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Gibson Les Paul Standard Guitars
Gibson Les Paul Standards of the late '50s are probably the
ultimate rock guitars. They now fetch among the highest prices of production
electrics, and in the guitar world are accorded the veneration commanded by
Stradivarius or Guarnerius violins.
Yet Gibson introduced the Les Paul Standard with some
reluctance, made significant errors in the design of the first examples, and
dropped the guitar after only 8 years in production.
On its introduction in 1952 the Gibson Les Paul attracted much
controversy-the then Gibson president Ted McCarty has described how he received
a phone call from Fred Gretsch, deploring the fact that Gibson had moved into
solid bodies. Yet in many ways this guitar was conventional, resembling their
existing ES295 electric acoustic in shape, and featuring hardware drawn almost
exclusively from their current models. The guitar's solid body was a radical
departure for Gibson, although in this respect they were simply jumping on the
bandwagon that Leo Fender had set rolling. Yet the way in which Gibson
re-interpreted this concept resulted in a classic guitar that was a combination
of Gibson's heritage and new-fangled ideas. Even today, a vintage Les Paul
boasts a sound and feel that most modern guitar makers struggle to match. Its
humbucking pickups and solid construction provide a beefy sustain that has been
exploited by players from Eric
Clapton to Slash, while he translucent flamed maple top of choice early
models has acquired a mythology all of its own.
By Melanie Bradley
Gibson Les Paul Standard for Sale
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