❌SOLD❌ Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom 1974 Reissue Black, 2012

Here is a very nice Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom 1974 Reissue, built during 2012 at the Gibson shop in Nashville, Tennessee.

The original Les Paul model featured a Maple cap on a Mahogany slab body, with Mahogany for the neck and Rosewood for the fingerboard. Aside from ‘Les Paul Model’ this version did not have a name – like Junior, Special Standard, or Deluxe. The 1953 Les Paul Custom was the first with a secondary model name, and a different construction. The carved cap on the Les Paul Custom throughout the 1950s was Mahogany, while the fingerboard was Ebony. Poor sales and licensing issues caused the Les Paul line to be dropped after 1962. When it re-appeared, with interest spurred by the English discovery of electrified American Blues music and players like Freddie, Albert and BB King, not to mention Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, the Mahogany cap on the Custom was replaced by the now-standard Maple cap.

In addition to the question of the cap material, the Les Paul Custom sports multi-layer binding on the top and back of the body, around the fingerboard plus the head stock. The inlays, rather than dots or trapezoids, are Mother of Pearl blocks in the Ebony fingerboard.

Here we’re looking at a Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom 1974 Reissue in Black, built during 2012 at the Gibson Custom Shop in Memphis, Tennessee.

This guitar is in overall very good clean condition, with only light marking from use. The finish is dulling or oxidizing slightly, an expected reaction of a nitrocellulose lacquer finish over time. When this guitar was built, Gibson had realized that many players were removing the pickguards from Les Pauls to show off the tops. In response, Gibson stopped installing the pick guard, and did not drill the two support screw holes. The pickguard is instead included in the case.

Earlier we looked at a genuine, vintage 1974 Les Paul Custom. This 1974 Reissue is very similar, though there are aging effects that have not taken place – the binding is still largely white, and has only just begun to yellow in response to air and light.

This guitar is in original condition, with no parts replaced or swapped out. It plays well and cleanly, with the unmistakable sound of a Les Paul.

The frets are original with very light wear, and do not follow the 1974 spec of low, narrow fretwire. The days of the ‘fretless wonder’ have long gone, with players wanting the extra control and precise tuning available from a higher, harder, properly crowned fret.

The original brown Gibson hard shell case is included.