T H E   F L A M E   T R E E   B L O G

Music & Entertainment Blog

Top 10 Guitars | Gibson Les Paul

Posted by Laura Bulbeck

This week’s starring guitar is the fantastic Gibson Les Paul, beloved by the likes of Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton.

sunburst .jpegSolid-body Experiments

Les Paul had been experimenting with solid-body guitars since the 1930s. Two of his handmade, experimental solid-bodies – the ‘Log’ and the ‘Clunker’ – led to the 1952 release of the Les Paul model, Gibson’s first solid-body, which was to become one of the world’s most influential guitar designs.

The Construction

The Les Paul’s construction was complex. A two-pickup guitar,
 it was built from a mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard, set into a mahogany body with an arched, carved maple top, distinguishing it from the flat-top Fender models.

The Les Paul’s controls – two tone, two volume and selector switch – were mounted on to the top and accessed by two separate plastic covers in the back. The set-neck construction and choice tonewoods, in conjunction with hardware that was screwed directly into the top, made for a warm, creamy tone with considerable sustain.

The original Les Paul was completed with a lavish gold-coloured metallic finish, earning it the nickname ‘Gold Top’, although some models had gold-coloured sides and backs as well.

The Holy Grail

Gibson created several Les Paul variations, including the fancy custom no-frills 
Les Paul Junior. The most 
coveted Les Paul is the Standard, introduced in 1958. On that model, the original gold finish was replaced with a transparent cherry sunburst finish – which graduated from red to orange – revealing the instrument’s
 maple top; this was sometimes covered
 with spectacular 
‘flames’ or figuring
 in the grain. The
 Standard featured two powerful humbucking pickups.

The Standard was discontinued in 1960, but as players like Clapton and Page picked up the instrument later that decade, it essentially became the first collectible electric guitar. Owing to its quality and rarity – only 643 models were produced in 1959 – the original Standard is now considered the Holy Grail of electric guitars, with clean examples currently fetching more than $200,000.

Guitar Specs

Pickups: Two


Controls: Three-way switch, two volume, two tone

Characteristics: Versatile, rich, powerful tone, excellent sustain

Played by: Duane Allman, Jeff Beck, Mike Bloomfield,
 Eric Clapton, Al Di Meola, Billy Gibbons, Jimmy Page, Slash

 

Image of Standard Historic 1960 Les Paul Standard courtesy Gibson.com

If the Gibson Les Paul is your favourite make, we have a fantastic foiled notebook featuring one on its cover, available in three different sizes: standard journal, pocket journal and blank sketchbook. If you love all things guitar, we also have a book called Rock Guitar Heroes – jam-packed with fascinating text and photos of guitar-playing legends – available here.

Links

  • To visit the official Gibson website, click here
  • To find out more about Jimmy Page’s iconic 1959 Les Paul, click here
  • To read GuitarWorld’s list of ‘Five Things you Might Not Know about the Gibson Les Paul’, click here

Topics: Flame Tree Music, Classic Guitars, Flame Tree Pro

Subscribe for email updates