Historic 1954 Les Paul Custom VOS
With its sonic punch, fluid playability, and classic “Black Beauty” appointments, the 1954 Les Paul Custom Staple Pickup Reissue VOS is equal parts elegance and brute strength. As did the first Les Paul Customs, it has a solid single-piece, carved-top mahogany body that delivers a warmth and midrange unlike any maple-topped Les Paul. And like the originals, it’s fitted with a matched P-90 pickup set (with Gibson’s rare and coveted “Staple” pickup in the neck position) that takes you from chimey, articulate rhythms to biting leads — the original recipe for rich, sustaining, articulate tone that slices right through the mix. This majestic beast is ultra-responsive to your touch with a satisfying neck profile and smooth-as-silk bound ebony fingerboard that facilitates the speedy, dexterous fretwork we’ve heard from prog, fusion, and hard rock Les Paul Custom virtuosos such as Robert Fripp, Al Di Meola, and Zakk Wylde. Meticulously handcrafted for historical accuracy by Gibson’s elite Custom Shop luthiers, the 1954 Les Paul Custom Staple Pickup Reissue VOS is destined to be a cherished heirloom instrument — and a guitar you’ll want to play every day.
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Handcrafted to Vintage Original Spec
VOS stands for “Vintage Original Spec,” and it’s not a product designation Gibson uses lightly. With the 1954 Les Paul Custom VOS, the goal was to re-create the experience of playing a classic golden-era Gibson. Most guitarists expect a Les Paul to have a mahogany body with a carved maple top and a rosewood fingerboard. But when the Les Paul Custom was introduced in 1953 (a year after the standard model), it sported a one-piece mahogany body (with a carved top) and an ebony fingerboard — specifications that came from none other than Les Paul himself. From its Kluson Waffleback tuning machines to its original-spec pickups, the 1954 Les Paul Custom Staple Pickup Reissue VOS is as authentic as it gets.
The P-90: dare to sound different
The 1954 Les Paul Custom Staple Pickup Reissue VOS features painstaking reproductions of the original P-90 pickups installed in the first Les Paul Customs, including the rare “Staple” P-90 in the neck position. We have many fiercely loyal P-90 fans here at Sweetwater. These guitarists know that the P-90 offers a unique tonal palette that is distinct from — and complements — humbuckers and traditional single-coils. The P-90, Gibson’s first successful single-coil pickup, can be heard on countless classic recordings. With its biting treble and high output, the P-90 cleans up nicely when you roll back your guitar’s volume pot. It’s an amazingly versatile pickup with its own brand of grit — a bit brighter, leaner, and less refined than a humbucker, and almost as hot. Hit your amp hard, and the P-90 really wails. Plugged into a proper high-gain tube amp, you can elicit grind, sizzle, and bark that would be impossible with humbuckers — or with other single-coils, for that matter. To hear P-90s brilliantly deployed in historical context, check out Santana’s fiery Woodstock performance or The Who’s masterful Live at Leeds album.
Gibson’s Staple P-90
Introduced in 1954 as a more articulate version of the single-coil P-90 pickup that was standard equipment for most Gibson electrics until the invention of the humbucker in 1957, the Staple pickup was deployed in the neck position of early Les Paul Customs. Unlike the standard P-90, in which steel pole pieces contact an internal magnet and coil, the Staple’s pole pieces are actually extended rectangular magnets that connect to the coil. The net result is a brighter, more articulate P-90 that works brilliantly in the neck position, in tandem with a standard P-90 stationed at the bridge.
Plek’d to perfection for optimized playability
This Les Paul Custom’s fingerboard is made of high-grade ebony, which is inspected and qualified by Gibson experts before it enters the company's factories. It’s a resilient and durable premium tonewood, making for a balanced and stable fingerboard and giving each chord and note enhanced clarity and definition. Polished and beveled with rolled edges before being bound, the fretboard is given the Plek Pro treatment for fret consistency and smoothness. Plek Pro is a state-of-the-art, computer-guided process that scans, levels, and dresses your guitar’s frets to a microscopic level of accuracy for ideal action with no loss of sustain, minimized fret buzz, and no fretting out when bending strings, whether you’re playing low or high on the neck. This guitar’s Plek’d frets ensure that every note in every position rings loud and clear with unblemished tone.
Nitro finish, for the look and feel of a classic
Gibson’s Custom Shop gave the 1954 Les Paul Custom Staple Pickup Reissue VOS a lustrous nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Nitro finishes — standard back in the day — are significantly thinner than today’s polyurethane finishes, allowing the wood to breathe. Nitro finishes not only look amazing, but they also enhance the instrument’s tonal qualities. This Gibson Custom 1954 Les Paul Custom Staple Pickup Reissue VOS has the look and feel of a lovingly cared-for classic — one that will only improve with age.
Gibson Custom 1954 Les Paul Custom Staple Pickup Reissue VOS Features:
- Accurate reproduction of the legendary 1954 Les Paul Custom
- Every detail meticulously re-created to give you the look, sound, and feel of a vintage classic
- Solid single-piece mahogany body with carved top
- Historic medium-chunky mahogany neck and bound ebony fingerboard
- Plek Pro fretboard treatment for optimized playability
- Original-spec P-90 pickup set with Staple pickup in neck position
- Premium CPA handwired harness with Pro Caps and Vintage-taper pots
- Authentic details include vintage-style Kluson Waffleback tuners and pearl block inlays
- Period-correct nitrocellulose lacquer finish
- Handcrafted in Gibson’s USA Custom Shop
- Includes hard case and Custom Shop Certificate of Authenticity
