limited editions of the new factory (Artist, Heritage, Spotlight, etc.).

12) 1982 - present - Gibson resumes production of the Les Paul model according to the original technology, the diversification of the lineup begins.

13) 1983-present - in production Les Paul Studio without body and neck bindings, with markers in the form of dots; Les Paul bodies receive perforation of various geometries (holes, cutouts, cavities, voids - 7 varieties in total).

14) 1983-present - a series of reissues is being released Pre-Historical Reissue(small-scale production started in the 1970s), since 1993 the instruments have been manufactured in the Custom Shop to authentic factory specifications of the 50s from lightweight mahogany with a deep set neck and are called Historical Reissue(including Standard Historic and True Historic), Brazilian rosewood was used as a limited fretboard in 2001-2003, starting in 2006, aged VOS modifications were offered.

15) 1990-present - being released Les Paul classic , lightweight mahogany, '60 neck profile, aged markers, exposed humbuckers, different serial numbering.

16) 1993 - workshop opens Gibson Custom, Art & Historic Division , which produces limited editions of historical reissues (Historic Reissue, Collector's Choise), rare and anniversary versions (Florentine, Elegant, Ultima, Carved Flame, Black Widow, Korina, Koa, etc.), as well as signature models of famous guitarists ( Slash, Zakk Wylde, Ace Frehley, Alex Lifeson, etc.), later also Custom and Standard/Classic Custom Shop, which leads to a significant diversification of the line of custom instruments.

17) 1997-2004 - an innovative Les Paul Elegant , featuring a hollow body, deep set neck, multi-radius ebony fretboard, natural mother-of-pearl markers and thicker top binding.

18) 2003-present - in production Les Paul Supreme with a hollow body, maple top and bottom, mahogany sides, and ebony fretboard.

19) 2008-present - in production Les Paul traditional , in parallel with which the updated Les Paul Standard is released, necks with deep gluing, an asymmetric back side profile and a 10 "-14" multi-radius fingerboard are used as innovations, bodies made of 2 - 5 longitudinal pieces of mahogany with perforations of various geometries, locking pegs, potentiometers with cut-offs, printed circuit boards in the tone block, a jack locking jack, an automatic tuner, a new varnish composition, a titanium nut and bridge saddles, a beveled neck heel, a belly cut, a removable protective panel on the top deck, frameless pickups, etc.

20) 2011-present - material replaces ebony overlays on Custom and Supreme versions at the end of the year Richlite made from pressed paper impregnated with phenolic resins.

6. Pickups for Gibson Les Paul

In the original, all Les Paul guitars are equipped with signature Gibson pickups, which have a classic sound when overdriven. However, in modern heavy styles of music, their potential is clearly not enough, so many guitarists install powerful high-gain humbuckers as an upgrade.

We tested the most popular ceramic bridge pickups - DiMarzio Super Distortion, Seymour Duncan Invader, Bare Knuckle Warpig, Bill Lawrence L-500XL and Gibson 500T. The selection criteria were the power of the output signal (coil resistance) and the frequency response indicated by most manufacturers, which allows the Les Paul to fully reveal its potential.

Testing was carried out on a Gibson Les Paul Custom Koa guitar and a Marshall JCM 2000 TSL 60 TubeTone Platinum+ Mod tube amplifier (6N2P-EV + EL34 tubes, Vovox internal wiring and cables, 7/10 gain on the rhythm channel and 5/10 on the solo channel , Celestion Vintage 30 speaker, concert volume 120 dB). The pickups were wired according to the instructions on the manufacturer's website, since each brand has its own color scheme. The distance from the bridge pickup to the open strings was 2 mm.

It should be noted that the described advantages and disadvantages of the tested models are fully valid only when they are installed on a Gibson Les Paul. In the case of using pickups on guitars of a different design and type of wood, the results may differ, since the pickups primarily reproduce the sound of the wood, adding different colors (signal equalization) to it, so extrapolation of the information received may be incorrect.

Gibson 498 T - Fitted as standard to the Gibson Les Paul Custom and features a classic humbucking tone with increased output. On the riffs, the guitar lacks the density of overdrive and low frequencies; on the solo, the sound is very sharp and readable.

Smooth mids, bright highs, high readability

No bottom, 2-wire design as stock

DiMarzio Super distortion - the world's first humbucker, released to replace stock pickups in 1972. It is a pioneer of heavy metal and acts as a kind of benchmark for comparing all high-gain pickups.

Initially, a modern version of the Super Distortion was bought in the store, but due to unsatisfactory performance, an authentic two-wire copy of the 70s was purchased after it in the secondary market. Distinctive features of the original are the rectangular legs of the supports instead of the triangular ones and additional holes in the upper plates through which the turns of the coils are visible.

When comparing the “same name” sensors in turn, the difference in sound turned out to be colossal. The new Super Distortion boasted only a 4-wire design, no mic effect, high-mids and a very fast ceramic attack for better mid-string readability. However, the original pickup sounded much lower, tighter and brighter than the modern one, while all frequencies were balanced. If the new pickup can only be considered as a modern version of the stock Gibson while maintaining the existing overdrive character, then the authentic DiMarzio example gives a completely different sound - wall-beating, tight and cutting gain. The original sensor outperforms the remake in almost all characteristics. As a result, we used an authentic two-wire version as a comparison, which is easily soldered into a 4-wire design within half an hour.

It is interesting to note that the modern DiMarzio Tone Zone and Air Zone, which are an analogue of Super Distortion on Alnico magnets (classic and with an air gap between the magnetic conductors and the magnet), have a similar "inauthentic" frequency response with a predominance of the upper middle to the detriment of sound density. At the same time, having played vintage X2N, Tone Zone and Evolution pickups on other mahogany guitars, compared to Super Distortion, they can be ranked as follows: X2N very strongly boosts low and mid frequencies on overload, as a result of which the guitar loses attack and readability; Tone Zone is on the verge of boosting, delivering the deepest lows and fat mids, but smoother highs and attack, and having coils with different windings (two-resonance design), giving a "two-voice" pickup sound and richer overtones; evolution has a comparable power output signal and midrange, but differs less deep bass and brighter highs, as well as dual-resonance coils, perceived as a whole sharper and sharper without loss of density.

Volumetric bottom, dense middle, bright top, high readability

Mic effect at high volume on high gain

Seymour Duncan Invader - the most evil pickup from Seymour Duncan with three ceramic magnets. The frequency response is similar to the authentic DiMarzio Super Distortion, except for the shift in emphasis to the upper mids, which subjectively makes the sound more aggressive, and slightly better readability. It has a ramming, sharp and cutting gain. Thanks to the large magnets, it is suitable for both guitars with a fixed bridge and instruments with tremolo systems. In general, in terms of its timbre, this pickup is designed mainly for playing heavy metal, rather than classic hard rock.

In turn, fans of the original Gibson sound will be more suitable for ceramic model. Duncan Custom, which has a slightly undercut middle and raised tops while maintaining a wall-beaten bottom, unlike the Invader, it is also produced in a closed version with a gold lid.

Volumetric bottom, sharp middle, bright tops, very high readability, universal center distance of magnetic conductors

Missing

Bare knuckle Warpig - the most powerful pickup from Bare Knuckle, completed with an optional gold cap. Also available with alnico magnets for a thicker but less harsh sound. Compared to the authentic DiMarzio Super Distortion, it has slightly lower bass and treble, but has the fattest mids of any model tested. Due to the presence of an underlined upper middle, it is similar in sound to the Seymour Duncan Invader. At the same time, Warpig has the highest readability and concentration of gain, as well as a fast ceramic attack. Overall, the overdrive nature of this pickup is ideal for playing modern hard rock and metal, adding an aggressive modern sound to the Gibson Les Paul.

Acceptable lows, bold mids, smooth highs, best readability

Missing

Bill Lawrence L-500XL - The most powerful pickup from Bill Lawrence. Equipped with two rail magnets, making it versatile for fixed bridges and tremolo systems. In terms of sound, it is the most non-standard in the entire tested line - ear-piercing tops and a pretty good bottom are combined with a completely cut out middle. At the same time, the sensor starts up already at the middle gain, and when switching to high-gain, a whistle is heard from the amplifier even during the game. Another unpleasant feature is the plastic legs of the supports with easily torn inch threads. In general, this pickup is designed exclusively for playing heavy metal.

High readability, universal distance of rail magnets

Unbalanced frequency response, mic effect at high volume even at medium gain, plastic feet

Gibson 500 T Gibson's most powerful pickup ever. Sounds similar to the stock 498T, with even more output, making it dirtier when playing passages. In general, having compared various Gibson pickups, including the authentic 57 Classic and 57 Classic +, it can be argued that all models lack the necessary amount of low frequencies, which does not allow the Les Paul to reach its full potential when overdriven.

Smooth mids, bright highs

Lack of bottom, appearance of dirt on high-gain

You can get more information on Gibson pickups here:

7. Helpful tips

After buying a Gibson Les Paul, the guitarist needs to do the following things:

1) It is advisable to change the strings to a set of 10-50 gauge or more;

2) Screw the stop bar into the body to the full depth;

3) Set the height of the strings (2-2.5 mm above the 22nd fret), adjust the anchor deflection (1.5-2 mm above the 12th fret), adjust the scale, adjust the height of the pickups (2-3 mm from open strings), set the level adjustable magnet guides along the fingerboard radius;

4) Replace the volume potentiometers with a nominal value of 300K to 500K, possibly with a cut-off for a single.

In general, when buying an expensive version of the Custom Shop version of the Les Paul, the best option is to ask for help.

8. Serial numbers

Gibson Les Paul serial numbers from 1977 to 2013 were a combination of Y DDD Y RRR(R) (for example, 8 1230 456 is the 456th copy released on the 123rd day of 1980). During the coexistence of factories in Kalamazoo and Nashville, the former used RRR numbering 001-499 until it closed in 1984, while the latter used 500-999 until 1989. Starting in 2000, on some guitars, instead of the first digit 0, they began to write the number 2 (for example, 2 1784 012 is the 12th copy released on the 178th day of 2004).

Gibson Les Paul serial numbers since 2014 are a combination YY RRRRRRR (for example, 15 0000234 is the 0000234th copy released in 2015).

The Custom Shop branch has its own CS numbering Y RRRR(R) (for example, CS 3 4567 is the 4567th copy, released in 2003 or 2013). It is important to note that prior to 1999, there was no CS abbreviation on custom guitars. Beginning in 2007, the round neck of the Custom Shop was replaced with a simple Gibson Custom lettering on the neck. Custom tools come with COA (Certificate of Authenticity) certificates.

The numbers in brackets (R) conditionally mean that the serial number of the instrument can have an additional digit (starting from 2005).

Most Reissue serial numbers are in M ​​format. Y RRR , where the first digit is the year of the original release, similar to the guitar numbering of the 50s, and the second is the year of the reissue (for example, 0 4 123 is a 1960 reissue released in 1994/2004/2014 as number 123). On early Reissues before 1993 (Pre-Historic period) the first digit in the format Y RRRR denoted the year of release not of the original, but of the reissue itself (for example, 8 1234 is the 1234th copy, released in 1988). By the way, serial Classic has a similar numbering. On the newest authentic 2016 True Historic, the serial number is in RM format Y RRRR (for example, R9 6 2345 is a 1959 reissue released in 2016 as 2345). At the same time, since 2015, on the Standard Historic specifications, the 1959 and 1960 reprints have the markings as CSM Y RRR (for example, CS9 5 789 is a 1959 reissue released in 2015 as #789). Reissues with voids since 2004 are marked with the prefix CR (Chambered Reissue). In turn, the Collector's Choice series is designated CC. Some 1960s reissues are numbered in the format YY RRRM (for example, 00 2348 is a Custom 1968 released in 2000 as #234).

It should be noted that there are exceptions to these rules that took place in different years on different versions of Les Paul (for example, early Custom Shop, anniversary Centennial, etc.). In turn, before the unification of marking in 1977, serial numbers were applied according to regularly changing algorithms. In particular, at the beginning of 1977 the first two digits were 06, in 1976 - 00, at the end of 1975 - 99, from 1968 to the beginning of 1975 - cross stochastic numbering. Made in U.S.A. began to be extruded on the headstock only in 1970 (excl. limited Reissue and serial Classic).

In addition, individual limited editions and signature models (25/50 Anniversary, Heritage, Spotlight, Leo's, Music Machine, some Yamano, Black Widow, Collector's Choice, Alex Lifeson, Ace Frehley, Joe Perry, Slash, Zakk Wylde etc.) have their own serial numbering.

Get more information and check the serial number of your Gibson Les Paul here:

Vlad X & Jin worked on this article from 2014 to 2019

The Gibson Les Paul is one of the most copied and best known guitars in the world, not just the guitar world. Designed in 1950, it was Gibson's first solid body guitar.
Gibson Les Paul was designed by Ted McCarthy in collaboration with inventor Les Paul, an innovator who experimented with guitar construction for a long time. Paul was brought in to build this guitar in the wake of the post-release popularity of electric guitars. Les Paul's main contribution to the development is still a matter of controversy, including his suggestion of a trapezoidal tailpiece and his influence on the color of the new guitar.

The Les Paul lineup differs from other electric guitars, of course, in its recognizable shape, body design and string fastening: they are attached, like on Gibson semi-acoustic guitars, on the top of the body. There are a lot of models and variations of this line, the series has been updated more than once. Thanks to the development of technology in the guitar industry, these one-piece electric guitars have densely filled the market.

The first models were Gibson Les Paul Goldtop and Gibson Les Paul Custom. The Goldtop was fitted with a trapezoidal bridge and . The Custom, which came out with an ebony fingerboard, was nicknamed "the black beauty" by Les Paul himself, and it was on this model that the ABR-1 tailpiece was first installed, which was later installed on all subsequent models of the series. Before the famous Les Paul Standard, which is still in production today, saw the light of day, this line also included models with the nicknames Junior, TV and Special.

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The guitar, called the Gibson Les Paul Standard, is still in great demand in the musical environment, its production was resumed in 1968, and the last variation was released in 2008. This model retains most of the specifications of the Goldtop model, but with a different color scheme, and for 2008 the frets were aligned, the body holes were lightened, the locking tuners with improved ratio were installed, and a long neck with an asymmetrical profile was introduced.

Gibson Les Paul Standard

The popularity of this electric guitar began from the moment Keith Richards () got his own, which became the first owned by a famous guitarist in the UK, the Gibson Les Paul Sunburst model (which later became known as the Standard, and was originally called the Sunburst due to the most recognizable colors of guitars of this series). Interest in her increased when her rock potential was recognized by George Harrison and. In addition to them, such guitarists as Peter Green and Mick Taylor played on the Les Paul. She was used by Mike Bloomfield, it was with her that he became best known.

Les Paul - man and legend

Les Paul (full name Lester William Paulfuss) was born June 15, 1915 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He began his professional career as a talented teenage guitarist; at the age of 17, he was already performing on local radio broadcasts, playing under the name Rubarb Red Country, and later adding rhythm and blues and jazz to his repertoire.

It soon became clear that his ambitions would not be limited solely to music. Lester had a natural technical ability, which he applied not only to music, but also to the manufacture of his own musical and electronic devices. Later, he was lucky to offer several musical inventions to right time and in the right place, and historians today are deliberating whether to consider Les Paul a musician or an inventor. Usually they converge on both.

Like most players of the day, the young Lester soon became interested in the idea of ​​amplifying his guitar. He recalls that in his teenage years he tried to amplify the guitar "by sticking a phonograph needle into it." Shortly thereafter, he used his parents' old telephone and radio on his lone guitar to grab the attention of the audience at a concert at a local bar.

Others thought along the same lines, only in a slightly less extreme way. In the early 1930s, the Californian guitar company Rickenbacker was one of the first small manufacturers to offer an electric version of the steel guitar. She was placed on her knees and played by moving a steel plate along high strings.

Around this time, companies such as Riclenbacker, National, and others also began to sell instruments with electric pickups and associated controls built into a typical "Spanish" acoustic guitar. In the mid-1930s, one of the most successful guitar companies, Gibson of Kalamazoo, Michigan, entered the "amplified acoustic" market with its ES-150 model and accompanying amplifier, as did their archrival Epiphone. .

By this time, Lester Polfus finally adopted a shortened version of his name - Les Paul (Les Paul). In the late 1930s, Paul's new jazz trio performed on New York radio on The Fred Waring Show and also with the Ben Burney Big Band. Paul first played a Gibson guitar (he can be seen in their 1937 catalog under the name Rubarb Reda playing a Super 400, though he preferred an L5). He later switched to Epiphone. The company was based in New York and was founded by the Greek Epaminondas Stathopoulo. (The name was shortened to Epi; and adding "sound" in Greek, he got Epiphone).

"Log" door Les Paul

Les Paul nurtured his interest in electric instruments and his desire for technical experimentation by tweaking and modifying his Epiphone guitar. He talks about how, around 1940, he used to come to the deserted Epiphone factory on weekends and fiddle with what he called a "log". “Every Sunday I went there and worked… Epiphone was surprised, what the hell is this? And I said, it’s a log, a guitar with a solid body.

The nickname "The Log" came from the 4" by 4" pine block that Paul inserted between the halves of the sawn lengthwise guitar body. Using metal braces, Paul attached the neck to a pine "log", on which he placed a pair of clunky homemade pickups. A little later, he rebuilt a second and third Epiphone, which he called "clunkers", this time by cutting their bodies open to insert reinforcing metal braces, and once again decorating them with his own pickups. Despite their homemade origins, semi-acoustic "log" and modified "clunkers" often accompanied Les Paul on stage and in the studio in the 40's and early 50's.

Paul was not alone in his research. Several independent studies of the feasibility of solid-body electric guitars were undertaken at the time and elsewhere in America, not least by California makers Rickenbacker, National, Bigsby, and Fender.

The idea of ​​a solid-body guitar was attractive: it would replace the labor-intensive acoustic guitar with a body made of wood or some other material hard enough to carry the strings and pickups. A solid body would tame the pesky "windup" of amplified acoustic guitars. It would also reduce the influence of the body on the overall sound of the guitar, more accurately reproducing the tone and sustain of the strings.

In the 1940s, Paul conceived the idea of ​​pitching his "log" idea to a large company to see if he could generate interest in its commercial potential. He figured it out, just at the time when it appeared that Epiphone was in a position to that day to be a serious force in the guitar world. He remembers his sober calculation: "Gibson were the leaders of the business, that's where I wanted to go."

From Orville to Maurice

Gibson was certainly a big company and no doubt successful. Born in 1856 to a British immigrant to the States, Orville Gibson began making string instruments in Kalamazoo, Michigan around the 1890s. His unusual but effective use of curved sides and sides in guitars and mandolins attracted attention, and in 1902 the successful manufacturer officially created the first Gibson company. Gibson's status has steadily risen, and the company has built an unshakable reputation among musicians, thanks to excellent, attractive instruments, in particular Gibson mandolins have contributed to widespread popularity.

But the guitar, too, began to gain in prominence in the 1920s and 1930s, and it was clear that any company seeking attention from guitarists must be seen in the field as inventive and forward looking. We owe Gibson many innovative six-string designs, including the truss rod to reinforce the neck (today an integral part of the guitar). Thanks to the ingenuity of its gifted workers such as Lloyd Loar, Gibson also set personal standards such as the L5 in the early 20s. Model innovations such as ffs and a "suspended" pickguard on the body practically defined the look and sound of early archtop guitars. It was played in many styles, the main of which was "parlor jazz", the embodiment of which can be considered the incomparable Eddie Lang (who, by the way, had a strong influence on Paul).

As players demanded more and more volume from guitars, Gibson diligently increased the size of their instruments, introducing the huge Super 400 arch top in the mid-30s, as well as jumbo flat top acoustics, such as the impressive J200 model.

Gibson's controlling interest was acquired in 1944 by the Chicago Muiscal Instrument Company (CMI), which had been formed in Chicago 25 years earlier by Maurice Berlin. Under the new owners, Berlin also became the boss of the parent company Gibson. Gibson's general manager, Guy Hart, remained, and John Adams, president of the company since its founding in 1902, stepped down. Gibson's manufacturing base remained in its original 1917 purpose-built factory in Kalamazoo, an industrial and commercial center in an agricultural area roughly halfway between Detroit and Chicago. The city later became the site of Gibson's new headquarters as part of CMI.

Around 1946, Paul brought his rough "log" to Chicago, CMI to Maurice Berlin, with the aim of persuading him to make such a guitar. As you might expect, with all the courtesy that a busy city businessman can muster, the Gibson boss showed Les Paul the door. "They laughed at the guitar," Paul recalls.

Crosby sings, Paul records

A few years later, Paul became famous. During World War II, he served in the Armed Forces Radio Service, working at their headquarters in Hollywood and entertaining the troops. Among the singers he accompanied was Bing Crosby. After the war, Paul recorded guitar accompaniment on Crosby's hit "It's been a long Time", which was released as Bing Crosby With The Les Paul Trio and expanded Paul's audience.

"In my understanding," said Crosby, introducing Paul as a guest guitarist on his radio show in 1947, "Les does exactly what she wants with the guitar." Crosby took a keen interest in new recording developments and was one of the earliest to use tape recorders in his show. Crosby encouraged Paul to build a studio in the garage of the guitarist's Hollywood home.

It was in this small home studio that Paul came up with a very efficient recording technique, first with discs and soon with tape. Paul's method was to create multiple instrument overdubs using recorders. He added new material to the existing recording on each run of the tape, a method he had developed while on tour as a means of playing with himself. Paul sometimes changed the speed of the tape in such a way that it gave impossibly high and fast passages. With this homegrown technology, and later with a real overdubbing tool in the form of one small tape recorder, Paul created a huge, magical orchestra on tape of many guitars playing catchy guitar themes.

Les Paul and his "New Sound" were signed to Capitol Records and the first release, "Lover", hit the hit charts at number 21 in 1948. But Paul wasn't alone: ​​Singer Patti Page hit "Confess" the same year, using the same recording tricks to create a choir with her voice. A couple of years later, he achieved even greater success with "The Tennessee Waltz", beating Les Paul's version of the same song on the US charts.

Les Paul and Mary Ford

Les Paul became a big recording star, but after a long hiatus to recover from a car accident, he gained even more popularity when he brought singer Mary Ford into his act. Paul had known Ford (real name Colin Summers) since 1945, but their relationship was legalized only in 1949.

The marriage (Paul's second) took place in December, and the following year the duo released their first recording together, "Cryin'/Dry My Tears". The guitar, and now also the voice, went through a process of re-recording, and Les Paul and Mary Ford produced a string of big hits. These were:

• "The Tennessee Waltz" (#6 on the US charts in 1950),
• "How High The Moon" (number one in 1951)
• "The World Is Falling For The Sunrise" (number 2 in 1951),
• "Tiger Rag" (number 2, 1952)
• "Bye Bye Blues" (number 5, 1953)
• "I'm Sitting On The Top Of The World" (number 10, 1953)
• "I'm No Fool To Care" (number 6, 1954).

The duo performed on numerous broadcasts and concerts and could be heard on NBC Radio's Les Paul Show every week for half a year in 1949-50. They performed in the television series Les Paul & Mary Ford At Home which aired in 1953 and was filmed for several years at their new home in Mawa, New Jersey. In the late 1950s, Les Paul and Mary Ford, "America's Musical Darlings," were big stars.

First Fender

In 1950, a small California company that made amplifiers and electric steel guitars unexpectedly opened up a new market by offering the world's first commercially available solid-body "Spanish" electric guitar. This innovative musical instrument was first called the Fender Esquire or Broadcaster and was soon renamed the Fender Telecaster. Fender's initial burst of activity didn't immediately convert all guitarists to board guitars. At first, the company's electric guitars were used by a handful of country and western guitarists, primarily from locations near the company's factory in Fullerton, California. But little by little the word spread and Fender's rise to the top of the electric guitar market began. Such success, though modest at first, could not go unnoticed by other guitar makers - including Gibson in Kalamazoo.

Ted McCarthy joined Gibson in March 1948 after 12 years with the Wurlitzer organ company, and in 1950 he was named president of Gibson. McCarthy recalls that Maurice Berlin, head of CMI's parent company, told him to improve Gibson's business, which had faltered since World War II. Gibson was then forced to put most of its music production on hold and take over a government order for radar work, earning the company three awards from the Army and Navy.

McCarthy says the company found it difficult to return to full-scale guitar production in the post-war years. His first tasks when he joined it were to improve the effectiveness of management, increase the return on business and expand internal communications. "I went there on March 15, 1948," he recalls, "and we suffered losses in March, suffered losses in April, made a profit in May, and made it over the next 18 months that I worked there." In 1950, the Gibson line of electric guitars consisted of seven models: the ES125 for $97.50, ES140, ES150, ES175, ES300, ES375, and ES5 for $375. Of course, these were all "acoustics with amplification" - with a hollow body, a curved top and efs.

Then Fender came out with the solid body electric guitar. McCarthy recalls Gibson's reaction: "We watched what Fender was doing, realizing that they were gaining popularity in the West. I watched and watched them and said that we need to get into this business. We give them a head start, they are the only ones who they make a guitar with that kind of piercing sound that country and western guys like, we discussed it and decided to do the same…

So we started making solid body guitars ourselves. We had a lot to learn about the "boards". They are different from acoustic. They are made differently, they sound differently, they respond differently."

Ted McCarthy says that Gibson began work on their solid-body guitar shortly after the introduction of the Fender Broadcaster in 1950, and that McCarthy and the company's chief engineers were involved in the project. "We were designing guitars. And we started trying to learn something about solid bodies," says McCarthy. This".

Asked exactly how many people were involved in what would become the Gibson Les Paul, McCarthy replies: “There were maybe four of us. the guys in charge of the tree and one of the main contributors to the final assembly." McCarthy also cites employees such as Julius Bellson and Wilbur Marker as being "in the know" and may have been consulted with the sales team through sales manager Clarence Havenga. McCarthy continues: "We ended up with a guitar that looked appealing and that we understood had sound, resonance and sustain - but not much. It took us about a year to get to that point."

Still, no other guitar maker showed any clear interest in following Fender's footsteps into the mass-produced solid-body guitar market. "Their attitude was: forget it, because anyone with a jigsaw and a template can make a solid body guitar," says McCarthy. I started thinking... at that time Les Paul and Mary Ford were probably the number one vocal group in the US They were making millions a year. And knowing Les and Mary, I thought I should probably show them this guitar."

The return of the guy with a broom

Paul's memories are somewhat different. He says Gibson first contacted him in early 1951, shortly after Fender started making their "board" guitars. He recalls that Maurice Berlin, boss of Gibson's parent company, CMI, assigned his second in command, Mark Carlucci, to contact the guy, that strange "log" they'd glimpsed in the '40s. “They said find the guy with the broom with the pickups,” Paul laughs, “They came right after they heard about what Fender was doing. And I said you guys are a little behind the times, but okay, let's get started."

Paul told Stephen Peoples, who was bookletting a 1991 box set of Paul's recordings for Capitol, that after Gibson approached him with an interest in developing a solid-body electric guitar, a meeting was scheduled at CMI headquarters in Chicago. "Berlin, Carlucci and CMI lawyer Marv Henrikson, who also represented Les, were present," Peoples writes and continues, "They closed the deal and approved the design specifications for the new guitar. Then development began with all haste."

Prototype

McCarthy continues his story of how he came to show the first prototype Gibson Les Paul to Paul. McCarthy and Paul's business manager, Phil Bronstein, took the prototype to where Les and Mary left off - to their friend's hunting lodge in Strodsburg, Pennsylvania, near Delaware Water Cap Park - probably in 1951. There they were with Ford's sister Carol and her husband, Wally Kamin, Paul's double bassist, and made recordings, taking advantage of the quiet and isolation of the house. McCarthy says his goal was to get Paul interested in a promotional use of the guitar in exchange for royalties from sales in what is now called a promotional contract or "endorsement". Paul also recalls that a hunting lodge near Stroutsburg was where he saw the first prototype of what would become the Gibson Les Paul.

McCarthy recalls that Paul really liked the prototype and said to Ford: "I think we should join them, what do you think?" - and she said she liked it too. Neither McCarthy nor Paul can remember exactly, but the prototype may have been similar to the subsequent production model, except that it had a regular Gibson tailpiece of the period (like the Gibson ES350, for example) with a separate bridge.

The deal was reached that evening, McCarthy says: he, Les Paul and Phil Bronstein sat down and drew up a contract. They first agreed on a royalty that Gibson had to pay every five years for every Les Paul guitar sold. Paul says the fee was five percent. The contract was for five years.

McCarthy recalls: "Phil, Les' business manager, said he wanted one clause of the contract: Les Paul had to agree that he would not play any guitar other than Gibson for the duration of the contract. If in the fourth year he would show up with Gretch , it would cancel everything and he wouldn't get a cent."

Bronstein explains that this was due to the desire to save on tax deductions, and guarantee money for Paul and Ford, when it would be necessary to receive income from concerts and performances later. McCarthy also says that there was also a clause in the contract saying that Paul was to be a Gibson consultant. "We came to an agreement that evening. Everyone had a copy in which everything was written. Les could take him to his lawyer, and I to ours, and if there were questions, we could get together and work them out. And you know not a single word of the contract was changed! I went back to the factory and we had a Les Paul."

violin cellar

Paul says he was much more involved in the development of the Les Paul guitar than McCarthy's story suggests. Paul categorically states: “I designed everything except the curved top… that was brought in by Maurice Berlin. Mr. Berlin told me he loved violins, took me to his basement and showed me the collection. And he said, we at Gibson have something that no one has a machine that can bulge the body of a guitar It would be too expensive for Fender or anyone who wants to do the same He said if I have any ideas about a top like a violin A I said it was a great idea. Then they introduced me to Ted McCarthy and signed the Gibson deal."

But McCarthy is adamant: "I tell you exactly how we made the Les Paul. We spent a year developing this guitar and Les never saw it until I brought it to Pennsylvania for him."

Examining photographs of Les Paul playing Gibson Les Paul guitars in the 50s and later is instructive. They are often purpose-built instruments with a flat top, while the stock Les Pauls had a curved top. Paul almost always modified his Gibsons in some way. An avid mechanic, he later wrote in the booklet of his Capitol Records CD: "In early 1953, Gibson kept bombarding me with guitars, and I kept gutting them, modifying pickups, bridges, controls, whatever." Paul, of course, had his own ideas of what the guitar should look like, and in many ways it was the opposite of how production Gibson Les Pauls turned out.

Interestingly, after the contract between Paul and Gibson, they asked Paul to replace the logo on the modified Epiphone models that he still used on stage. "Gibson asked me to play my Epiphone while they were making the Les Paul for me, but with the Gibson name on it," explains Paul. took it off and had Ted McCarthy send me the Gibson stickers. We put them on the guitars and they said Gibson before they even hit the solid body guitar market."

It may never be entirely clear who contributed what to the original Gibson Les Paul. What is certain is that Paul's acclaimed craftsmanship and commercial success, combined with Gibson's weighty reputation in the manufacture and sale of guitars, produced an impressive result.

Gibson Gold

The new Les Paul was launched by Gibson in 1952, most likely in the spring, for $210 ($20 more than the Fender Telecaster). Today, this Les Paul is almost always referred to as the "gold-top" because of its gold-plated top, and we will continue to refer to it as such. With a solid goldtop body that cleverly used a curved maple top glued to a mahogany base, this sandwich combined the depth of mahogany with the vibrant sound of maple.

Paul says that the gold color of the original Les Paul was his idea. "Gold means wealth," he says, "expensiveness, superiority." Gibson made a special all-gold guitar in 1951 for Paul to give to a terminally ill patient he met at a special promotion at a Milwaukee hospital. ("Put my amp on the gurney and push it forward - we walked and Mary sang to people and I played," says Paul). This gift guitar may have led to the all-gold ES295 archtop in 1952 and may have also led to the first Les Paul paint scheme.

Almost all of the design elements of the first Gibson Les Pauls had precedents in early models. Its configuration with two P-90 single-coils and four knobs (volume and tone for each pickup) was available on previous years' L5CES and Super 400CES models. The overall outline of the body and the set-in mahogany neck followed the established Gibson tradition, while the trapezoidal inlay on a rosewood fingerboard first appeared on the ES150 in the 1950 edition.

Several Gibson acoustic guitars have already appeared in long scales, which the company lists as 24.75 inches. "Length of scale" is twice the length from the nut to the 12th fret, "string length" is the distance from the nut to the saddle on the bridge. Gibson seems to have confused the two in 1950, and when they talk about the 24.75" scale in their literature since then, they are referring to string length. As a result, the scale length of the first and most subsequent Les Paul models is actually closer to 24.6 inches.

Unlike the prototype, the production model came with a height-adjustable bridge and tailpiece combo. It looked like a bar, and long metal rods were attached to it, attaching it to the bottom edge of the guitar. This device was an invention of Les Paul and was originally intended for use on archtops; Gibson also sold them as a separate accessory.

The earliest goldtops had a very slight neck slope, with the neck attached to the body at a fairly shallow angle, which precluded the use of existing Gibson hardware, so a new bridge/tailpiece was used as the only suitable option.

The wrong, too little neck slope meant that the strings almost fell on the body when they left the neck. Even at the lowest setting, the bridge gave too much string height, so Gibson had no choice but to adapt the bridge and wrap the strings around it from below. This was the exact opposite of how it was supposed to be used, since the strings had to be wound on top of it, as on Gibson archtops and electro-acoustics such as the ES295 (1952) and later the ES225 (1955).

This configuration on the first Les Paul goldtop meant that sustain suffered, tuning was inaccurate, and the pizzicato technique was nearly impossible. The guitar was clearly unplayable, as Les Paul pointed out. “They made the first guitar wrong,” he recalls, “I don’t know how many times they got it wrong so it couldn’t be played. the strings under the bridge, not over, set the neck wrong - they screwed everything up."

So Gibson quickly ditched the original unit in favor of a new, purpose-built bar-like bridge/tailpiece that mounts to the top of the body on two posts with an adjustable top. A new, more stable arrangement with strings wrapped over the bridge provided better sustain and tuning. The inclination of the neck has also been changed. The result was a nicer and more usable instrument, released around 1953.

Black coat, fluttering hands

The original goldtop began to sell well compared to other Gibson models, and Gibson took a step further to expand the electric guitar market with the release of two new Les Paul models in 1954, Custom and Junior. As Ted McCarthy says, "There are different artists, some like one thing, some like another. Chevrolet had a lot of models. Ford had a lot of models. So do we."

The dual-pickup Custom looked very strong with its black finish, lots of binding, rectangular markers on an ebony pickguard and gold-plated hardware, and was certainly more expensive than a goldtop.

Paul says he chose the black color for the Custom: "Because when you're on stage in a black tailcoat and a black guitar, people see your hands moving, focusing on them: they see your hands fluttering."

The cheaper Junior was made and aimed at beginners - it had a single pickup and didn't have a curved top. It was painted in traditional Gibson sunburst.

In September 1954, the price list included the Les Paul Custom at $325 and the Les Paul Junior at $99.50; the goldtop rose to $225.

The Custom had a softer-sounding all-mahogany body, which Les Paul personally favored in combinations of mahogany/maple goldtops. Paul claims that Gibson mixed up the entire tone line because, as far as he was aware, the cheaper Goldtop was supposed to be mahogany only, while the more expensive Custom was supposed to be a more labor-intensive combination of maple and mahogany. The Gibson Les Paul Custom was referred to in the catalogs as a "fretless marvel" because the fret wire used was very low, unlike the frets on other Les Pauls of the period.

Rectangular considerations

In addition to the usual P-90, the Custom bridge had a new type of pickup at the neck. This model soon gained the nickname "alnico", inspired by the alloy of aluminium, nickel and cobalt from which the characteristic rectangular poles were made (although alnico is not a specific feature of this sensor). It was designed by Seth Lover, a radio and electronics expert who worked intermittently with Gibson in the 40s and early 50s, in addition to training and setting up equipment for the US Navy.

After several comings and goings, Lover returned full-time to Gibson's electronics department in 1952. Lover was asked to suggest a pickup that was louder than the Gibson P-90 and louder than the Dynacoil single used by Gretch (a New York-based Gibson competitor). Gretch sourced its components from DeArmond, a pickup manufacturer based in Toledo, Ohio.

The rationale for rectangular poles was simple, Lover recalls. "I wanted to be different, I didn't want them to be round like DeArmond's. I didn't want to copy anything. If you're going to improve something, do it your way," he insists. I can put height adjustment screws in between them, but this pickup has never been very popular because guitarists always put it too close to the strings...they got this slurred sound and they didn't like it."

The Custom was also the first model to feature the new Gibson Tune-O-Matic bridge, which was used with a separate bar tailpiece. Developed by Ted McCarthy, the Tune-O-Matic was a first for Gibson, allowing the length of each string to be individually varied, improving tuning accuracy. Since 1955, he also appeared on the goldtop.

While the body lines of the Junior remained the same, the most obvious difference from its Les Paul counterparts was the flat mahogany body. It looked like nothing but a cheap guitar: It had a single P-90 pickup, volume and tone controls, and a flat rosewood fingerboard with simple dot markers. It had a reversible bridge/tailpiece, like the second version of the goldtops.

In 1955, Gibson released the Les Paul TV - based on their Junior, only with what Gibson called a "natural finish" (actually more of a yellow-beige color). The theory that the name TV refers to a pale color that visually resembles a black-and-white TV screen is unfounded, as is the suggestion that TV may be a less-than-accidental nod to the competing light-colored Fender Telecaster. It is more likely that the name alludes to Paul's regular appearance on the television show Les Paul & Mary Ford at Home at the time.

Also in 1955, the original line of Les Paul models was completed with the advent of the Special, in fact a Junior variant with two pickups, but with a beige coloration like the TV (but without the TV in the name - the cause of many subsequent misunderstandings). Special appeared in the company's September price list with a price of $182.50

Gibson introduced the Junior 3/4 in 1956. It had a shorter neck, which in terms of scale meant 2 inches shorter than the normal Junior. Gibson then explained in their brochure that the Junior 3/4 was intended "for children or adults with small hands and fingers". At the same time, in Gibson's electronics department, led by Walt Fuller, the active Seth Lover began work on a new pickup. He was destined to have a stronger and more lasting effect than the previous development. The idea was to find a way to reduce the hum and pickup that standard singles, including the Gibson P-90, suffered from. Lover remembered the noise-canceling choke that was used in some Gibson amplifiers to reduce hum from the power transformer.

Suppressing the background

"I thought," Lover recalls, "If we can make noise-cancelling chokes, why can't we make noise-cancelling pickups?" No obstacles, he decided, and began to make prototypes. The ability of these devices to suppress noise (hum) led to their name - humbuckers, and the principle of operation was very simple. The humbucker consists of two coils connected in antiphase and having magnets of opposite polarity. The result is a pickup that is less prone to picking up outside noise and produces a fatter, more powerful sound than single coils. The metal cover provided additional shielding, Lover explains.

"The cover helps to shield electrostatic noise from fluorescent lamps and other things. I needed a high resistance material so it wouldn't affect the high frequencies, so I decided to go for non-magnetic stainless steel - but you can't solder to it. German silver (an alloy of nickel, copper and zinc) has a high resistance, and is solderable, so I used it. The prototype did not have adjustment screws, but the sales department wanted them - in order to have something to talk about with dealers. Therefore, screws were added before production started. On dual-pickup guitars, we mounted the pickups so that the screws were on the bridge side of the back pickup and the neck side of the front pickup. Do you want to know why?" he laughs and answers his own question, "For aesthetic reasons."

Gibson humbuckers replaced P-90 single-coils on goldtops and Customs in 1957. Gibson even came up with a guitar with three pickups, new humbuckers. Guitarists gradually began to praise these humbuckers and Les Paul guitars for their ingenious combination. And today, many guitarists and collectors are looking for early Gibson humbuckers. They are known as "PAF" because of the small "patent applied for" sticker on the underside.

Patent Applied For

Lover discovered that he was not the first to come up with the idea of ​​a humbucker - he discovered this when he applied for a patent (on behalf of Gibson). The Patent Office has provided citations for as many as six previous patents, the earliest of which was from 1936.

"It was damn hard to get a patent," Lover recalls. The patent application was accepted in June 1955 and finally granted in July 1959.

Which explains the letters PAF. Does it explain? The letters PAF appeared on pickups installed on guitars released in 1962, long after the patent was received.

Lover has a pertinent theory on this: "Gibson didn't want to give any leads on patent searches to those who wanted to make copies. I think that's why they kept putting the letters PAF on for quite some time." When it came time to put a patent number on the pickups, Gibson still fooled the copiers by "wrongly" putting the patent number on the bridge.

Guitarists who say they prefer the sound of humbuckers with the letters PAF note the differences in later versions, which are caused by slight changes in winding, magnet type and wire coating. Today, Seth Lover cannot remember exactly what modifications were made to his invention during the transition from the PAF marking to the patent number.

"The only change I know of is that Gibson made the caps gold from time to time and I think they put the gold too thick and the pickups lost high frequencies because gold is a very good conductor."

The July 1957 price list describes the Les Paul line thus:

• Les Paul Custom - $375;
• Les Paul (Goldtop) - $247.50;
• Les Paul Special - $179.5
• Les Paul TV - $132.50
• Les Paul Junior - $120
• Les Paul Junior 3/4 - $120

Sales of Gibson's original Les Pauls generally peaked in 1956 and 1957, and major variations on the Gibson Les Paul theme would later be based on these models. Many famous guitarists of different styles were carried away by the Gibson Les Paul in the 50s: Franny Beecher (guitarist of Bill Haley), bluesmen Guitar Slim, Freddie King and John Lee Hooker, rockabilly rebel Carl Perkins and many others.

Catalog pages 1958

cherry bicorns

In 1958, Gibson made sweeping changes to the Les Paul line and cosmetic changes to others. Junior, Junior 3/4 and TV have been given a new two-horned body. Tad McCarthy attributes the design changes to the needs of the guitarists. "They wanted to be able to pinch the 6th string with their pinky, and they couldn't do that as long as the notch was only on the bottom. So we made a second notch so they could get there. We did what the guitarists wanted, like we always did." The Junior's new look was complemented by a new cherry red finish. TV also received a two-horned body, and at the same time became even more yellow.

After the double-horned design was applied to the Special, the result was not successful. Gibson didn't take into account the fact that the front pickup notch weakened the neck-to-body connection, and many necks broke off in that area. The error was soon corrected by moving the front sensor deep into the case. The new two-horned Special was sold in cherry or the new TV yellow (although this caused much confusion later, the yellow Special was never called TV).

Sales of Les Paul goldtops began to dwindle, so in 1958 Gibson changed their look, switching to the more traditional cherry sunburst in an attempt to sell more guitars. Although the name Standard is widely used for these models among guitarists and collectors, Gibson did not call them Standard in their literature until 1960, the guitar was not named at all. We will call this model Sunburst.

A Gibson employee explains the switch to sunburst this way: "Something had to be done to stimulate interest. So in those years, the Sunburst model was supposed to really revive the high interest in the Les Paul." Although production in 1959 and 1960 was larger than the previous two years, the increase was modest and the Sunburst model was dropped in 1960.

Catalog pages 1960

In fact, Gibson Les Paul Sunbursts were only produced between 1958 and 1960, and Gibson's November 1959 price list lists them for $280. Among guitarists and collectors, it has since become the most expensive solid-body electric guitar of all time. Sunbursts usually sell for huge sums, far in excess of other collectible guitars, and the factor that determines their price usually has nothing to do with the sound or suitability of the guitars at all, but only with the appearance.

Goldtops usually had a maple top, made from two or more pieces of wood, securely hidden under gold paint. But now the maple upper was exposed under a clear sunburst finish. Gibson's woodworkers were more attentive to its appearance, and usually made a "book". "Book" is a technique where a piece of wood is split in two and then opened along the central cut (like a book), giving a mirror-symmetrical grain pattern.

engulfed in flames

The most desirable sunbursts are those with the most exuberant grain pattern showing through the coating. Joiners call these cut patterns "figures", and while any tree can produce figure cuts, the reasons why this happens are always unpredictable. Some trees give it, some don't.

The figures appear due to some genetic anomaly of the growing tree, which entails the destruction of the cells of the living wood. The visual effect of such a figure is also determined by the change in color as the tree grows, disease or damage, and in the same place where the tree is cut. Radial sawing - when cut so that the grains usually point out from the ends of the resulting boards - often gives the most attractive result, with the illusion of roughly parallel "fingers" or "valleys and hills" running across the cut. In the extreme, it looks spectacular.

This appearance has given rise to many descriptive terms, the most common of which is "flamed". Although technically it describes a different effect, it has been circulated among dealers, guitarists, and collectors and must be considered correct.

fast fading

The resulting visual effect of a 1958-1960 Les Paul was a random result depending on what cuts were in Gibson warehouses at the time. It looks like the company's curviest maple has been used on the backs of (semi)acoustic guitars, but even so, some Les Paul Sunbursts are breathtakingly beautiful. And at the same time, some are absolutely ordinary.

There is another factor that makes the Sunburst models look noticeably different. Paints used to create the sunburst effect, and especially red, can fade in different ways, which primarily depends on how much daylight the guitar has had throughout its life. Some particularly keen collectors claim to be able to tell how long a guitar has been hanging in a display case. In some cases, the original sunburst tint disappears completely, leaving the guitar in one rather pleasant honey tone.

Those who got a chance to play these guitars instead of storing them in bank vaults as part of an investment package note a few small changes made during the three years of production: small frets in 1958 and large frets in 1959-60; Thick, rounded neck in 1958-1959 and thinner and flatter in the 1960 version. But, as one US dealer says, "The top seems to be the biggest factor in buying a guitar like this. If it has a killer top that's been ditched and repainted, it's still going to cost more than a regular one. High prices, I think." because it's mostly not guitarists who buy them, these people are just looking at it, I've seen them buy these guitars without even listening to them, and they missed some great guitars because they looked and said no, no top, not interested…".

Looking for zebras

There is another nuance of that period, which is more about collecting stamps than guitars. In the late 1950s, Huges Plastics, one of Gibson's plastic component suppliers, ran out of black plastic for the bobbins, the bases around which wire was wound in pickups. For a while it was replaced by cream plastic, and over the years, the fashion for the removed covers revealed the difference in color. Some overactive collectors and guitarists even began to pay more for cream or cream black bobbins (later, among sunburst fans, they became known as "zebra").

Humbucker inventor Seth Lover lights up: "Yes, our supplier ran out of black material, but he had cream. We weren't going to stop production just because of that," he laughs, "so we ended up with some cream spools." I don't see any difference between the two...although I think cream is the best color in terms of winding because it shows the wire better than black."

If you take all Les Paul models in general, sales have dwindled after a peak in 1959. In 1961, Gibson decided to completely revamp the line in an attempt to revive a losing market.

Gibson invested $400,000 to expand their Kalamazoo factory in 1960, doubling the size of the factory by 1961. This was the third expansion to the original 1917 factory, with other buildings added in 1945 and 1950. But this new brick and steel shop building was more than twice the size of the previous additions combined, giving rise to a factory of more than 130,000 square meters. m, which occupied two blocks along Parsons Street in Kalamazoo.

One of the first series of new models to be updated by the new expanded production were the completely revised Les Pauls. Before we get into the history of the new guitars, it's worth clearing up the misunderstandings surrounding the many names Gibson gave to Les Paul models and developments from 1959-1963. Here's what happened:

The new model name - SG, which stands for "Solid Guitar" - was first used for a Gibson instrument in 1959. The two-horn design of the Les Paul TV remained, but in late 1959 they were released without the "Les Paul TV" logo on the headstock and became the SG TV model. The same thing happened to the Les Paul Special and the Les Paul Special 3/4, which became the SG Special and SG Special 3/4 in late 1959. Gibson marketing materials, usually lagging behind such changes, used the names SG TV in 1960, and SG Special and SG Special 3/4. - in 1961.

The Les Paul Junior were discontinued in 1961. The Les Paul Junior, "Standard" and Custom were completely redesigned in 1961. The familiar single-cut design was abandoned, and the new instruments were given two horns each with substantially turned horns. The 1961 Junior and Custom may have other shapes, but the old-style "Standard" or Sunburst was dropped in 1960. Initially, Gibson retained the Les Paul name on the redesigned versions: on the Junior's head, Standard truss cap, and Custom body plate.

Catalog pages 1962

In 1963, Gibson dropped the Les Paul name in the converted Les Paul Junior, Les Paul Standard, and Les Paul Custom, and gradually renamed them SG Junior, SG Standard, and SG Custom in their literature. In retrospect, the converted Junior, Standard and Custom referred to in point 3 are referred to by collectors and guitarists as "SG/Les Paul". "SG" is the body type that later became the official name, and "Les Paul" is the logo that remained on the 1961-63 models.

There are several stories about how the Les Paul name left the new "SG/Les Paul" models in 1963. Ted McCarthy, still the president of Gibson, says this was done for a number of reasons that made associations with Les Paul less commercial than they used to be.

Les Paul's popularity as an artist began to decline: Les Paul and Mary Ford had no more hits on Capitol since 1955, and left the label in 1958. They switched to Columbia, but with modest success.

The personal relationship between Paul and Ford began to deteriorate. Their separation was noted by Billboard magazine in May 1963: "Miss Ford now lives in California, and Paul lives in New Jersey," was the headline "Les and Mary Saying Goodbye." The couple officially divorced at the end of 1964, and in 1965 Paul took a ten-year hiatus from performing and recording.

Disclaimer on behalf

The main reason for leaving the Les Paul name on Gibson guitars in 1963 was his divorce from Ford. "The contract ended, I think, in 1962," recalls Paul, "just when Mary and I decided to separate."

He and Gibson agreed that they would delay further negotiations until a divorce was finalized. Paul didn't want to sign any new contracts bringing in new money while the divorce was going on, as he says himself, "because the lawyers would have demanded part of them against divorce alimony. So my contract ended in 1962 and Gibson could no longer make Les Paul guitars.

Catalog pages 1964

Paul also says that he didn't like the new design of the SG/Les Paul models and that was another reason for dropping the name. This is the reason usually given highest value. For example, in 1978, Paul told Tom Wheeler at American Guitars, "I saw the first SG/Les Pauls in a music store...and I didn't like the shape. You could get yourself killed by those sharp horns. They were too thin and they moved the front pickup away from neck to put my name in. The neck was too thin and I didn't like how it fit into the body, there was too little wood for my liking, so I called Gibson and asked them to remove my name from the thing. It wasn't my design."

However, Paul can be seen in various Gibson promotional photos holding an SG/Les Paul, and he holds one on the cover of his "Les Paul Now" album.

Super slim, handmade

The American musical instrument business magazine Music Trade, August 1961, contains an account of a gala banquet given at the close of the July NAMM show. The stars of the banquet were Les Paul and Mary Ford, and the photo clearly shows both of them with "old-fashioned" single-cut Gibson Les Pauls. Elsewhere in the same issue, a Gibson ad with the slogan "Solid Hit" features a picture of Paul and Ford promoting the new SG/Les Paul ("super thin, handmade, bihorned") models. So Paul, while under contract with Gibson, continued to play the original Gibson Les Pauls on stage, but at the same time Gibson used him to promote the new SG guitars.

Production of Les Paul models increased slightly when the new SG design was introduced in 1961, and the Kalamazoo factory produced just under 6,000 Gibson Les Pauls a year between 1961 and 1963. The September 1963 Gibson price list is one of the last to contain the Les Paul:

• "SG/Les Paul" Custom (White) - $450
• "SG/Les Paul" Standard (cherry) - $310,
• "SG/Les Paul" Junior - $155

Between 1964 and 1967, no Gibson guitars were listed under the Les Paul name, either in production or in company literature.

Sales and strikes

Sales of guitars in the US as a whole - including both acoustic and electric instruments - grew in the early 60s and peaked at 1,500,000 in 1965, after which sales declined and fell to the million mark in 1967. Sales of CMI guitars and Gibson amplifiers peaked at $19 million in 1966 and then began to fall on a general trend to $15 million in 1968.

Gibson production was hit not only by declining demand for guitars, but also by several strikes in the 60s, including a 16-day strike in 1966, which, according to Music Trends, led to "a turnover of qualified personnel" and meant that " Gibson's production efficiency remained relatively low throughout the year." Gibson was also unlucky with local weather conditions, nor with the fact that a "carrier strike in Chicago interrupted the movement of goods through the company's distribution center."

In 1962, a new home was built for Gibson's electronics department, and a separate factory was acquired to manufacture Gibson amplifiers, strings, and pickups. Guitar production remained on Parsons Street in Kalamazoo. Gibson president Thad McCarthy and his deputy John Huys left in 1966 after acquiring California musical accessory maker Bigsby and moving the company to Kalamazoo.

In February 1968, after several short-lived presidential chairs, Stan Rendell was appointed president of Gibson. Rendell had been with CMI since 1963 and was vice president of manufacturing. He told his boss, Maurice Berlin, that he was tired of the countless trips between CMI's factories, producing different products, including Lowrey organs, Olds brass, and Gibson. Berlin offered Rendall the chance to run Gibson - no easy task, it was later revealed.

"Mr. Berlin told me, you know, we're not doing well with Gibson," Rendell recalls. "They lost a million dollars in the previous two years." And just like that, Rendell became president of Gibson and was charged with improving the company's business.

Guitarist Bruce Bohlen was born in England and grew up in Chicago. He joined Gibson in 1967 as an organizer and participant in the company's promotional shows and concerts and, as Bohlen himself puts it, "the company's official guitarist." Gradually, over the years, Bohlen began to take on more responsibility and eventually became involved in the guitar design and marketing process.

Going back to the late 60s when he joined the company, Bohlen also recalls the deplorable state of affairs at Gibson: "One of the reasons I was hired was because sales of Gibson electric guitars were failing. All we had - SG plus semi-acoustics, and they didn't sell very well. The company at that time was based on flat-top acoustics. So I was hired mainly to start selling guitars."

He found that management at CMI and Gibson had no idea that interest in the Gibson Les Paul among rock guitarists was growing in the late 60s. "I was just some kind of punk and they were 50 or over," Bohlen recalls. its very valuable, because it gave a sound very appropriate to their music".

Bloomfield in the USA

Around 1965, blues-rock music boomed. Many white guitarists formed the core of this new musical movement, some inspired by the guitars used by their black idols. They found that the sound of a Gibson Les Paul, driven through an overdriven high-powered tube amp and multi-speaker cabinets, becomes so magically rich, emotional and very fitting for this fresh music trend.

American Michael Bloomfield was the first to gain serious attention when he picked up a Fender Telecaster to accompany Bob Dylan in his famous first "electric" performance at the Newport Festival in 1965. Bloomfield appeared the same year on Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited album. Soon after, he got his first Les Paul, a goldtop, and later acquired a Sunburst. He used it as a regular member of the Butterfield Blues Band on the 1966 improvisational album "East-West", which had a strong flavor of Indian music and jazz that made him very popular at the time.

Bloomfield's Super Session (1968) with Steve Stills and Al Cooper became a platinum bestseller. His appearance with the Les Paul Sunburst on the cover did a lot to increase the popularity of the guitar among American guitarists. Sadly, due to drugs, Mike Bloomfield died at 36 years old.

Clapton in Britain

In Britain, the most notable member of the Les Paul club was Eric Clapton. "The best Les Paul I ever owned was the one that was stolen during Cream's first rehearsals," he told the respected American guitar magazine Guitar Player in July 1985. "It was the one I played at John Mayal - a regular sunburst Les Paul that I bought in a London store right after I saw the cover of Freddie King's "Let's Hide Away and Dance Away" album, which he plays on a goldtop. He had humbuckers and he was practically brand new with the original case with that lovely purple trim on the inside, just magical. I never found another that was as good. I miss it so much." Coincidentally, this loss has resulted in many hopeful sunburst owners making the ill-founded claim that their personal Les Paul is "the former Bluesbreaker".

As a member of the Bluesbreakes, Clapton played a Les Paul Sunburst to great effect on the Blues Breakers album. This famous album came out in July 1966, a month before the Butterfield Blues Band released "East-West" with Bloomfield. Be that as it may, with the release of the albums, it was Bloomfield in America and Clapton in Britain who, more than anyone else, turned their colleagues towards the new sound of old Les Pauls.

In the UK, the search for old Les Pauls has become even more intense as a succession of respected guitarists have picked up the old model. Keith Richards of Rolling Stones was among the first stars seen with a Gibson Les Paul when he brought back the Sunburst from the 1964 American tour. Jimmy Page used a three-pickup Gibson when he was an active session player in the London studios in the mid-60s, and in the late 60s, at Led Zeppelin, he switched to Sunburst. What inspired Jeff Beck to switch from a Fender Esquire to a Les Paul Sunburst was seeing Eric Clapton playing one in the Bluesbreakers. Clapton's replacement in Mayal's band, Peter Green, used Sunburst to great advantage for the band, as well as for Fleetwod Mac, which he formed in 1967.

Prices for used instruments began to rise gradually, and letters from musicians pleading for help in finding these elusive Les Pauls appeared in the music press. "I'm having a lot of trouble finding a Gibson Les Paul Custom," wrote one A.P. Jones, in the August issue of Beat Instrumental, the leading rock magazine of the time, "Can you tell me where to find it? If you think it's impossible, can you tell me which guitar is close in sound?".

This request is for a Custom, but most guitarists would be happy with any guitar with a Les Paul badge. The magazine replied: "The Les Paul Custom is a highly sought-after instrument. It's impossible to find a new one, and even used ones are very rare. If you want one, you'll have to be patient." Beat went on to advise as an alternative to consider the slowly growing influx of Japanese copies being imported into Europe and the States. These oriental "replicas" of the period were actually of poor quality, but at least they looked similar and were available.

Legendary Les Pauls

The search for Les Paul did not stop. Again in the news column in the October issue of the same year, Beat stated the sad state of supply and demand. They wrote: "So many people are interested in buying the almost legendary Les Paul guitars that we did a little research…" followed by some sketchy information about dates and models, forgivable given the paucity of information about the history of the guitar in 1967. Beat summed up: "Some guitarists claim that you can buy new Les Pauls, but they are wrong ... so if you are offered a guitar and they say it's a Les Paul, be very careful."

Finally, Gibson were about to make a decision about their deteriorating position in the electric guitar market, and especially about the growing demand for their old Les Pauls.

Bruce Bohlen, Gibson's "playing manager," recalls that one day, shortly after he joined the company in 1967, Vice President Mark Carlucci asked him if he'd mind staying that evening at CMI headquarters in Chicago: "Mark said someone was coming to see us and we want your opinion on what he's going to show us. I asked who it was. And he said Les Paul."

"When I was a six-year-old, Les Paul was my first guitar hero," Bohlen continues, "So I was thrilled to have the chance to meet him. Gibson still wasn't ready to introduce the Les Paul again. I begged them!"

Les Paul's musical activity had been very inactive since the mid-1960s, but this meeting in 1967 marked the renewal of his association with Gibson and the start of the Les Paul replica program. Paul's recollection of the circumstances is typically blunt: "I called Gibson and said, Fender are bugging me and offering me a contract and my divorce from Mary is over. Do you want a contract? And Mr. Berlin said, strange that you called because we are closing the whole line electric guitar at Gibson. He said the electric guitar was dying out. And I said, can I meet you in Chicago? I want to invite you for a cup of coffee. We met a day later, and I talked him into making electric guitars again."

It may be that Mr. Berlin did consider "closing the entire line of power tools at Gibson", but there is little evidence that such a move was considered. Anyway, Gibson got a new contract with Paul and it looks like his royalties were about five percent of the "standard price" of each Les Paul - the in-house price that Gibson gave CMI guitars at a third of the retail price. Such calculations, for example, suggest that Paul received about $6.50 for every Les Paul model that retailed for $395.

By the time Stan Rendell became president of Gibson in early 1968, the decision to return to Les Paul production had already been made by CMI management, predominantly Maurice Berlin and Mark Carlucci.

At the Gibson plant in Kalamazoo, Rendell and his team faced their own challenges. Rendell recalls the state of affairs when he moved to Gibson: "We had all sorts of quality problems. We had personnel problems. We had problems with the union. We had endless problems."

The new boss, Rendell, got to work. He designed the management structure of the Gibson Kalamazoo factory, drew up production plans, improved control procedures, set up a separate warehouse facility, held regular meetings, and bought, as he says, "a ton of new equipment, anything. Mr. Berlin said, in the early years, "I worked there, there were more new ideas, new technology than in the entire history of Gibson before. We just caught the courage, we were interested. And if we didn't know something, we figured it out."

At the same time, Bruce Bohlen was engaged in promotional concerts for Gibson. He took a prototype of the forthcoming Les Paul Custom on tour in late 1967, as he recalls: "People were just tearing themselves apart from him, they couldn't wait for the same."

Les Paul: Comeback

Gibson decided to re-introduce the relatively rare two-pickup Les Paul Custom and Les Paul goldtops with P-90 pickups and Tune-o-matic bridge. The possibility of a custom white finish like the SG/Les Paul was initially discussed, but the sensibility of the white finish led the company to opt for the "right" black finish.

Gibson formally announced two new models at the June 1968 NAMM show in Chicago. The company's price list for that month contains, for the first time, two of the aforementioned Les Pauls: a $545 Custom and a $395 Goldtop. During this period, Gibson materials called the Goldtop Standard. This is confusing, as in the 50s, goldtops were never officially referred to as anything other than simply Les Paul. For the sake of clarity, we will continue to refer to these guitars as goldtops.

Les Paul was at NAMM to promote new guitars for Gibson, doing what he has always done best - performing. Bohlen recalls: "I provided Les with a rhythm section and it was the first time he'd been on stage in years. We had a lot of fun."

Gibson press ads with the slogan "Daddy of 'em all" showed that Gibson was eager to promote the guitars again: "The demand just never stopped. that real Gibson Les Pauls are still available. Fill out the form with your Gibson dealer…".

Shortly after the 1968 summer NAMM, new Custom and goldtop production began in Kalamazoo. Rendel says the first shipment, which took 90 days from lumberyard to finished goods warehouse, consisted of 500 guitars: 400 goldtops and 100 Custom. "And by the time we started, CMI wanted 100 Goldtops and 25 Customs a month, and until we stopped that we were making 100 Les Pauls a day. That's about 250-300 instruments a day." Gibson have apparently been successful in production; the only mystery from the perspective of many guitarists was why they waited so long.

CMI+ECL=Norlin

In 1969 there was an important change of ownership of Gibson. The musical instrument industry magazine Music Trades reported that the new owner, Norln Industries, came from a merger between CMI and ECL, an Ecuadorian beer company. ECL simply bought enough CMI shares to gain control of the company. Norlin's name comes from the merging of the first syllable of ECL president Norton Stevens' surname and the last syllable of CMI founder Maurice Berlin's surname. Norlin had three businesses: musical instruments, beer, and what Music Trades loosely called "technology." The takeover ended in 1974, and Maurice Berlin, a man widely respected in the music industry, stepped into the minor roles in the new structure, moving away from the management of the company.

Many people who worked at Gibson at the time now say that when the change of ownership happened, a new generation of employees suddenly appeared. The most common description - and the most polite - are Harvard men in suits, with slide rules and calculators. More specifically, they were MBA graduates from Harvard, armed with the tools of their craft. As one of the Gibson managers of that period says: “I think about people, technology, blanks ... and these new guys “solve” all problems on the calculator. They had nothing behind their souls, except for finding a place to invest money and make a profit, this was their motivation.

Gibson President Sten Rendell recalls that the new owners fundamentally changed how the business was organized: “When they came in, they said we were going to turn Gibson from a revenue center to a cost center. Before that, we were selling CMI guitars, which meant that the factory could make a profit. And with those profits, we used to buy equipment, increase employee bonuses, raise wages - anything a profitable company can do - but when they turned us into a cost center, we didn't sell anything - they just paid our bills, and when they did "They have destroyed the initiative. If someone bills, they pay it. So the biller doesn't think about billing too much or not at all."

Many Gibson employees during this period felt that managers who knew guitars were being replaced by managers who knew production. Some of the instruments from the period immediately after the Gibson takeover are in disrepute today. The new owners were generally indifferent to the needs of the musicians. One employee recalls: "Until 1974, everything was better than ever, and then everything changed. Too many people did too little, too much money was spent on very little, and this began to affect the famous foundations."

Interestingly, this tension is also reflected in the history of two other American guitar manufacturers: Fender (bought by CBS in 1965) and Gretch (bought by Baldwin in 1967). Obviously, it was in the spirit of the times when economic analysts were advising big corporations to diversify their businesses, throw in some money and sit back and wait for earnings.

From any point of view, it was not only Gibson themselves who felt the results of the new control methods. This shift towards streamlining production meant that changes were made to some of the Gibson guitars made in the 70s (and in some cases, the 80s). Basically, these innovations had three goals:

• save money;
• limit the number of warranty returns;
• speed up production.

The most common comment about Gibson Les Pauls from the 70s is that many of them were relatively heavy compared to examples from other periods. This is partly due to the increased density of wood that Gibson bought, but partly also to a change in body design that was followed from about 1969 to 1973.

Instead of the traditional mahogany/maple combination or all-mahogany construction, a multi-layered sandwich was chosen. It consisted of a maple top with two layers of mahogany underneath, separated by another layer of thin maple. When viewed from the side of a Les Paul of this design, the extra maple middle layer is striking.

The effect of adding an extra layer of oppositely directed fibers is called "cross-banding" - the method of transverse layers. Gibson's internal technical bulletin stated that this was done in order to strengthen the body and prevent cracking. "It's a standard method in the furniture industry," says Stan Randall, "it tightens the wood."

It could also make it easier for Norlin to stock up on blanks, as the thinner mahogany for the necks could also be used for the body. But in 1973, "sandwiches" were no longer made: there were complaints that the layers were drying out, and the additional labor required for such a construction unnecessarily increased the cost.

Around 1969, Gibson changed the neck construction from solid mahogany to a stronger three-ply construction, and in 1974 to three-ply maple for even greater strength. Also, around 1969, they put on the neck at the place where it passes into the head, the so-called "volute" - a triangle, which theoretically strengthened this obviously weak point. Another change that minimized the problems of the same spot that appeared at the same time was a slight decrease in the angle at which the head was bent down. Such seemingly practical changes did not make the Gibson popular among traditionalists.

Epi goes hunting

Through the efforts of Gibson's guitar division, the goldtops reintroduced in 1968 later changed style and names. In practice, this means that the first revived goldtops lasted only from 1968 to 1969. A year later came the Les Paul Deluxe, the first Les Paul with a name in 14 years.

The Deluxe came about at the request of Gibson marketers, who were told by dealers that the performers needed goldtops with humbuckers (rather than the P90 single-coils as on the replica). But it looks like Gibson wanted to keep the visual look of the guitar with downsized pickups, and a compromise was needed.

Jim Durlo joined Gibson in 1958 as a grinder and has come a long way in the factory. In 1969, he was in charge of the blanks shop in Kalamazoo and was given the task of installing humbuckers on the Deluxe... without additional processing costs. His only solution was to fit the humbucker into the P90's volume. He considered several options, eventually settling on using an Epiphone mini-humbucker, such as those found on Epiphone Rivera and Sorrento semi-acoustic models and Crestwood and Wilshire boards.

Gibson purchased Epiphone around 1957. According to Ted McCarthy, who was president of the company at the time of the deal, Gibson thought that for the $200,000 bid they would only acquire the bass business. In fact, it ended up literally acquiring the entire Epiphone company: guitars, parts, equipment, and everything else. "We only discovered it when they shipped it all in a big furniture truck," says McCarthy, who had to rent space in another building on Eleanor Street in Kalamazoo to get Epiphone blanks ready for final assembly on Parsons Street. "I gave it to Ward Arbanas, and we started making Epiphone guitars, just like Epiphone made them, down to the last detail," says McCarthy.

Epiphone production at Gibson in 1959-61 was already done entirely at Parsons Street and many good guitars were made.

Gibson kept the brands of the most famous Epiphone guitars, and the rest of the new items were the "equivalents" of the Gibson models but from Epiphone, for example, the Casino, which was very similar to the Gibson ES-330 (only with the Epiphone logo, of course).

In 1969, the Epiphone line was ending, and the most likely reason seems to be that Epiphone prices were more or less the same as Gibson's. As a result, buyers preferred more famous name Gibson, which meant falling demand for Epiphone. Again, the issue of price required action, and in 1970 Gibson discontinued production of the Epiphone in the US, and began to use the brand name on cheaper guitars imported from eastern factories.

Jim Durlo adapted mini humbuckers for the Gibson Les Paul Deluxe by taking the body from the P90, cutting a hole in it and putting a small Epiphone pickup inside... which Gibson now had in abundance. The result satisfied everyone: the appearance was preserved, the pickup was a humbucker and no additional processing costs were required. “At first it was done rudely,” Dyurlo recalls the cuts in the R-90 cases, “but then we made a special tool for this, with which they sawed and drilled the case.”

At first, the Deluxe was produced only in gold tops, but then sunburst and other colors appeared, and production continued until the mid-1980s. They appeared on the Gibson price list in September 1969, priced at $425.

The goldtop model, which, as you may remember, was re-released in 1968 with a P-90 and a Tune-o-matic bridge, was dropped after the 1969 Deluxe. But around 1971, Gibson released a new replica of the goldtops, this time with a reversible bridge/tailpiece, like the second version of the original 50s model. Les Paul suggests that Gibson simply used old cases left over from the 50s. These goldtops lasted until 1972 but did not appear on the company's price lists.

Name on details

At this time, Gibson took the rather selfish step of putting the company's logo on the P-90. Both the pickups found on 1971 goldtops and other Gibson electric guitars bore this brand. In practice, a ridiculous situation arose where dealers who wanted to keep a stock of spare parts had to order two completely different pickups for guitars with two identical pickups. This was to ensure that the Gibson logo would not turn upside down when mounted pole-to-neck or bridge-mounted. Later, in the 70s, the logo was abandoned.

As we can see, Les Paul's guitar design ideas didn't necessarily match the guitar styles that Gibson considered commercially successful. In the 1950s and 60s, one of Paul's most non-trivial passions was low-impedance sensors. Today, low-impedance components are often used in pickup design due to improvements in adjacent components, but then Paul was a loner. The vast majority of guitars and guitar equipment was high impedance.

Paul explained his reasons for working with low impedance pickups to John Sievert in the December 1977 Guitar Player magazine: "I learned early enough in my electronics studies that low impedance was the way to go. "If you walk into a professional studio and someone offers you a high-impedance microphone, you'll think he's crazy."

He goes on to explain the obvious advantages of low-impedance pickups: they, he says, "do not pick up the sound of a cash register or neon lights" - which is simply a consequence of their low output - and can be used effectively with long cables without much loss in low frequencies. But the real benefit of low-impedance pickups is their wide timbre, though of course this isn't necessarily to everyone's taste.

Low impedance pickups need to boost their signal somewhere before it reaches the amplifier, unless the guitarist is playing directly into a mixer or other device that can accept low impedance signals. Paul used a direct recording method, and the wide frequency range of his low-impedance pickups is partly responsible for the clarity of sound he achieved when recording.

Impedance reduction

When Paul came to Gibson in 1967 to discuss the revival of the Les Paul guitar, he spoke with great passion about his beloved low-impedance pickups, and how Gibson should use them on some of their instruments.

Bruce Bohlen was at the meeting, and he recalls: "Although he talked about how we should revive the Les Paul, he also had a novelty that he was trying to introduce to Gibson - a low-impedance pickup. He made a couple of special guitars for them, with such pickups "and I had to compare them to our humbuckers. A lot of people, specifically at that time, didn't really understand what Les was trying to explain. So Gibson asked me to use my ear - and it was a revelation in terms of partial range."

So, in 1969, the first wave of Gibson Les Pauls with low-pedal pickups appeared: the Les Paul Professional, Les Paul Personal, and Les Paul Bass. While Bohlen recalls some of the original flat-top prototypes with very thin profiles, it appears that CMI boss Maurice Berlin wanted these proposed models to be a half-inch larger in contour to be more noticeable on stage or on TV.

Despite the purpose of the guitar electronics for recording in the studio and the fact that the extra weight would mean a very heavy guitar, this oversized size was adopted by the Professional and Personal series.

The Personal name comes from one of Paul's personal modified Les Pauls, even the mic jack on the side of the guitar was copied. But in general, the need for such a detail could not be wide.

Catalog pages 1970

The Personal and Professional had a complex set of controls, and reading the Gibson manual for these instruments leaves the impression that these guitars were made for engineers, not guitarists. In addition to the familiar treble and bass tone knobs, volume and pickup switch, there is an 11-position "Decade" switch "to adjust the high frequencies", a three-position tone switch for creating various combinations of circuits, and a pickup phase switch. The Personal also had a volume control on the useful built-in mic input.

Both guitars required connection via a specially supplied cord with a built-in transformer that increased the output from low impedance humbucking stacks to a level acceptable for operation with normal high impedance amplifiers. "Otherwise, this tool will not function correctly," the instruction warned. It is not calculated how many Personal or Professional owners found themselves at a concert without their “Impedance Transforming Cord” and were forced to entertain the audience with jokes, a cappella singing, and so on.

Undoubtedly, those who turned to these new, sophisticated toys were able to make the guitar "play literally every modern timbre and make sounds not previously possible with an electric guitar," as the Gibson booklet said. But the guitars were not very successful and did not last long in the Gibson line. Their rather mild brown color, due to natural mahogany, didn't work in an era when competitors were busily churning out plain guitars in bright colors.

The Les Paul Bass was the first Gibson bass to bear the Les Paul name, and was similar to low impedance guitars. It had two slanted pickups with a black cap, but only a phase switch and a tone selector from the whole guitar circuitry. He also needed a special cord, and in the same way it was not produced for long.

Gibson's September 1969 price list included three low-impedance Les Pauls: Personal $645, Professional $485 and Bass $465. Gibson also made a special LP12 combo and LP1 amplifier, both with switchable impedance for these guitars (allowing the guitarist to also use standard cords). They are on the Gibson price list for September 1970 - $1110 for LP12 and $505 for LP1.

In 1970, Gibson released a very unusual instrument, the Les Paul Jumbo. It was an acoustic with a flat soundboard, a round rosette and a cutout. It had a low-impedance pickup on top, and a row of deck-attached controls (volume, treble, bass, Decade, and a bypass switch to disconnect the tone circuit from the circuitry) lined up. Very few Les Paul Jumbos were made, and it's not hard to see why. They last appeared on the Gibson price list in November 1971 for $610.

The company made a second attempt to introduce a series of low impedance instruments in 1971. First, the Professional/Personal body was downsized to near-normal Les Pauls and had a profiled back. The still needed transformer was then placed in the guitar itself, and a switch installed to allow selection of both low and high output impedance. Finally, they renamed the guitar to the apparently more appropriate Les Paul Recording. The bass underwent similar modifications, and although it was now called the Les Paul Triumph Bass, it was still referred to as the Les Paul Bass in some Gibson literature.

Brochure pages 1971

The Gibson price list for June 1971 shows the Les Paul Recording at $625 and the Les Paul Triumph Bass at $515. This second wave of low impedance models lasted until the late 70s. Bruce Bohlen attributes the lack of success of low-impedance models to taste: "The tops on these guitars were so clean that they didn't have enough harmonic distortion to please rock players."

Named weapon

In 1974, the company launched the Les Paul Signature with two pickups and the Les Paul Signature Bass with one in a series of thin guitars. As Bruce Bohlen explains, "These were basically asymmetrical 335s, only they didn't have a full center block like the 335s." They, however, had a block under the bridge, and in this they were similar to the Gibson ES330 (in fact, the 335s lost by a short time during this period its central block). Although early Signatures were sold with rounded pickups similar to the Professional, Personal and Recording stacked humbuckers, most Signatures were sold with rectangular low-impedance pickups with conventional adjacent coils.

Catalog pages 1975

Some of the controls on the Signature were the same as previous low-impedance models, but the 11-position "Decade" was stripped down to a three-position switch and lost its name. A notable feature of the Signature was the presence of two output jacks - one at the end, for normal high-impedance connections, and one at the front, for connection to low-impedance equipment such as mixers. The same was implemented on the latest version of the Recording model. The Signature never truly captured the imagination of guitarists and were discontinued by the late 1970s. The February 1974 Gibson price list lists the Signature at $610 and the Signature Bass at $540.

In 1974, Gibson recalled that it had been 20 years since the first Les Paul Custom, which they celebrated by releasing the Custom with a matching "Twentieth Anniversary" inlay at the 15th fret, instead of the usual white marker. It was Gibson's first anniversary model (and the only predecessors in the electric guitar market were the Gretch, which released four anniversary models in 1958 to celebrate the company's 75th anniversary). The 20th Anniversary Les Paul Custom created a strong marketing tradition, and several Anniversary Les Pauls have since appeared. As one of the former Gibson employees says: "Whenever there was an anniversary, we released such a guitar."

By that time, the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo employed about 600 people who were making 300 guitars a day. Demand for guitars increased from the early 70s, and as a result, Gibson's parent company, Norlin, decided to build a second factory in Nashville, 500 miles from Kalamazoo.

No doubt there were many factors in the choice of location, but the one that topped Norlin's list was the fact that Tennessee was "workable" - in other words, there were unions, but workers could choose whether to join or not. Michigan, as well as the lion's share of the northeastern states, had much stronger unions and established agreements with them that implied compulsory union membership, as well as generally higher salaries and insurance.

The recent strikes at Gibson cost Norlin dearly, so the new 11,000 sq. m in Nashville was built not only to increase production, but also with the prospect of reducing the cost of labor agreements.

Work began on a new site five miles east of Nashville in 1974, and the factory opened in 1975. It took some time to prepare the new workforce. Stan Rendell, then still president of Gibson, says, "A small number of people were moved from Kalamazoo to Nashville to manage, but the workers didn't move. So everyone had to be hired and trained, and that takes time. I think the Les Paul guitar needs average eight or ten man-hours of labor. So if you're going to make, say, 100 guitars a day, you need 125 or more workers - and that's without support staff. It takes time to train management, workers, everyone. So we sent some key people."

Kalamazoo vs. Nashville

The original intention was to use both factories and the new Nashville factory would only make acoustic guitars. Stan Rendell says trying to make acoustic and electric guitars in the same place is like trying to make trucks and cars in the same factory. They require different attention different stages production.

"The biggest challenge," says Rendell, "is scheduling the factory so that everyone is always on the job. For example, the amount of work on an electric guitar is huge, while all you have to do with acoustics is put on tuners and string strings so what type of guitar is going through final assembly at any given time has a big impact on the load.What I wanted was to spin off and move the flat-body acoustic production out of Kalamazoo and have a group of people who would know nothing but acoustic guitars , in Nashville."

Unfortunately, the new acoustic project being made in Nashville was the Mark series, one of the most unsuccessful Gibson acoustics. The guitars were full of technical and design problems, and as one of the former employees says: "The Mark series was a fiasco." Failing, management decided to move most of the Les Paul series, the most successful part of the board line at the time, to Nashville. Ken Killman, Gibson's customer service manager, told Melody Maker in 1975, "In the '60s we couldn't sell electric guitars, but now the Les Paul line is the best-selling line of all."

The Kalamazoo factory has always been considered "soft", which meant that the machines and setups used to make the guitars could be modified and adapted to suit the circumstances. The Nashville factory was born "tough," which meant it had many heavy machines and setups that never changed settings.

Of the two factories that Gibson used until the late 70's and early 80's, the Nashville factory was set up to produce many models in very large quantities, while the Kalamazoo factory was more flexible and had the potential to specialization in small batches. Nashville was the obvious choice for producing the most massive Gibson electric guitars of the day, the Les Paul Custom and Les Paul Deluxe, as well as other electric guitars.

Catalog pages 1975

As if to highlight the contrast between the capabilities of the two factories, Gibson introduced two new Les Paul models in 1976. The first was the Pro Deluxe - just a Deluxe with P90 pickups and an ebony pickguard. It was produced in large quantities in Nashville.

Another new model for 1976 was The Les Paul, an impressive limited edition model featuring the finest wood throughout virtually the entire instrument. Many parts that would have been made of plastic on a conventional guitar have been hand-turned from rosewood: the pickguard, backplates, knobs and truss cap. Raw bodies and necks of beautiful maple and embellished ebony were produced at the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo. Further work on the multicolored piping, abalone inlays and handcrafted woodwork continued at Dick Schneider's independent workshop, a mile from the Kalamazoo factory. Schneider, along with his brother Donnie and Abe Vecter with Gibson, completed The Les Paul guitars.

Very few The Les Pauls were made, and although a common four-digit typo in Gibson's own recordings obscures the full number, clearly fewer than 100 were made between 1976 and 1979 (mostly the first year). Schneider moved from Kalamazoo during this period. , and Gibson employees say that some later The Les Pauls were therefore made entirely in the Gibson factory. The limited stock of Schneider's handcrafted wood pieces ran out, so conventional plastic pieces were used instead, along with less sophisticated edging.

Each Les Paul had a numbered oval plate on the back of the headstock. Bruce Bohlen remembers flying to Hollywood to present Number 25 to Les Paul, just before the 1977 Grammy Awards, where Paul and Chet Atkins received an award for their Chester & Lester album.

"The Les Paul was a fun project," recalls Stan Rendell. "They were great guitars, the wood was so beautiful. I remember not saying anything to CMI until we made them. We presented them at NAMM and I remember CMI president at the time, Les Propp, asked how much we would asking for that guitar. I said, well, 3,000 bucks. He was speechless," Rendell laughs. The price quoted for The Les Paul was four times the price of the most expensive Les Paul on Gibson's June 1976 price list, the $739 Custom.

Catalog pages 1978

Official Standard

There didn't seem to be enough fun projects to keep Stan Rendell interested in Gibson management, and in November 1976 he resigned. After several short-term replacements in 1980, Gibson was taken over by Marty Loak, formerly of the CMI organ business in Lowrey.

From the mid-to-late 70s, Gibson were more and more into variations on the Les Paul theme, and less and less into innovations. In 1975 the Standard was introduced. The truss cap was stamped with "Standard", finally making the use of the word in relation to older Les Pauls inside and outside Gibson incorrect. The new Standard was the stock model in sunburst, and later in other colors, and two humbuckers.

Another model 25/50 Les Paul symbolized the 25th anniversary of Les Paul's collaboration with Gibson (which was supposed to happen in 1977) and his 50th year in the music business. The gold and silver commonly associated with such dates were reflected in the guitar's chrome and gold-plated hardware, and Chuck Burge of Gibson's engineering department made a special commemorative pearl and abalone inlay on the guitar's headstock. The guitars had a three-digit personal number on the back of the neck, along with the standard serial number, and Les Paul was given instrument number 001 at a Gibson gala given in his honor. The tool was launched in 1978.

Despite their relatively high price (about $1,200), the Kalamazoo-made 25/50 sold well, illuminating a market ready for expensive Les Pauls for Norlin. But management also relied on the opinion of the Gibson sales department as a market demand: an example from that period is the Les Paul KM, one of six series of unimpressive instruments made for the southern region. "KM" means, of course, "Kalamazoo Model".

Tim Shaw joined Gibson in 1978 after working in California and Kalamazoo as a guitar luthier. His first months at Gibson were spent at a pickup factory in Illinois, but by early 1979 he was already working with Bruce Bohlen in the Kalamazoo R&D department and working with Chuck Burge and Abe Wächter on prototypes, personal instrumentation and new designs. Shaw recalls that one of the first prototypes he worked on became a Les Paul Artist model that used a set of active electronics originally designed for Gibson RD instruments. In the late '70s, synthesizers were serious business, and Norlin decided that working with one of the biggest names in the business, Moog, would help capture what new keyboards were taking away from guitars. The Gibson RD line was launched in 1977 but did not become popular. Many guitarists disliked active electronics and this was a key factor in the failure of the RD series. Gibson felt that the reason was more in the radical design and went by combining RD technology with traditional design.

“In 1979, Gibson decided to bring the RD concept to two of their more traditional series, the ES and Les Paul,” Shaw explains. “We had to redesign the board because the original RD circuit was too big to fit anywhere. two boards, which still meant we'd have to take a lot of wood out of the Artist guitars, but what I didn't fully accept, until a while, was that guitarists are very conservative people, and no one really needed a Les Paul, who could do it all. Someone once said that with these Artists, one turn of the switch could spell disaster."

Catalog pages 1980

Artist lasted until 1981, and were quietly withdrawn. A more successful project was the Les Paul Heritage, one of the first conscious attempts to make a Les Paul in a way that many people think Gibson can't do anymore. Since the late 60s, a solid market for so-called "vintage" guitars (which until then were simply called second-hand or even old) has grown. It was fueled by a general feeling that Gibson were making guitars "not the way they used to be", coupled with a clear preference by popular guitarists of the day for older instruments.

well forgotten old

Some American dealers who specialized in used instruments have already started ordering select "retro" spec models from the Gibson plant in Kalamazoo, which has become increasingly leaning towards specialty guitars since the Nashville factory was founded. Jim Durlo, factory manager at the time, recalls dealers such as Leo's and Guitar Trader ordering these "retro" Les Pauls.

"They were removed from the assembly line and brought to the required condition," says Dyurlo about special orders. “At that time, we didn’t make instruments that looked like the old ones. We made what was in the catalog of that period, not a guitar with a faded top,” he continues, “I remember that Guitar Trader selected every top and were very picky to the color."

During this time, in 1979, Chuck Burge began making prototypes for the Les Paul Heritage Series. Tim Shaw recalls: "They were our first approach to answering questions like what was the best thing about these guitars? Do we make them the same way now? And if not, why not? Management didn't want to hear about it at first, but we fought for it." fangs and claws."

The development team used a 1954 template to profile the top of the body, changed the neck design to a 3-piece neck design free of the then-standard back of the headstock boss, and moved a little closer to the specifications of the older pickups. Beautiful woods were chosen for the top of the new Les Paul Heritage.

Bruce Bohlen, head of the development team at the time, managed to persuade Norlin to put the "retro" Heritage guitars into production - not as standard Les Pauls, however, but as separate, valuable limited edition instruments not included in the company's main price list. Launched in 1980, two models of the Heritage series were the Heritage Standard 80 and the Heritage Standard 80 Elite, the latter with an ebony fingerboard and flattened top.

Influenced by Heritage models, or because of attention to the demands of the market in general, but Gibson at that time began to get rid of some of the production tricks introduced in the 70s, in particular, removing the "volute" (volute) and gradually returning to vultures from one piece.

The July 1980 price list contains six Les Paul models:

• Artist - $1299
• Artisan - $1099 (It's a kind of decorated Custom)
• Custom - $949 (gold hardware), $899 (nickel)
• Pro Deluxe - $889
• Standard - $849

According to some Gibson employees, it appears that in 1980 Norlin decided to sell Gibson. Later, an article in Music Trade magazine reported that in 1981 Norlin had an incurable debt burden due to constant losses in the music business, which led to the sale of a lucrative technology and beer division in 1982. In addition to Gibson and Gibson Accessories, Norlin's music divisions included Lowrey organs, Moog synthesizers and the Orchestral Instruments division.

Catalog pages 1983

As an example of Norlin's falling profits, Gibson's sales fell 30% in 1982 alone to $19.5 million from $33.5 million in 1979. Of course, not only Gibson were in decline. The guitar market as a whole literally collapsed, and most American manufacturers suffered in much the same way. Costs were high, economic circumstances and currency fluctuations were against them, and Japanese competitors were stepping up their pressure.

Norlin's overall losses in the music business were high, according to Chairman Norton Stevens' message to shareholders: "The loss from operations before the $22.6 million write-off was $11 million," he said. Norlin "supported the music business, which has dwindled in importance in recent years," Stevens continued, putting on a good face on bad acting. He argued that Norlin's goal was "to invest in the work for the benefit of future profits." In 1984 Stevens left the board of directors of Norlin.

Norlin moved some sales, marketing, finance, and administration personnel from Chicago to Nashville around 1980. All major production was now in Nashville, while the Kalamazoo factory was being turned into specialty production for special orders, as well as banjos and mandolins. Plant manager Jim Durlo told Disc International magazine in 1982: "The plant now produces predominantly special models, which we call "custom shop", in small batches of 25-100, sometimes a little more. Kalamazoo is more of a huge workshop, and we are proud of our tradition and skill.

Trouble in Kalamazoo

In July 1983, Gibson President Marty Locke informed Jim Durlo that the Kalamazoo plant would be closed. Last works in Kalamazoo were made in June 1984, and the plant closed three months later, after more than 65 years of faithful service since the Gibson building was built. It was a very exciting period for the managers and workers who worked at the plant for a long time.

One employee says people knew the closure of the Kalamazoo plant was imminent: "On top of that, the Kalamazoo plant was falling apart, a very old building, so far gone in history. The Nashville plant was new, big, great production... Which made things worse , is the impossibility of supporting the business of two plants at once, and there was only one choice." This observer also notes that, from a business standpoint, it would certainly be easier to work only with the Nashville factory, and its more acceptable labor agreements and costs.

Tim Shaw also recalls those past goals. "Jim Durlo, to his credit, fought hard to keep the Kalamazoo factory from closing, but he lost. And when the announcement came, he gathered the whole factory and said something like this. Look, they decided to close the plant. You worked for the company for a long time and I'm really sorry this happened, but you're all professionals, you've been here for a long time, you have traditions to be proud of, and as we shrink before closing, I want you to stay professional. Leave with a smile."

“And I think, for the most part, they did just that,” Shaw continues, “But it was very painful to see how every Friday 30-60 people were lost. I think Dyurlo did everything in his power in terms of support spirit and keeping everything in a professional framework. Several key figures were offered positions in Nashville, but Durlo, along with Marv Lam, who had been with Gibson since 1956, and J.P. Motes, who had been with Gibson for about the same length, decided to leave. They leased part of the Kalamazoo factory and founded the Heritage guitar company in April 1985. They continue this business today: Heritage has 15 employees, a line of 35 models and they made about 1500 guitars in 1992. As Marv Lam says, "We all grew up making guitars and didn't know anything else. We could have found another job, but we wanted to do what we know best."

Focus on Nashville

While the emphasis at the Nashville plant was on large batches of a small number of Gibson models, this gradually changed as it became accustomed to the new role of the company's sole production facility. For example, in 1983 Nashville released the Spotlight Special, a limited edition using different components.

From the production of the removed models - The Paul and The SG - a nut remained. Several narrow pieces of wavy maple were found in the timber yard. Nashville managers combined these elements and added rosewood veneer and dark edging from a Chet Atkins model. The result of the cocktail was the Les Paul Spotlight Special, with the body showing a distinctive central stripe of walnut between two maple "wings". The model appears to symbolize the official opening of the Custom Shop division in Nashville, with the "Custom Shop" logo and series number on the back of the headstock, followed by the date "83" and three numbers.

In 1983, a longer-lived model, the Studio, also appeared. Gibson decided they needed a cheaper Les Paul guitar, as one of the design team says, "We took all the bling off." This basically meant no binding on the body and neck, which meant a more straight forward look. Bruce Bohlen recalls the process of choosing a name for the model, which went nowhere until Bohlen visited the studio that evening: "A light bulb went on in my head, and I thought, let's call it Studio. What can be more associated with the Forest than Studio?". In the mid-80s, Bohlen became vice president of marketing and development at Gibson, and in 1986 he left the company after 19 years of hard work.

The Les Paul Studio appeared for the first time on the January price list at $699, $300 less than any Les Paul of that period. Studio has gone through several changes since its inception. At first they had a normal-sized body, but, unusually for a Gibson, alder. However, aesthetic problems related to the lacquer used quickly led to a move to the proven maple and mahogany combination. The new body was 1/8 inch thinner than other Les Pauls, resulting in a reduction in weight and manufacturing cost.

Around 1986, some Studios began to come out with ebony fingerboards instead of rosewood - which they saw as a luxury for a relatively inexpensive guitar. One Gibson employee explains it this way: "Gibson buys a certain grade of ebony, but doesn't know how good it is until it's been machined. Very ebony is the highest grade and is used in the best instruments.

Gibson never paints the fretboards, so you end up with some worse ebony with brown streaks. It is called grade C ebony and cannot be used on expensive guitars. So there's a whole family of instruments - and the Studio is a prime example, because they're made in large numbers - that use either rosewood or C-grade ebony, depending on availability. If there is a lot of Grade C ebony in stock, Gibson uses it. If for some reason it runs out, rosewood is used."

Early Studios had dot markers, standard for cheap Gibson models. Around 1990, they began to put a more stylish "trapezoid" - a marketing solution for a more attractive look. A few years after 1984, a variant with a bound body and neck appeared, the Studio Standard, and another variant was the Studio Custom with gold-plated hardware. In 1993, the Studio was still the cheapest Les Paul in the Gibson line at $899.

Gibson for sale

As you may remember, Norlin put the Gibson up for sale around 1980. In the summer of 1985, they finally found buyers, and in January 1986, Henry Yushkevich, David Berryman, and Gary Zebrowski purchased the entire Gibson business for an undisclosed sum (variously estimated by the press at the time to be between $5 million and $10 million). At the time, Norlin's core business was the print business, and Gibson were the last piece of a once-great music empire left to sell.

Yushkevich, Berryman, and Zebrowski first met in the late 1970s while studying at Harvard. Yushkevich majored in engineering and investment banking, Berryman in finance, and Zebrowski in marketing. Also, very importantly, Henry Juszkiewicz was a guitar enthusiast, a guitarist who loved Gibson instruments: "He's a real fan," says one of the staff.

The three went into business together, teaming up in 1981 and turning a money-losing electronics company into a profitable business. When they bought Gibson in 1986, Yushkevich became president, Berryman became vice president of finance, and Zebrowski continued to run the electronics business.

Under new owners

The immediate result of the change in ownership was the layoff of many people, including the plant manager, the quality control manager, and many others. Few will find this a popular first step. “It was frightening,” admits one eyewitness in the early 90s, “but Henry got what he got. Judging by the results, he revived the company from the dead.”

Yushkevich admitted to a reporter in early 1986 that he was, as he says, in the process of restructuring Gibson production. He said the updated Gibson would be exceptionally aggressive in developing and releasing new products, and argued that they would be more inventive in sales and marketing than ever with more competitive pricing.

"It worked well," says Yushkevich today, "but I knew for sure that first there would be two years of living hell." Turning to the ever-popular Les Paul, Juszekwicz says he inherited the bad relationship between Gibson and Les Paul himself. "Les obviously had a vested interest in the success of his guitars, and they killed them, so he was very annoyed. Les lives in New Jersey and Kramer (Kramer, a local guitar maker) saw him all the time - he even made a video for MTV talking about how good Kramer guitars are, so I got in direct contact with Les right away, and that fixed the problem, I listened to what he had to say: he wanted to see a cheap Les Paul in our Epiphone line, for example, and we ended up putting that into business for a few years."

JT Riboloff joined Gibson in 1987, having moved from Nashville from his native California where he worked as a guitar luthier. He was accepted into the Gibson Custom Shop and soon began working on new models. Tim Shaw was transferred from the Custom Shop and development department to Gibson's international department and flew frequently to Korea to help expand the Epiphone line. He left Gibson in 1992 after 14 years with the company.

"Old ladies" and lost specifications

In 1985, two new Les Paul "replicas" were released. Gibson were now well represented by the continued demand in the seething vintage Les Paul market. The Heritage Series of the 80s was only a partial take on a true replica of the famous old Les Pauls. Re-issues were the next step - both forward and backward at the same time.

The February 1985 price list shows the $1299 Re-issue Goldtop and the $1599 Sunburst Re-issue (noticeably more expensive than the next most expensive Les Paul guitar, the normal Custom at $1049). These were generally high quality versions of the existing Standard, Goldtop and Sunburst models, the latter featuring a selected waved maple top. Gibson then gradually tried to improve the "authenticity" of their Re-issues, driven by constant demand from customers looking for the perfect copy of those sacred instruments of the 50s.

"When I came to Gibson in 1987, the Les Paul Re-issue was just a Standard with a wave top," Riboloff says. "Slowly but surely, we were allowed to move a little further." The basic Re-issue model is commonly referred to as the 59 Re-issue, due to its overall similarity to the 1959 Sunburst. Since its introduction in 1985, small "adjustments" have been made including: a smaller "retro" headstock; exceptionally beautiful maple top; new top profile to better match the original body contours; changing the neck treatment for the same reasons; slight decrease in the inclination of the neck; holly veneer on headstock; the correct groove for the notch for the timbre block; an old-style Tune-o-matic bridge and a longer neck tongue where the neck joins the body. This was the condition of the "new" 59 Re-issue presented at the 1993 NAMM, with Gibson's closest approximation to specifications 50. Another thing is that to determine these lost specifications in itself was a labor.

Riboloff says: "For the Re-issue, I looked at probably 25 different Les Paul Sunbursts from 1958-60. They were all different," he laughs. For example, he says, none of the headstocks were the same. “The tuning pegs could be moved forward or back, the neck curve started in a different place, the scrolls were shorter or the logo was different,” he says. “There was no hard technology back then, so they are all different. In fact, there is no one “correct” copy. So with these 25 in hand, we took the best of each tool - finish, profile, and so on - and put it all together."

Tim Shaw remembers the famous "old ladies" Gibson, who did a lot of manual work in the factory during the era of the great models of the 50s. “They sanded the old models differently every time,” he says. “It just pissed me off when different people told me, oh, the Gibson logo should be here, and the words “Les Paul Model” should be there. What do you think , I said, those women who pasted the inscriptions, did they measure it? No!

"What's the correct specification for an early Les Paul?" Shaw laughs at the question without answer and concludes, "Who knows!"

One aspect of Les Pauls that leaves less room for debate is their weight. Some are no doubt heavier than others, but overall the Les Paul is a heavy guitar. Gibson were determined to do something about it. The weight is due mainly to the density of the mahogany. J. T. Riboloff points to extremes: “You can have two pieces of the same size, one can weigh two kilograms and the other can weigh ten. The difference is due to the amount of minerals absorbed by the tree as it grows, especially silicon. Of course, we do not use extremely heavy material. It goes for crafts, very good for small wooden mallets," he laughs.

X-ray and Swiss cheese effect

The new owners inherited the desire to reduce the weight of the mahogany. Since 1982, Nashville has been drilling a series of small cavities into the "red" half of the body of the Les Paul, in what some observers have tactfully referred to as the "Swiss cheese" effect. Of course, once the maple top was installed, these holes were invisible, except perhaps to touring musicians who paid attention to airport x-rays.

"I don't think it makes much of a difference in sound," says Tim Shaw of "Swiss cheese," because the holes are too small to work as resonating cavities. And new Gibson president Henry Yushkevich points out, "It doesn't no change in the sound characteristics of the model. We have tested it. The bridge area is of absolute importance for the sound. If you do something in the area of ​​the switch, it won't have any effect on the sound. The maple top is solid, of course, and it defines a lot in the sound. So we make the guitar better: it's more comfortable, but it still sounds good." Mahogany cavities are still used on Les Paul models, with the exception of some Re-issues.

The first real attempt to solve the Les Paul's weight problem came with the new Les Paul Custom Lite, introduced in 1987. It had a profiled back, which was purely Fender-esque, and the wood chosen as a result reduced weight and made the guitar more comfortable. It cost more than the regular Custom, probably as a result of additional production costs (in September the base models were priced at $1170 for the Custom and $1249 for the Custom Lite), and lasted until 1989.

At the same time, in 1988, Gibson introduced a version of the Les Paul Studio with the same profile, the Les Paul Studio Lite (again, in the February 1988 price list, the Studio is $909 and the Studio Lite is $974). But a year earlier, Gibson had discovered chromite. This is another name for the balsa tree, derived from the first word in its Latin name, ochroma pyramidicale and ochroma lagopus. Balsa had good resonant properties and, contrary to popular belief, is certainly not cheap, costing about four times as much as mahogany, for example. It was first used by Gibson as a body insert to lighten their new USI maple top electric guitar in 1987.

Matthew Cline, a craftsman who worked in Gibson's development department, tried to make a cavity Les Paul, but it didn't have enough power for the "meat" that conventional Les Pauls are associated with. Mike Woltz, another Gibson Custom Shop employee, used balsa inserts for the Gibson Chet Atkins SST model, so Kline and Woltz began working on applying the same ideas to the Les Paul.

In 1990, the Studio Lite changed specifications: they got chromite (balsa) inserts, a normal flat back, a thinner neck, and lost about a kilogram of weight. The cutout in the body leaves the bridge and tailpiece connected to the bottom, and the space around it is filled with balsa inlays (which comes to Gibson already cut to size). However, these new experimental guitars did not gain wide popularity, and therefore they soon decided to abandon their release, returning to traditional technologies.

"Negibson" M-III

The 1991 M-III was Gibson's radical new style guitar with more flexible wiring, but it didn't catch on. In the spirit of the merger between RD and Artist, ten years earlier Gibson used the electronics of the unusual M-III in more familiar Les Pauls.

J.T. Riboloff came up with the idea for the M-III, and originally wanted it to be a double humbucking guitar. Management pointed to the popularity of other H-S-H configurations, and the M-III dutifully appeared with three pickups. "My goal was to provide a 5-way switch for any choice of Stratocaster and Les Paul configuration," says Riboloff. Unfortunately, Gibson customers found the design and electronics of the M-III too "non-Gibsonian" and did not rush to purchase the instrument.

Therefore, the scheme was adapted to two Les Paul models - Classic/M-III and Studio Lite/M-III. Riboloff thinks the Studio Lite is a better match for the M-III's sound - the sound of the lighter body works well with the circuit's enhanced sonic capabilities. Classic/M-III was withdrawn in 1992, while Studio Lite/M-III remained in the catalog until 1993.

Thin vultures and bird eyes

J.T. Riboloff found that guitarists who asked for special, unique guitars made for him at the Custom Shop wanted thinner necks like the 1960 Sunburst. Henry Yushkevich noticed the interest that a sample of such a piece of instrument caused at NAMM, and told Riboloff to start work on a production version. She appeared in 1990 and was called Classic. A couple of years later also appeared 60 Re-issue and Re-issue Sunburst in the style of the 60s.

Yushkevich decided that the Classic should stand out a little from the rest of the models, and insisted on the "1960" logo on the pickguard of the guitar to emphasize the source of the thin neck and the "retro" style head. Thanks to the open humbuckers, the Classic's sound was more modern.

Riboloff's original intention was to make the Classics more "flat" and "faded" to resemble some of the not-so-spectacular Sunbursts that guitarists like Jimmy Page would take on stage from time to time. In 1992, the Classic Plus was added to the line, and "Plus" meant a prettier upper than the regular Classic - in reality it wasn't good enough wood before Re-issue requirements, but still nice enough to be worth the extra. .

In 1993, the gradation of the upper became even more staggered, with the introduction of the Classic Premium Plus (the very best), the Classic Birdseye (with the characteristic maple pattern, commonly referred to as "bird's eye") and the Classic Premium Birdseye. Similar differences appeared in the Custom line with the introduction of the Custom Plus and Custom Premium Plus in 1992 and 1993.

Following Juzshkevich's efficient (and spectacular) operation to return Gibson to living legend status, the company entered an era that could be called a period of stability. The main principle of the Gibson strategy, which has been implemented since the second half of the 90s, can be formulated as "quality and authenticity". The company, without much storming, but at a steady pace, achieved that the quality and characteristics of all major guitar models were recognized by almost everyone (with the exception of the most conservative Vintage adherents) to be unconditionally consistent with the Gibson name. The 2002 Les Paul Standard crowned this search. optimal balance between classical traditions and modern technologies.

Radical experiments like the M-III or Hawk series were considered not the best idea, and the company focused on the production of its classic models, and primarily LesPaul. In addition, realizing that excessive fascination with the number of modifications to the same model hurts production efficiency, the company seriously undertook to review the entire Les Paul series, with the goal of making the most balanced range, but without frills.

The number of variants of the Les Paul Standard, however, has remained quite large, since these "most important" Les Pauls are so coveted by their fans that they want as many as possible and at the same time different. Therefore, within the Standard line, the Premium Plus model has been preserved, which differs from the base model in the "artistic" maple pattern (but other maple gradations are a thing of the past). Carriers of another disease - addiction to vintage guitars, complicated by the lack of excess money, are offered the Faded option, which imitates noble color fading (without imitation of physical wear). For those who are fed up with variations on the classic sunburst theme, check out the bolder colors of the Limited Edition series. And finally, in the Standard series, there is a "two-horned" variant of the DC Plus, which appeared as Gibson's answer to the aggressive marketing of PRS. The Classic series was stripped of its maple-themed gradations, which was a smart move, since conceptually it's more of a tool for down-to-earth musicians than collectors.

It is worth noting that by reducing the number of finishing options for the Standard and depriving them of the Classic, Gibson became generous with the Plus option with a full maple pattern in the Les Paul Studio line. Another notable addition to this series are the genre-oriented baritones that gravitate toward lower tunings.

Some production Les Paul models have been moved to the Custom Shop. This applies to Les Paul Custom and Les Paul Special with P90. True, you should not assume that they left behind a vacuum. The niche left after the transfer of Custom production was filled by the Supreme model. In addition to the characteristic inlay, it differs from the Standard primarily in that the guitar has maple "caps" on both sides (at the same time, maple of the AAAA class is used in versions with a transparent coating). Of course, the guitar class itself is generally higher. As for the Special series, it still produces budget American Les Pauls, but with conventional humbuckers. A logical move, given that the younger generation that the production Specials are aimed at is unlikely to appreciate the charm of the P90, unlike the collectors who are the main clientele of the Custom Shop.

The Custom Shop & Historic line of instruments (the full name of the division) itself has received a very rapid development from Gibson. The activities of the Gibson Custom Shop include the following areas:

• Replicas of vintage guitars. When applied to the Les Paul, this means the era of 57-60, in which those guitars were produced that are now valued in the six-figure market on the vintage market. Of course, even the objectively very high prices of the Custom Shop in this case are a much more affordable option.
• The line, conventionally called Custom. In addition to the Les Paul Custom, it includes various Custom Shop fantasies on the theme of "elite Les Paul". Basically, these are limited series guitars, such as, for example, the now discontinued Elegant or the insanely luxurious Ultima.
• The Artist series - personalized guitars of artists. Very limited edition guitars often appear in this series, usually replicas of specific instruments. In addition, there is a fairly stable list of endorsers, which today includes Zakk Wylde, Pete Townshend, Joe Perry, Slash, Jimmy Page, Neal Schon. These are mostly instruments with original technical solutions, like the electronics of Jimmi Page or Joe Perry guitars, or with radical (for traditional Les Paul) upgrades, such as EMG (Zakk Wylde) or Floyd Rose (Neal Schon) pickups.

In addition, one cannot ignore such an activity of the Custom Shop as the creation of unique custom-made guitars. And in this field, Gibson are undeniably unrivaled in the field of commemorative guitars. Among the company's clients are not only musicians or collectors - but also "big names" from large companies, trademarks, associations, etc. Companies such as Hummer, Zippo or Playboy magazine consider it prestigious to commemorate an event or date with a Gibson commemorative guitar design. Sometimes these are guitars of special shapes "in the theme", but in all other cases they are Les Paul, of course with a unique finish.

1) First model Les Paul was suggested by the guitarist Les Paulom in 1945 the company gibson, however, the guitar giant at that time abandoned the idea of ​​releasing a solid body guitar, and only in 1952 after the success Fender Telecaster ,Gibson decided to release les paul, especially for this creator of the electric guitar was invited to join the staff of the company

2) Gibson Les Paul not the first electric guitar from the line before it, semi-acoustic was produced back in the 1930s Gibson ES-150, some elements of this guitar migrated to Les Paul

3) They say that he Les Paul offered not so much for the new electric guitar, namely the location of the tailpiece, as well as gold and black color. Gold - an electric guitar will therefore look more expensive, and black - the fingers on such an instrument seem faster in movement

4) First Gibson Les Paul produced in two models: gold top is the usual model, and Custom with better fittings

5) Gibson Les Paul Custom was nicknamed the "black beauty" because of the black color of the paint. The electric guitar itself consisted of mahogany, and was also equipped with other pickups.

6) In 1954 the company Gibson launches a model Junior thus expanding the range. L es Paul Junior, First of all, it is designed for beginner guitarists. It should be added that the cost Junior was significantly less than Gibson Les Paul, however, instead of two humbuckers, it had only one single, as well as a slightly different tailpiece

7) In the middle of 1955, production begins Gibson Les Paul TV. This name was coined because the electric guitar was supposed to shine against the background of black and white TVs, however, the implementation did not work out.

8) Also, in 1955 comes out Gibson Les Paul Special This electric guitar is remarkable in that it has two P-90 singles

9) Gibson Les Paul Standard updated three times in 1958, in 1968 and 2008

10) Among the eminent musicians who played on Gibson Les Paul can be called Keith Richards from Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page

We add that the contribution of this guitar to the rock music of the 20th century cannot be overestimated on a par with and telecaster , Gibson Les Paul is the most recognizable guitar in the world, which is noteworthy, these electric guitars are played by musicians of completely different styles ranging from jazz, funk, rock and roll and ending with very heavy ones such as black metal and heavy metal, it is also worth noting that even many punk musicians play exactly on Les Polah