Brand: Gibson
Instrument Categories: Electric, Guitars, SOLD, Solidbody, Thinline
Here is another rarity, a Gibson Les Paul Florentine Korina, Custom Shop built and with two features making it most unusual – the Korina top and the lack of F holes. This limited edition model, which later became the Les Paul ES, featured a heavily routed Mahogany body and separate top, in this case Korina or Black Limba though many had heavily figured Maple tops. Most of the production had F holes, making sense given the nearly hollow body, but a few like this one have closed tops.
In 1997, the Gibson Les Paul Florentine Plus was introduced as a regular Custom Shop model with more decoration, and these were built until 2001. The Les Paul ES appeared in 2014 but was dropped with the closure of the Gibson Memphis facility. It was a direct successor to the Les Paul Florentine but used a Maple / Basswood / Maple laminate top.
This unusual guitar is in good original condition, with only light wear to the finish and very light fret wear. It appears that this guitar has spent a lot of time in its case!
Korina, as a name for African White or Black Limba (Terminalia Superba), was coined by Gibson under Ted McCarty around 1957 and was featured prominently on the then radically new 1958 Gibson Explorer. It has never taken off as a guitar wood largely due to a lack of reliable availability in sections large enough for a guitar. Still, it’s sometimes regarded as a ‘Super Mahogany’, tonally similar but with a bit more top end and clarity. It is sometimes mistaken for Koa (Acacia Koa), but the two are different species, and Koa is sourced from Hawaii while Limba is from tropical West Africa.
This Gibson Les Paul Florentine Korina is sold with its original brown Gibson USA branded hard shell case.
- Model: Les Paul Florentine Korina
- Year: 1996
- Finish Clear Gloss
- Class: Used
- Serial Number: 6 6974, built during 1996
- Country of Origin: USA
- Condition: Brand New
- Date Posted: 15/10/2020
- This instrument has been sold
- Consignment Item
- Including original Hard case
- Instrument Weight: 7.524lbs 3.42kg
- Scale Length: 24.75in 628.6mm
- Nut Width: 1.71in 43.55mm
