❌SOLD❌ Gibson 1954 Les Paul Custom Reissue Black, 2000

The Gibson 1954 Les Paul Custom was introduced as the top of the line in the new concept of the solid body electric guitar. Gibson had been producing electrified guitars since at least 1936, using designs like the Charlie Christian pickup on archtop and Hawaiian models. Ted McCarty, then president of Gibson and keenly aware of the competitive potential of Leo Fender’s designs, worked with Les Paul to produce a solid body electric worthy of the Gibson name.

Gibson had been begun production of the Les Paul Gold Top in 1952, using P-90 pickups and an combination trapeze tailpiece and bridge unit. That bridge/tailpiece was quickly dropped, and by 1954 a new bridge was ready – the now-ubiquitous Tune-O-Matic, or ABR-1, paired with a stop tailpiece.

The original Les Paul models used, as now, a carved Maple cap on a Mahogany body and had a metallic gold top finish. The 1954 Les Paul Custom, however, was effectively dressed in a tuxedo, gloss black with multi-layer binding everywhere it would fit (the fingerboard has single layer binding). The top, back fingerboard, and headstock front are bound. The hardware is gold plated. This was to be a class act, all the way.

But the 1954 Les Paul Custom also used a solid Mahogany body, without the Maple cap. The neck position P-90 was replaced with the ‘Staple Top’ model 480 AlNiCo V magnet pickup. Because the all-Mahogany body has a mellower sound than the Maple cap version, the brighter 480 pickup was installed at the neck. This configuration only lasted until 1957, when the new Humbucking design by Gibson engineer Seth Lover was introduced.

Gibson has reissued the 1954 Les Paul Custom at various times, mostly as the Les Paul Custom Historic ’54 model from 1991 to 2013. It was also available with a factory installed Bigsby. This example dates to 2000 and in overall good condition with a few small marks in the gloss black lacquer finish, but very little wear otherwise. The gold plating is in very good condition with little oxidiztion or wear. Fretwear is negligible, and the guitar plays well.

The original Gibson-branded case by TKL is included, brown with pinkish interior lining and cover flap.