❌ SOLD ❌ Gibson Les Paul Artisan Guitar, 1977

One of the many variations of the Les Paul design, the Gibson Les Paul Artisan was produced from 1976 to 1982, in two and three pickup versions. Notably, it features a hearts and flowers mother of inlay pattern and script Gibson logo recalling pre-WW2 Gibson banjos.

Here we have a Gibson Les Paul Artisan Guitar in its three-pickup form, dating to September 6 1977, and featuring a Walnut stained top; the alternate was a black finish, much like the classic Les Paul Custom. This guitar is in largely original condition, though it has been refretted and the original case has been replaced with a quality SKB molded case.

The Gibson Les Paul Artisan was built during the middle of the 1967-1986 Norlin period. The body uses the Les Paul Custom theme of bound, carved three-piece maple cap, on a bound mahogany back, but also uses a three-piece maple neck (five if you count the ‘wings’ for the headstock width). The ebony fingerboard and headplate are both bound, and as mentioned both the headstock and fingerboard feature a hearts-and-flowers mother of pearl inlay and script logo set that clearly draw from classic Gibson banjos. The Artisan is one of the very few Gibson guitar models to use this type of inlay pattern.

For hardware, the Artisan uses Schaller-made Gibson branded, gold plated tuners with metal ‘tulip’ shaped buttons. At the body, a gold-plated ABR Tune-o-Matic and stop tailpiece are used. Models after 1979 often used a long-travel, rectangular bridge made by Schaller. On this original version, there are three gold-plated humbuckers, wired as other Gibson 3-pickup models with a 3-position selector switch. This stock wiring gives Neck, Middle and Bridge, and Bridge selections. The Middle and Bridge may be wired out of phase.

This Gibson Les Paul Artisan Guitar has been refretted with Jumbo frets, and plays well. Typical for the period, it is fairly hefty at 10.6 pounds. The finish is in reasonable condition, with expected buckle rash on the back. The plated parts show the most age effects, particularly the pickup cover tops where much of the gold plating is worn off. The SKB case is in good shape and contains perhaps the original bridge and tailpiece, with mounting studs, fairly corroded, and also the back of the shielding can from the control cavity.