Click to enlarge

• 
• 

From Our Research Team:

Gibson's Guitar of the Month for April '08!

Gibson's Guitar of the Month for April 2008 is the LP-295 Goldtop. Taking the best features of a Goldtop and adding humbuckers, a Bigsby tailpiece, and a very cool Florentine cutaway borrowed from classic guitars like the ES-295, the LP-295 is a merging of two classic axes. The pickguard sports a hand-painted floral design. With touches from Gibson greats from the past, the LP-295 is destined to be an instant classic! Like all Guitars of the Month, Gibson's only building 1,000 of the LP-295 Goldtops.

Gibson LP-295 Goldtop at a Glance:

• Neck
  
• Body
  
• Pickups
  
• Bigsby
  
• Pickguard and Florentine cutaway

Neck
The '50s rounded neck profile on the new LP-295 is one of Gibson's more traditional and distinguishable features, and they've been played by many of the world's greatest players. Rosewood - with its natural resonance - is the perfect choice for many of Gibson's fingerboards. The resilience of this dense and durable wood makes these fingerboards extremely balanced and stable, and gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite. The fret wire on all Gibson models is a special combination of nickel and silver alloy designed for long life and superior wear.

Body
The body of a Les Paul - made of a solid mahogany back and maple top - is one of the more celebrated in all of music. The regimen involved in selecting the right wood and the formula to dry it out is just as legendary. For each piece of wood to achieve Gibson's desired level of "equilibrium," humidity must be maintained at 45 percent, and the temperature at 70 degrees, inside the factories, ensuring the moisture content does not change during the manufacturing process. This guarantees tight-fitting joints and no expansion, and helps control the shrinking and warping of the woods, in addition to helping reduce the weight.

Pickups
The '57 Classic and '57 Classic Plus pickups are the result of Gibson's drive to capture and recreate this renowned characteristic. Introduced in 1992, the '57 Classic provides warm, full tone with a balanced response, packing that classic Gibson PAF humbucker crunch. The '57 Classic Plus is the perfect bridge-position companion to the '57 Classic, inspired by those original PAFs that received a few extra turns of wire. Both are made by Gibson to the exact same specs as the original PAFs, including Alnico II magnets, nickel-plated pole pieces, nickel slugs, maple spacers, and vintage-style, two-conductor braided wiring.

Bigsby
The Bigsby vibrato tailpiece has been a fixture on many legendary Gibson guitars, including the ES-295, from the which the new LP-295 is modeled after. It is named after its late inventor, Paul A. Bigsby, who sold his Bigsby Guitar company to legendary former Gibson President Ted McCarty in 1966. With the Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, players are able to bend the pitch of notes or entire chords for vintage-style vibrato. It works in conjunction with Gibson's Tune-o-matic bridge and a spring loaded arm, which is attached to a pivoting metal bar around which the strings are installed. A classic piece of guitar hardware.

Pickguard and Florentine cutaway
The distinctive and traditional ES-295 pickguard has been faithfully reproduced by Gibson USA for the new LP-295. The cream-colored pickguard features the classic floral and vine pattern of the original ES-295 pickguards, and is custom molded to fit precisely around each pickup. The Florentine cutaway on the new LP-295 is wider and deeper than the cutaway on a Les Paul, with a slightly sharper edge, allowing easier access to the higher register of frets. The Florentine cutaway on the new LP-295 is wider and deeper than the cutaway on a Les Paul, with a slightly sharper edge, allowing easier access to the higher register of frets.

Gibson LP-295 Goldtop Features:

• Goldtop finish
  
• Body Style: Les Paul w/Florentine Cutaway
  
• Top Species: Maple
  
• Back Species: Mahogany
  
• Binding: Single Ply
  
• Neck Species: Mahogany
  
• Profile: 50s Rounded
  
• Peghead Pitch: 17
  
• Nut Width: 1.695
  
• Neck Joint: 16th
  
• Fingerboard Species: Rosewood
  
• Scale Length: 24-3/4"
  
• Number of Frets: 22
  
• Inlays: Parallelogram
  
• Fingerboard Binding: Antique
  
• Neck Pickup: 57 Classic
  
• Bridge Pickup: 57 Classic +
  
• Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone, 3 Way Switch
  
• Hardware Plating Finish: Chrome
  
• Tailpiece: Bigsby Tremelo
  
• Bridge: TOM
  
• Knobs: Gold Speed Knobs with Dial Pointers
  
• Tuners: Green Keys
  
• Pickguard: Hand Made ES-295 Style

The LP-295 Goldtop is Gibson's Guitar of the Month for April 2008!
See All the Gibson Guitars of the Month Here!

Specification Detail Manufacturer Part Number LP295GTCB