The Classic Les Paul Gets the Supreme Treatment!
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 solidbody 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. It's a rock and roll icon. Think '60s Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Mike Bloomfield all the way up to Slash with Guns N Roses or Velvet Revolver. Yeah, it's really that cool. And now, in what may be the ultimate take on any standard production Les Paul, we get what Gibson is calling The Les Paul Supreme. It not only has a beautifully flamed AAAA carved maple top (the best Gibson offers), but also a AAAA carved maple back over a chambered mahogany body (on translucent finishes). Add multi-ply binding, elaborate pearl inlays and an abalone globe with pearloid "Supreme" banner on the headstock and you truly have a guitar that's earned the right to that name!
Gibson Les Paul Supreme at a Glance:- Carved AAAA flamed maple top and back in Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish over a chambered mahogany body
- 1950s style rounded mahogany neck with Richlite fingerboard and pearl inlays
- Two Alnico magnet humbuckers - 490R (neck) and 498T (bridge)
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. The majority of the tops were actually pretty plain, while others - the ones collectors now pay astronomically high prices for - could be found with beautifully figured, two-piece flamed maple tops. Actually, it was the carved top that set the Les Paul apart from the "competition." That continued through the instrument's long and storied history. Now the Les Paul Supreme takes it to the extreme with a carved AAAA maple top and back over a chambered mahogany body. The appointments combine both new and vintage flavors for a guitar that can play in any style from country to metal and anything in between. This one is finished in Heritage Cherry Sunburst, the most classic of all Les Paul colors.
That chunky '50s-style neckThe first Les Pauls had huge necks, but by 1960 the neck underwent several modifications until it became what's known as the slim-taper design, which clearly is for wimps, right? If you're going to play a Les Paul, you want something you can actually grab onto. The Supreme isn't quite as big as some of the originals, but it's fatter than the '60s slim-taper design. Of course, the neck is mahogany, so it's absolutely rock solid and the Richlite fingerboard sports gorgeous pearl split-block inlays. But it still has that warm, classic Les Paul feel, allowing easy access to the upper frets so you can really dig into your solos!
Two fat, smoky humbucking pickupsLook, when you're talking about a Les Paul, you're talking about that big, fat, smoky humbucker sound. Forget all those thin "out-of-phase" guitar sounds that the session players overused in the 1980s and (sad to say) right through much of the '90s. That's not for you, is it? Of course not. You've got that hefty neck in your left hand and you're grabbing big chunky chords and soloing all up and down the fingerboard. You want that Les Paul sound, not some wishy-washy compromise (though it's okay for some people, just not you). So Gibson put two huge-sounding humbuckers on this baby with hot Alnico V magnets. There's a 490R in the neck position and a 498T in the bridge position, delivering a perfectly balanced sound that's capable of vintage warmth as well as modern bite!
Les Paul Supreme Features:- Color: Heritage Cherry Sunburst
- Top and back: Carved AAAA flamed maple
- Body: Chambered mahogany
- Neck: Mahogany with 1950s style rounded profile
- Fingerboard: Richlite with split block pearl inlays
- Number of frets: 22
- Pickups: Two Humbucking pickups (490R and 498T) with Alnico V magnets
- Controls: Two each tone and volume with three-way pickup selector switch
- Machine heads: Grover Keystone
- Hardware: Gold plated
- Case: Black reptile pattern hardshell
