The Classic Les Paul Becomes a Les Paul Classic
What can we write about the Gibson Les Paul that hasn't already been written? It all comes down to this: Ever since its introduction in 1952, the Les Paul has had an impact on both guitar players and on music itself. What started out as Gibson's answer to the introduction of solid body guitars in 1950, turned out to be perhaps the most influential of them all. What started out as a simple gold-top guitar has turned into a veritable rainbow of colors, in configurations to meet everyone's needs, wants and yes, even budget. The Les Paul Classic is the 21st Century version of the legendary Les Paul, combining the slim-taper neck of a 1960 model with the supercharged power of ceramic magnet humbuckers. This baby sings softly and also screams loud, so you can always sound your best!
Gibson Les Paul Classic at a Glance:- Carved maple top over a mahogany body with Ebony finish
- 1960 slim-taper mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard
- Two hot, ceramic magnet humbuckers without covers
It's a Thing of Beauty
In 1958, the Les Paul went from a simple gold-finished, painted top to a cherry sunburst finish over a carved maple two-piece top. Some of the tops were plain, while others had mild to wild figuring -- also known in guitar-speak as flamed maple. In any case, the carved top was what set the Les Paul apart from the "competition." That continued through the instrument's long and storied history. Today's Les Paul Classic is going to turn heads, no matter what color you choose. This one is Ebony with tasteful single-ply cream binding and cream pickguard (with "1960" embossed in gold).
Slim-taper 1960 Profile Neck
The first Les Pauls had huge necks, which some players prefer. But the majority of today's guitarists prefer the fast, slim-taper neck that made its debut in about 1960. The neck is mahogany, so it's absolutely rock solid and the rosewood fingerboard with "aged" pearloid trapezoid markers is nice and smooth and truly has that warm, classic Les Paul feel while still allowing easy access to the upper frets so you can really dig into your solos!
Two Smokin' Ceramic Magnet Humbuckers
In the 1960s, many guitar players, like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page took the nickel covers off their humbuckers, believing this created a superior tone. Today's Les Paul Classic is armed with coverless ceramic magnet hummbuckers -- a 496R in the neck position and a 500T in the bridge position. Both deliver the wide tonal range you'd expect of a modern guitar along with the "tried-and-true" combination of two volume and two tone control knobs plus a three-way pickup selector switch.
- Color: Ebony
- Top: Maple
- Back: Mahogany
- Neck: Mahogany with 1960s slim-taper
- Fingerboard: Rosewood with aged pearloid trapezoid inlays
- Number of frets: 22
- Pickups: 496R (neck) and 500T (bridge) ceramic magnet humbuckers
- Controls: two each tone and volume with three-way pickup selector switch
- Machine heads: Green Key
- Hardware: Nickel plated
- Case: Black reptile pattern hardshell
Gibson: Don't Mess with a Good Thing
Gibson guitars have been around for well over a century. When guitarists are looking for an outstanding combination of superb tone and playability along with great looks and gorgeous finishes, the choice for most of those 100 plus years has been Gibson. From their amazing collection of fine acoustics to the electric guitars that literally rewrote music history, Gibson guitars have been on almost every chart-topping album from artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Cream and Led Zeppelin. These "first call" instruments also cross an enormous array of diverse styles, from folk and country to blues and hard rock. With that resume, it's not surprising that so many of Gibson's best-selling instruments have changed little over the decades. Because there's just no sense in messing with a good thing!
