Hot on the heels of their Epiphone branded Les Paul Tribute Standard, Gibson this week announced the release of a high-end Custom Shop model –– the Les Paul Tribute 1952 –– in honor of the legendary musician/innovator behind the name, Les Paul himself.
Billed as the closest match yet to Les’ original specs, the guitar looks to be a beauty of classic styling and guitar-history nostalgia… even the brass trapeze tailpiece and top-wrapped bridge (a Les Paul patented creation,) are present and accounted for.
According to Gibson the Les Paul Tribute 1952 is being built around a two-piece mahogany body (Grade-A) that’s been topped with a two-piece maple top (Grade-C,) and glued together with super-strong Franklin Titebond 50 glue.
And as per the earliest LP models, the guitar will be hand-finished with Gold nitrocellulose on the top (90-sheen lacquer –– no poly here) while the rim, back and neck have been left to show off that Grade-A mahogany grain, and coated with a high-gloss lacquer.
Other stand-out features will include a solid quarter-sawn Grade-A mahogany neck with ’50s neck profile, headstock with Gibson logo inlaid in mother of pearl and“prototype” stamped into the back, and a 22-fret fretboard of Grade-A mahogany (12″ radius,) with acrylic trapezoid inlays and antique neck binding.
Electronics will include a pair of cream-colored single-coil P-90 pickups, dual Volume controls with Gold Speedvolume knobs, dual Tone controls with Gold Speedtone knobs, 3-way pickup switching via toggle switch, and a Switchcraft 1/4″ outback jack. Tuners are vintage-style, with press-in bushings.
The Gibson Les Paul Tribute 1952 will ship with a hardshell case and Certificate of Authenticity, including a photo of Les Paul and detailed specs of the instrument. It carries an MSRP of $5,581.00.
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November 25th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Only $3450 @ MF….but not a VOS. Still, it should be a collectors’ piece. Those P90s definitely have a unique tone.
December 8th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
I am only interested if it is made from 100% old growth lemur wood.
December 10th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Beautiful guitar, but man that is a hefty price tag. I’d be afraid to play it. I love guitars and I don’t necessarily abuse them, but I do like something in my hands that I’m not afraid to man-handle.
December 11th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
I love that colour scheme and that tailpiece is aswome. But yeah it’s a hefty price even for a Les P.
December 13th, 2009 at 10:28 am
I don’t think you’ll find any Les Paul out of the Custom Shop for under $2999 new.
July 14th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
I have a 1999 Gibson Les Paul Standard in mint condition. I only paid $1800 for it. It has the burst bucker pick ups and sounds incredible. I love it;however, I paid way too much for it. It’s just a chunk of wood people c’mon……
It’s not be the famous Signature Series guitar that Jimmy Page has that he got from Joe Walsh who traded it for a bag of dope from some guy who got the guitar in a pawn shop window because some guy could not afford to pay his rent. But it is just as good as any Les Paul out there. I plan to get really good and then let Gibson replicate it and then sell copies for $26,986.49. But hey it will have Grover tuners on it. That should make it worth $30,000.00 alone. Oh I can sell you a set of Grovers in mint condition for $29,542.36. What an investment. THese tuners were made on the continent at the same time Paul McCartney was taking a crap in his jet flying overhead! Very Valuable and Very Rare! A must have for any serious musician.
July 14th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Hehehe. Excellent, lol
October 15th, 2010 at 2:52 am
A beautiful guitar for sure but this model is unplayable.
The trapeze setup is totally impractical and the action/intonation is almost impossible to get right, that’s why they replaced it almost immediately with the next model. If you want the best Goldtop around then buy a 1956 Goldtop.
December 1st, 2010 at 8:55 pm
I love it, intonation is close to perfect, the sweetest chunky neck ever, resonant as hell and a tone to die for. Unplayable? Quite the contrary…