Gibson Custom R4 1954 Les Paul Reissue, Aged + OHSC.
Superb reissue of the fabled ‘54 Les Paul Goldtop. This one dates from 2020 and has been aged by the in house team (pre Murphy Lab) at the Gibson Custom Shop. Lightweight (8lb 2.5oz) and resonant and with a pair of great sounding P-90’s. Just the right amount of moderate ageing to look authentic. A stunning guitar.
*Gallery below. Click on thumbnails to view in full screen*
The reissues that the Gibson Custom Shop has been putting out over the last 3 years or so are becoming regarded as probably the best they have ever made. This reissue of the ’54 spec Les Paul Goldtop from 2020 doesn’t disappoint and is a historically accurate replica of this legendary guitar.
This example is one of a limited run that were aged by the in-house team at the Gibson Custom Shop. This left the factory about 9 months before Gibson officially launched the ‘Murphy Lab’ line of aged guitars but in reality was more than likely aged by the same team that became known as the ‘Murphy Lab’. The quality of the ageing is superb and has been very tastefully done. The lacquer checking, small nicks, indentations and light buckle rash are subtle and authentic looking giving this Goldtop a well looked after vintage vibe.
This is nice light example too weighing in at 8lbs 2.5oz, and as to be expected features a 50’s chunky C profile neck that is in fact more or less in 59 profile territory, which makes this a very comfortable guitar to play.
Acoustically it has a good natural resonance with a nice mid range ‘honk’ typical of vintage Les Pauls. This character translates well through the pair of P-90’s which have plenty of body and snap. The tonal range covers a lot of bases from clean Tele like twang, warm soul and woody jazz, to gnarly punky rhythm and screaming lead, all with great nuance and articulation. This really is a class guitar.
If you’ve been looking for a wraptail Goldtop with plenty of vintage character then here is a great opportunity to get what is essentially a Murphy Lab for a lot less than you would normally pay.
Comes in the original brown Lifton reissue case along with the COA and case candy.
Weight: 8lb 2.5oz
Pick up readings: Neck 7.9k, Bridge 7.7k
