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Originally introduced in 1954, the Les Paul Custom was conceived as the most luxurious version of Gibson’s new solid body electric. Its formal black-and-gold appearance earned it the “Black Beauty” nickname, while Les Paul himself famously described the model as having a “tuxedo” look. By 1957 the original P-90 and Alnico V staple pickups had been replaced by Gibson’s newly developed PAF humbuckers, creating the specification recreated here.
Unlike a Les Paul Standard, the 1957 Custom features a body carved from a single piece of solid mahogany without a separate maple top or any weight relief. Combined with the solid mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard, this gives the guitar a rich, focused midrange with excellent clarity and sustain. The two pickup configuration also offers the familiar and intuitive Les Paul control layout while retaining all of the visual presence of the Custom.
The neck has a rounded ’50s Medium C profile and is joined to the body with a long tenon and hide glue. Mother of pearl block inlays, multi ply body and headstock binding, Kluson waffleback tuners, black tophat knobs and an ornate split diamond headstock inlay complete the period correct Custom appointments. For 2018, Gibson also introduced its more accurately recreated True Historic plastics and hardware to the model.
A pair of unpotted Alnico III Custombuckers delivers an open and articulate interpretation of the original PAF sound, with plenty of warmth, harmonic detail and natural response to player touch. The traditional electronics comprise CTS 500K pots and paper in oil capacitors, together with a no wire ABR-1 bridge and lightweight aluminium stopbar.
The VOS treatment adds a lightly aged patina to the nitrocellulose finish and gold hardware, giving the guitar the appearance of a carefully preserved vintage instrument. This example remains in excellent to near mint condition, with no dings and only the lightest signs of careful use. These are limited to a few fine surface scratches on the pickguard and black finish, visible only upon very close inspection and difficult to capture in photographs.
Comes with the original Gibson Custom Shop hard shell case, Certificate of Authenticity and original hang tags. A superb example of one of Gibson’s most elegant and enduring designs, combining the distinctive voice of its all-mahogany construction with the versatility and visual balance of the desirable two-pickup configuration.
