Everything about The Gibson Les Paul totally explained
The
Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s. The Les Paul was originally designed by jazz/pop guitarist
Les Paul.
Origins
The Les Paul model was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and pop star, electronics inventor, and accomplished jazz guitarist
Les Paul. In 1950, after the introduction of the
Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson Guitar president Ted McCarty brought guitarist Les Paul into the company as a consultant. Les Paul was a respected innovator who had been experimenting with guitar design for years to benefit his own music. In fact, he'd hand-built a solid-body prototype called "The Log", a design widely considered the first solid-body Spanish guitar ever built, as opposed to the "Hawaiian", or lap-steel guitar. Although numerous other prototypes and limited-production solid-body models by other makers have since surfaced, it's known that in 1945-1946, Les Paul had approached Gibson with "The Log"
prototype, but his solid body design was rejected.
In 1951, this initial rejection became a design collaboration between the Gibson Guitar Corporation and Les Paul. It was agreed that the new Les Paul guitar was to be an expensive, well-made instrument in Gibson's tradition. Although recollections differ regarding "who" contributed "what" to the Les Paul design, it was far from a market replica of the competing Fender models. However, it's known that since the 1930s, Gibson had offered electric hollow-body guitars. At minimum, these hollow-body electric models provided a set of basic design cues to the new Gibson solid-body, including a more traditionally curved body shape than offered by competitor Fender, and a glued-in ("set") neck, in contrast to Fender's bolt-on neck joint design.
The significance of Les Paul's contributions to his Gibson guitar design remain controversial. The book "50 Years of the Gibson Les Paul" limits Paul's contributions to two: advice on the trapeze tailpiece, and a preference for color (stating that Paul preferred gold as "it looks expensive", and a second choice of black because "it makes your fingers appear to move faster on the box", and "looks classy—like a tuxedo").
Additionally, Gibson's president Ted McCarty states that the Gibson Guitar Corporation merely approached Les Paul for the right to imprint the musician's name on the headstock to increase model sales, and that in 1951, Gibson showed Paul a nearly finished instrument. McCarty also claims that design discussions with Les Paul were limited to the tailpiece and the fitting of a maple cap over the mahogany body for increased density and sustain, which Les Paul had requested reversed. However, according to Gibson Guitar, this reversal would have caused the guitar to become too heavy, and Paul's request was refused. Beyond these requests, Les Paul's contributions to the guitar line bearing his name were stated to be cosmetic. For example, ever the showman, Paul had specified that the guitar be offered in a gold finish, not only for flashiness, but to emphasize the high quality of the Les Paul instrument, as well. The later-issue Les Paul models included "flame" and "quilted" (tiger) maple finishes, and once again contrasted the competing Fender line's range of car-like color finishes. Gibson was notably inconsistent with its wood choices, and some gold tops or customs have had their finish stripped to reveal beautifully-figured wood hidden underneath.
Models and variations
The Les Paul guitar line was originally conceived to include three models: the regular model (nicknamed the Goldtop), and the Custom model, which offered upgraded hardware and a more formal black finish. However, advancements in pickup, body, and hardware designs allowed the Les Paul to become a long-term series of electric solid-body guitars that targeted every price-point and market level except for the complete novice guitarist. This beginner guitar market was filled by the Melody Maker model, and although the inexpensive Melody Maker didn't bear the Les Paul name, its body consistently followed the design of true Les Pauls throughout each era.
Beyond shaping and body design, there are a number of characteristics that distinguish the Gibson Les Paul line from other electrics. For example, in a fashion similar to Gibson's hollow-body instruments, the strings of Les Paul guitars are always mounted on the top of the guitar body, rather than through the guitar body, as seen in competitor Fender's designs. The Gibson also features a variety of colors, such as Wine Red, Ebony, Classic White, Fire Burst, and Alpine White. In addition, the Les Paul models offered a variety of finishes and decorative levels, a diversity of hardware options, and an innovative array of electric pick-up options, some of which significantly impacted the sound of electric music. For instance, in 1957, Gibson introduced the
humbucker which revolutionized the sound of the electric guitar, and eliminated the
60-cycle noise which had previously plagued guitars with magnetic pickups.
Goldtop (1952-1957)
Custom (1954-1960)
The second issue of the Les Paul guitar was introduced to the public in 1954. Called the Gibson Les Paul Custom, this entirely black guitar was an expertly decorated work of art, and dubbed the Black Beauty. The Les Paul Custom featured a mahogany top to differentiate the instrument from its Goldtop predecessor's maple top. It also featured the new
Tune-o-Matic bridge design and a pickup with an alnico-5 magnet in the neck position. In addition, since 1957, the Custom was fitted with Gibson's new humbucker pickups, and later became available with three pickups instead of the more usual two. The three pickup model retained the standard Gibson 3-way switch so not all pickup combinations were possible. The neck and bridge-only settings were retained, but the middle was changed to switch in the middle and bridge pickups. A common modification was to restore the standard neck/both/bridge switching combination and add a switch to enable the middle pickup on its own.
Junior (1954-1960) and TV (1955-1960)
In 1954, to widen the solid-body electric market still further, Gibson issued the Gibson Les Paul Junior. Although previously the Melody Maker was marketed toward the novice guitarist, Gibson targeted to the beginner again with a Les Paul Junior design. Over time, this Gibson design has proven well-suited for even professional use.
There were marked differences between the other Les Paul models and the Les Paul Junior. For instance, although the Junior's body outline was clearly reminiscent of the original upmarket Les Paul guitar, the Junior issue was characterized by its flat-top "slab" mahogany body, finished in traditional Gibson Sunburst. The Junior was touted as an inexpensive option for Gibson electric guitar buyers: it had a single P-90 pickup, simple volume and tone controls, and the unbound rosewood fingerboard bore plain dot-shape position markers. However, as a concession to the aspirations of the beginning guitarist buyer, the Junior did feature the stud bridge/tailpiece similar to the second incarnation of the upscale Gold-Top.
Later, in 1955, Gibson launched the Les Paul TV model, which was essentially a Junior with what Gibson called a natural finish. This finish was actually more of a translucent mustard yellow through which the wood grain could be seen, and wasn't unlike the finish that competitor Fender called butterscotch yellow. The idea behind this TV Yellow was that white guitars would glare too much on early black and white television broadcasts, whereas TV Yellow guitars wouldn't cast a glare.
In 1958, Gibson made a radical design change to their Junior and TV models: with the design change came cosmetic changes to these guitars that would later take on enormous importance. To accommodate player requests for more access to the top frets than the previous designs allowed, Gibson revamped both these electric guitar models with a new double-cutaway body shape. In addition, the Junior's fresh look was enhanced with a new cherry red finish, while the re-shaped TV adopted a new, rather yellow-tinged finish for its new design.
Special (1955-1960)
The Les Paul Special was released in 1955, featuring two soapbar P-90 single coil pickups, finished in a TV Yellow variation (but not called a TV model).
In 1959, the Special was given the same new double-cutaway body shape that the Junior and the TV received in 1958. However, when the new design was applied to the two-pickup Special, the cavity for the neck pickup overlapped with the neck-to-body joint. This weakened the joint to the point that the neck could break after only moderate handling. The problem was soon resolved when Gibson's designers moved the neck pickup farther down the body, producing a stronger joint and eradicating the breakage problem.
This stabilized version of the Special is currently offered as part of Gibson's Faded series in Cherry or TV yellow.
Standard (1958-1960)
In 1958, Gibson changed the top finish on the regular Les Paul model from the gold color used since 1952 to the Sunburst finish already being used on Gibson's archtop acoustic and hollow electric guitars. These Sunburst-finished guitars were later referred to as Les Paul Standards to differentiate them from the earlier Goldtop. The hardware specification was the same as that of the '57 Goldtop, featuring the new
humbucker pickups. Today, the Gibson Les Paul Standard has Burst Bucker Pro pickups.
1961 Les Paul SG
In 1960, Gibson experienced a decline in electric guitar sales due to their high prices and strong competition from Fender's comparable but much lighter double-cutaway design: The
Stratocaster. In response, Gibson modified the Les Paul line. This 1961 issue Les Paul guitar was thinner and much lighter than the earlier models, with two sharply pointed cut-aways and a vibrato system. However, the redesign was done without Les Paul's knowledge. When the musician saw the guitar, he asked Gibson to remove his name from the instrument and parted ways with the company. Although this separation occurred in 1960, Gibson had a surplus stock of "Les Paul" logos and truss rod covers, and so continued to use the Les Paul name until 1963. At that point, the SG guitar's name was finally changed to "
SG", which stood simply for Solid Guitar. In addition to the SG line, Gibson continued to issue the less expensive Jr's and Specials (and the Melody Makers) with the newer body style. These were the standard Gibson electric models until the reintroduction of the Les Paul Standard Goldtop and the Les Paul Custom guitars to the market in 1968.
Renewed interest in the Les Paul models
In 1964, Keith Richards obtained a 1959 sunburst Les Paul. The guitar, outfitted with a Bigsby tailpiece, was the first "star-owned" Les Paul in Britain and served as one of the guitarist's main instruments through 1966. In 1966,
Eric Clapton also recognized the rock potential of the late '50s Les Paul guitars (particularly the 1958-1960 Standard sunburst models), and gave them wide exposure. He'd started using Les Pauls because of the influence of
Freddie King and
Hubert Sumlin. Soon artists such as
Peter Green,
Mike Bloomfield,
Mick Taylor and
Jimmy Page began using the Gibson model. These 1950s models featured the thicker, more sustaining tone of Gibson's humbucking pickups with the original units known as "Patent Applied For" (PAF) pickups. These PAFs were designed by
Seth Lover while working for Gibson in 1955, and debuted on Les Pauls in 1957. This innovation became a standard pick up design for Gibson, and subsequently, many other guitar companies followed suit, outfitting their electrics with copycat versions of the humbucking pickup altered to avoid infringing Gibson's patent. Gretsch had their Filtertron pickups, and when Fender entered the humbucker market in 1972, it was with the radically different
Fender Wide Range pickup. "Standard" humbuckers from other guitar manufacturers and third party replacement pickups from the likes of
DiMarzio and
Seymour Duncan were only offered after Gibson's patent had expired. Over the years, authentic 1950s Les Pauls have become some of the most desirable and expensive electric guitars in the world. Although in re-sale today, a 1959 Les Paul in good condition can be easily priced between $200,000 and $750,000, even by the mid 1960s prices for Les Paul guitars had begun to increase(However a reissue of the 1958,1959,or 1960 Les Paul can be purchased for less,between $3000-$6000.).With this value in mind, and with increased pressure from the public, Gibson re-introduced the single cutaway Les Paul in 1968.
Les Paul models in the Norlin era
Subsequent years brought new company ownership to the Gibson Guitar Company. During the "Norlin Era", Gibson Les Paul body designs were greatly altered, most notably, the change to the neck volute. Because the Les Paul had the reputation of having an easily broken neck joint, the volute strengthened the neck where it joined the headstock to avert breakage. To further increase the strength, the neck woods were changed from mahogany to a three-piece maple design. The LP body was changed from a one piece mahogany with a maple top into multiple slabs of mahogany with multiple pieced maple tops (also called a "pancake body').
In this era, as well, Gibson began experimenting with new models such as the Les Paul Recording. This model is often eschewed by guitar purists: considered "too full of gadgetry". The Recording featured low-impedance pickups, many switches and buttons, and a highly specialized cable for impedance-matching to the amplifier. Less noticeable changes included, but were not limited to, maple fingerboards (1976), pickup cavity shielding, and the crossover of the ABR1 Tune-o-matic bridge into the modern day Nashville Tune-o-matic bridge. During the 1970s, the Les Paul body shape was incorporated into other Gibson models, including the
S-1, the
Sonex, the
L6-S, and many other experimental models.
Deluxe
The Deluxe was among the "new" 1968 Les Pauls. This model featured "mini-humbuckers", also known as "New York" humbuckers, and didn't initially prove popular. The mini-humbucker pickup fit into the pre-carved P-90 pickup cavity using an adaptor ring developed by Gibson (actually just a cut-out P90 pickup cover) in order to use a supply of
Epiphone mini-humbuckers left over from when Gibson moved Epiphone production to Japan. The Deluxe was introduced in late 1968 and helped to standardize production among Gibson's USA-built Les Pauls. The first incarnation of the Deluxe featured a one-piece body and three-piece neck in late 1968. The "pancake" body (thin layer of maple sandwiched by two layers of Honduran mahogany)came later in 1969. In late 1969, a small "volute" was added. 1969 Deluxe's feature the gibson logo devoid of the dot over the "i" in Gibson. By late 1969/early 1970, the dot over the "i" had returned, plus a "made in USA" stamp on the back the headstock. By 1975, the neck construction was changed from mahogany to maple, until the early 1980s, when the construction was returned to mahogany. Interest in this particular Les Paul model was so low that in the early 1980s, Gibson cancelled the line. However, in 2005, the "Deluxe" was reintroduced with more popularity due to its association with
Pete Townshend(External Link
).
Studio
The "Studio" model was introduced in 1983 and is still in production. The intended market for this guitar was the studio musician; therefore, the design features of the "Les Paul Studio" were centered around optimal sound output. This model retained only the elements of the Gibson Les Paul that contributed to tone and playability, including the carved maple top and standard mechanical and electronic hardware. However, the Studio design omitted several stock Gibson ornamentations that didn't affect sound quality, including the binding on the body and neck. A notable exception to this is the Studio Standard, a model in the mid 1980s that included body and neck binding, though with dot fingerboard inlays instead of more ornate trapezoids.
Custom Shop models
Due to the popularity of the Les Paul guitar, hundreds of unendorsed imitations or copycat versions began to sell in the U.S. and overseas. Due to the lack of U.S. legislation addressing patent infringements or restricting import sales, the cheaply priced imitations created legal and financial problems for the Gibson Guitar Corporation. Although troublesome, there were overseas copycat companies that produced very high quality Les Paul and Stratocaster imitations. In fact, during the 1970s and early 1980s, a Japanese company,
Tokai, made superb replicas of the 1957-59, accurate reproductions of early Les Paul designs constructed in a Gibson Guitar Custom Shop. A custom Les Paul guitar painted by race car illustrator Sam Bass is presented to the winners of NASCAR Nationwide Series races at the Nashville Superspeedway.
Modern Les Pauls
In the mid 1980s, Gibson changed ownership and began manufacturing a range of varied Les Paul models to suit different user needs. The 1980s also saw the end to several design characteristics that were classic to the Les Paul, including the volute and maple neck. However, due to consumer demand, The Gibson Les Paul guitar is available today in an array of choices, ranging from guitars equipped with modern digital electronics to classic re-issue models built to match the look and specifications of the guitar's earliest production runs from 1952 to 1960.
Les Paul's guitar
At 92 years old, Les Paul himself still plays his personal Les Paul Guitar onstage, weekly, in
New York City. As of September 2005, he performs on Mondays at the Iridium Jazz Club on
51st Street and
Broadway. Paul prefers his 1972 Gibson "Recording" model guitar, with different electronics and a one-piece mahogany body,and which, as an inveterate tinkerer and bona fide inventor, he's modified heavily to his liking, over the years. A Bigsby-style vibrato is currently the most visible change although formerly his guitars were fitted with his
Les Paulverizer effects device.
Epiphone Les Pauls
The Gibson-owned
Epiphone Company makes around 20 models of the Les Paul, which are copies of the original. Made in places outside the U.S., the Epiphone Les Paul's are made from more commonly-available woods and have less hand detailing than the Gibson models, and, as a result, sell for a lower price. Epiphone also offers their version of the
Junior.
Gibson Robot Guitar
In 2007, Gibson announced an idea to create a computerized Les Paul, dubbed the "Robot Guitar". It was released on December 7, 2007. The guitar has a computer integrated into the body with a "master control" knob next to the volume knobs, which can be pulled out, turned, or pressed to issue different commands to the guitar. One of the more notable features is the ability to tune the guitar to
standard tuning simply by pulling out on the master control knob and strumming the guitar, while the tuning pegs adjust themselves to standard tuning. Another use of the master control knob is to be able to tune the guitar to alternative tunings, such as drop D, by pressing on the control knob to fit the setting. The new Les Paul has a new custom blue finish. While the product was advertised in the American popular press as a "world's first", similar systems, some external, have been in use for decades.
Weight
The Les Paul is known for its considerable weight. This is due to the thickness of the guitar (one of the thickest solid body electrics) and the kinds of woods used. This thickness contributes to the warmth of the tone; Les Pauls are known for being much deeper than many Fender guitars which have distinctive bright, open tones. The weight of Les Pauls can cause guitarists to complain of shoulder and back pains while playing standing up. The weight is also centered towards the rear of the guitar, creating a problem when the guitar is played in the seated position due to the fact that the neck has a tendency to levered up by the weight of the rear.
Notable Les Paul users
Les Paul imitations
Although most imitations differ visibly from Gibson's design, some companies have come close to perfecting copies. For instance, in the early 1980s, Japanese manufacturer
Tokai made an imitation Les Paul that featured such a perfect reproduction of the neck that Gibson Guitar Corporation sued them. The lawsuit ended with victory for Gibson with a court-mandate that the necks on Tokai models for the U.S. market had to be replaced. Additionally, in the late '70's,
Ibanez also made very high quality Gibson imitations. These imitations were marketed during a time period when guitars of Japanese make were both affordable and painstakingly precise, but lacked the reputation of their US forebears.
Many guitar aficionados feel that the early- and mid-70s marked a low point in the quality of guitars from the major manufacturers including Gibson, which helped contribute to the popularity of the Ibanez copies. These guitars have become known as "lawsuit" guitars and have become somewhat collectible. The actual lawsuit referred to was brought by the Norlin Corporation, the parent company of Gibson guitars, in 1977, and was based on an Ibanez headstock design that had been discontinued by 1976. Ibanez settled out of court, and by 1978 had begun making guitars from their own designs.
ESP Guitars makes two types, the EC series and the Eclipse II, that are based on the Les Paul design. Certain EC models have 24 fret necks and active electronics using EMG pickups instead of the standard passive pickups and 22 frets found in the traditional Les Paul.
Heritage Guitars, founded in 1985 by four long-time Gibson employees when Gibson relocated to Nashville, continues to build high-quality guitars in the original factory at 225 Parsons Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Many of their models evoke memories of Gibson's late-50s/early-60s "golden years." The H-150 and H-157, for instance, are reminiscent of the original Les Paul and Les Paul Custom, while the H-535 is a modern version of the classic
Gibson ES-335. Because Heritage guitars are built in the original factory, by some of the employees who helped manufacturer the most sought after, vintage Gibson models, some don't consider them imitators at all, but a continuation of the Kalamazoo legacy.
The music retailer Rondo Music
(External Link) imports several popular models that are similar to the Les Paul, under the Agile brand.
comes with a Gibson Les Paul style controller for the Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3 versions of the game.
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