An incredible limited-edition with a select curly maple "Texas top", lightweight mahogany body, and
vivid cherry sunburst finish.
This Limited-Edition 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Electric Guitar has an exquisite flamed maple "Texas"
top, and a lightweight mahogany body. It is an ultra limited and exclusive run of 12 guitars. This is a true player's guitar
that is already collectable!
The Gibson Les Paul guitars of the late '50s and early '60s have become among the most
prized electric guitars on the planet. But to say "the" Les Paul is actually somewhat misleading because Les Paul guitars
varied not only from year to year as the Gibson guitar's specs evolved, but even within the same year of manufacture.
To
accurately represent the variations in specifications and finish within original examples manufactured in 1960, Gibson is
offering 3 versions of this hallowed vintage electric guitar.
At the start of 1960, the Gibson Les Paul guitar retained
the same specs as its predecessor from 1959, although it did receive the official "Les Paul Standard" designation in place
of the former "Les Paul Model" (a name that its headstock nonetheless still retained). Among these details were the Les Paul's
full, rounded neck profile; top-hat control knobs; and heritage cherry sunburst or heritage dark sunburst finish, and these
are the very characteristics with which the Gibson Custom Shop has imbued.
The first Version of the 50th Anniversary
Gibson 1960 Les Paul Standard might be confused for a 1959 Les Paul guitar if not for the 1960 serial number stamped into
the back of the Gibson guitar's headstock at the dawn of this new decade, and the R0 serial number of this 50th Anniversary
guitar. This Gibson guitar version is available in heritage cherry sunburst and heritage dark burst finishes.
Version
2 represents the neck's transition from full to slim—a progression that was gradual, rather than sudden—in the
form of a Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Standard guitar with thinner, yet still somewhat rounded and "elliptical"
neck profile, based on painstaking research and detailed scans of several transitional '60s Les Paul guitars that were studied
by the Custom Historic and Engineering team. To represent this alteration visibly, Version 2 of the 50th Anniversary Gibson
Les Paul will be offered in 2 classic "faded" 'burst colors: light iced tea and sunset tea burst.
The third version
of the Gibson Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Standard is represented by an electric guitar with the slim-tapered
neck for which late-'60 Les Paul guitars have become famous, along with the double-band tuners and gold top-hat control knobs
with the "new" silver inserts that were fitted to these Gibson guitars. Version 3 features a superior vibrant '60s cherryburst
finish.
Furthermore, Version 3 of this Gibson Les Paul accurately represents the changes in the finishing process at
Gibson in the latter part of 1960, in its more vibrant, colorfast cherry sunburst, a finish that stood the test of time somewhat
better than many of the sunbursts that preceded it.
In addition to these pertinent details, the Gibson Custom Shop
50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Standards pack all the tonal nuances and unparalleled playability that really helped to make
these guitars legendary in the hands of artist like Eric Clapton, who wielded a slim-necked 1960 Les Paul Standard on the
most influential blues-rock album of all time, Blues Breakers John Mayall with Eric Clapton, often referred to as
the "Beano" album. The time-tested tonewood combination of mahogany and maple, the classic duo of Tune-O-Matic bridge and
stopbar tailpiece, and a pair of Gibson's lauded PAF-style BurstBucker humbucking pickups all work toward a tonal splendor
that no other guitar can equal.
Add to these the Gibson Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Standards' long-tenon
neck joint; traditionally back-angled headstock; and thin, breathable nitrocellulose finish, and you've got a guitar that
sings and resonates like no other. A total of only 500 Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Standards will be produced
in a blend of all three versions. All will include a Custom Shop hardshell case and a 50th Anniversary Certificate of Authenticity.
Body
and Finish
Crafted from a book-matched figured maple top and a lightweight one-piece mahogany back, these 50th Anniversary Les Paul guitars
are finished in low-build nitrocellulose lacquer, and are available in a range of colors to suit each Version, including heritage
cherry sunburst, heritage dark sunburst, light iced tea burst, sunset tea burst and cherry sunburst.
In every way,
these details represent careful study of several actual Gibson 1960 Les Paul Standards that were examined in the course of
reproducing the Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Standard.
Neck and Headstock
The guitar's neck and headstock are made in the classic tradition of the original 1960 Les Paul. Carved from a single piece
of quartersawn mahogany, and topped with a rosewood fingerboard, the design incorporates Gibson's lauded 17-degree back-angled
headstock, which contributes greatly to the electric guitar's resonance and sustain.
Pickups and Electronics
The 50th Anniversary 1960 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Standard carries a complement of pickups and hardware that accurately
reflect the original equipment on the most desirable Les Paul guitars ever made. A pair of BurstBucker pickups captures that
highly sought-after "PAF" style tone, while quality CTS potentiometers with "bumblebee" tone caps translate the signal in
pure vintage style.
Hardware
As befits a Gibson Custom Shop Anniversary Les Paul of this caliber, the Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Standard
is equipped with Gibson's most accurate, period-correct reproduction hardware, including Kluson-style tuners, a Tune-O-Matic
bridge and stop-bar tailpiece both made from the correct metals and plated in nickel, and Gibson's original aluminum strap
buttons, all of which contribute to the vintage look and tone of the electric guitar.
Gibson Custom Limited-Edition 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Electric Guitar - Version 3 with Rare
Flamed "Texas" Top Features:
- Body
- Top: Carved figured maple
- Back: Solid mahogany
- Binding: Single-ply, cream
- Body type: Non-chambered
- Average weight: 6.5 lb.
Neck
- Neck profile: Slim-tapered neck
- Neck joint: Mortise & tenon
- Neck joint angle tolerance: ±005"
Fingerboard
- Wood: Rosewood
- Number of frets: 22
- Radius: 12"
Nut
- Material: Nylon 6/6
- Width: 1-11/16
- Slots: Cut by PLEK system
Pickups
- Neck position: BurstBucker 1 – mounted with slotted screws
- Bridge position: BurstBucker 2 – mounted with slotted screws
- Magnet material: Alnico II
Electronics
- Type: 500k audio taper
- Coil wiring: parallel-machine wound
- Toggle switch: Switchcraft axial toggle with vintage plastic tip
- Output jack: 1/4" Switchcraft
Finish
- Sealer: Nitrocellulose lacquer
Headstock
- Inlay: Mother-of-pearl
- Logo: Period-correct Gibson logo with "Les Paul model" silkscreened in gold
- Truss rod cover: Vintage=style truss rod cover
Tuners
- Model: Vintage-style tulips
- Plating: Nickel-plated body with Alphatic resin
- Tuning ratio: 12:1
Bridge
- Type: Tune-O-Matic (ABR-1)
- Material: Zinc surrounded by nickel alloy
- Plating: Polished nickel
Tailpiece
- Type: Stopbar
- Material: Aluminum
- Plating: Lightweight nickel
Hardware
- Knobs: Gold top hats with silver inserts/top
- pickguard
- Pickguard: Reissue cream
- Toggle switch washer: Cream with gold silkscreen
- Strings: .010 to .046, vintage-style strings
- Strap buttons: Aluminum Gibson end pins
Case
- Type: Custom Shop
- Case exterior: Black leather
- Case interior: Maroon crushed velvet
Accessories
- Certificate of authenticity: Custom shop 50th anniversary
- Additional materials: owners manual literature; lifetime warranty information
Gibson Custom Limited-Edition 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Electric Guitar - Version
3 with Rare Flamed "Texas" Top Includes:
- Gibson Custom hardshell case, a Certificate of Authenticity, and full owner s literature.
Don't miss out on this beautiful rare collector's model!
