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Gibson Custom 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue 3-pickup Bigsby Electric Guitar - Murphy Lab Light Aged Ebony

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body, Mahogany Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, 3 Humbucking Pickups, and Bigsby Vibrato - Ebony
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Gibson Custom 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue 3-pickup Bigsby Electric Guitar - Murphy Lab Light Aged Ebony
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A Stunning 3-pickup Black Beauty with a Bigsby

This Gibson Custom 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue is oozing with classic tone and vintage-original-spec authenticity — everything, that is, except for its Bigsby-equipped ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge, which adds haunting vibrato effects to the '57's legendary bite and sustain. Murphy Lab Light Aging re-creates the dings, checking, and patina of decades of casual wear, faithfully capturing the depth, and richness of a genuine '57 Custom — one of the most iconic solidbody electric guitars ever made. Handcrafted by Gibson's elite Custom Shop luthiers, the 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue features top-shelf tonewoods, including a 1-piece mahogany body and a fast, comfortable Chunky "C" profile mahogany neck topped by a silky-smooth ebony fingerboard. Plug this instrument into your favorite tube amp, and experience searing PAF tones, courtesy of three unpotted CustomBucker Alnico III pickups. Premium appointments, including gold hardware, mother-of-pearl '50s Pattern inlays, and Kluson Waffleback tuners complete the amazing 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue.

Every inch of this Les Paul has vintage vibe

To capture the essence of the original 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue, Gibson painstakingly re-created each part piece by piece. The mahogany body, nitro finish, and solid ebony fingerboard are only the beginning. Not only do you get the Chunky "C"-shaped neck you've been craving, but the accuracy of the details translates all the way down to the positioning of the instrument's pearloid-tipped Kluson Waffleback tuners and its vintage-inspired, 1950s-style mother-of-pearl fingerboard inlays.

CustomBucker pickups for pure vintage PAF tone

Gibson paid just as much attention to this guitar's electronics as they did to its aesthetics. Every part of its internal signal path was designed to deliver dead-on late-1950s Les Paul tone. Of course, it's next to impossible to find genuine '50s PAFs — even for Gibson. Instead, the 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue sports a trio of Gibson's CustomBucker Alnico III humbuckers. The CustomBucker is the most historically accurate PAF copy ever, ensuring this 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue nails the sound of an original 1957 Les Paul Custom.

Chunky "C" neck and Plek'd frets for optimized playability

Comfort and playability were two of Gibson's primary concerns when they designed the 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue. You'll be amazed at how this guitar's Chunky "C"-shaped neck comfortably fills your hand in just the right way. For your playing pleasure, the bound ebony fingerboard is buffed to silky smoothness and the frets are dressed to perfection using a Plek Pro machine. Typically reserved for top-dollar custom guitars, this process levels the frets with pinpoint precision, providing you with the most playable fretboard you're likely to own.

Bigsby vibrato adds a cool vibe

Bigsby vibratos deliver smooth dips and dives that other trems just can't reproduce. Perfect for adding a slight warble to chords and scooping into notes, the Bigsby is a creative tool you'll love using. There's a reason why Bigsby vibratos are so popular here at Sweetwater! So, what are you waiting for? Find out what you have been missing from your standard Les Paul with the Bigsby-loaded 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue.

Artfully aged in Gibson Custom Shop's Murphy Lab

Under the leadership of Master Artisan Tom Murphy, Gibson Custom Shop's Murphy Lab performs one specific function: to craft artfully aged instruments using the most cutting-edge tools available. This 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue features Light Aging, boasting intense, unique lacquer checking patterns, along with dings, pick trails, finish flaking, and softened edges. It's akin to a guitar that was subjected to 50-plus years of average playing use. VOS patina hardware puts the final touch on this exquisite instrument. Beyond that, this guitar's extra-rolled fingerboard binding mimics the broken-in look and feel of a Golden-era Gibson.

Gibson Custom 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue Features:

  • 1-piece mahogany body yields a resonant sound with truckloads of warmth and sustain
  • Murphy Lab Light Aging re-creates the dings, checking, and patina of decades of casual wear
  • Chunky "C"-shaped neck offers comfortable vintage playability
  • Bright-sounding ebony fingerboard with head-turning '50s Pattern inlays
  • Extra-rolled fingerboard binding mimics the broken-in look and feel of a vintage Gibson
  • Bigsby-equipped ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge for dips, dives, and warbles
  • 3 unpotted CustomBucker Alnico III humbucking pickups churn out early-'50s PAF tones
  • High-quality CTS 500K audio taper potentiometers and paper-in-oil capacitors
  • Pearloid-tipped Kluson Waffleback tuners, multi-ply body binding, and elegant gold hardware

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape 1957 Les Paul Custom
  • Body Material Mahogany
  • Body Finish Nitrocellulose Lacquer, Light Aged
  • Color Ebony
  • Neck
  • Neck Material Mahogany
  • Neck Shape Chunky C
  • Neck Joint Set Neck
  • Radius 12"
  • Fingerboard Material Ebony
  • Fingerboard Inlay 1950s Mother-of-Pearl Blocks
  • Number of Frets 22, Medium Jumbo
  • Scale Length 24.75"
  • Nut Width 1.6875"
  • Nut Material Nylon
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece No-Wire ABR-1 Bridge with Bigsby Tremolo
  • Tuners Kluson Waffleback with Pearloid buttons
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Custombucker Alnico 3 Humbucker
  • Middle Pickup Custombucker Alnico 3 Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup Custombucker Alnico 3 Humbucker
  • Controls 2 x volume, 2 x tone
  • Switching 3-way toggle pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings Gibson, .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Hardshell Case
  • Manufacturer Part Number: LPB357LAEBBG1

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 4.5/5

Where to start!

The Les Paul Black Beauty with 3 pickups has always been a dream guitar. Well, for the low low price of $ I was able to make that dream come true. So you ask, what do I get for this vintage replica Les Paul? You get a lot of mixed emotions, yes mixed emotions. The Murphy Labs does almost to good of a job reproducing these guitars. What do i mean? First the binding and the do not align like a off the self production Les Paul. My Sweetwater sales engineer told me that the binding issues is common on Murphy Lab guitars.

The guitar sound great, very clean and bright sounding. For some reason Gibson does not advertise it but the 57 Les Paul Black Beauty has 59 replica unpotted custombuckers. I assume the reason they don't advertise this is in hopes you drop another 2k on the 59 replica Les Paul.

The case is a replica of the case used in the 1950s so it is not suitable to take this guitar that cost more than my first three cars out the house. The guitar just barely fits in the case so you will knock the head stock if you do not take your time putting the guitar in case. So be ready to drop more on a good case after buying the guitar.

All in all I am very happy I purchased the guitar and yes I will play the **** out of it. As advertised the guitar looks old feels old and it is easy to forget that it is a custom guitar. Would I buy another Murphy Lab? Maybe! These guitars are works of art and it does make you feel like you own a little piece of American music history.

Also, my Sweetwater sales engineer Justin went above and beyond on this order. Made it worth my wild to buy my dream guitar.
Music background: Collector and player
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