❌SOLD❌ Gibson Les Paul GoldTop Refinish, 1952

Introduced in 1952, the Gibson Les Paul GoldTop was Gibson’s first foray into the brand new solidbody electric guitar market. With the now standard carved Maple cap on a Mahogany slab body, a metal-flake Gold finish was applied to the top to increase its ‘upmarket’ appeal. The carved top was certainly a nod towards the archtops that Gibson was already well established in making, but importantly, Gibson had the equipment to do this, and Fender did not.

While the 1952 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop was groundbreaking, it was not without its issues. The 1952 models were fitted with a trapeze bridge/tailpiece designed by Les Paul with the intention that the strings would wrap over the top of the bridge, allowing for techniques like palm muting. Somehow, the neck was installed at a quite low angle, far too low for wrapping the strings over as intended, and most players wrapped the strings underneath. Ultimately, most of the 1952 and some 1953 models with this setup have had the trapeze removed and a stop-bar bridge added. That approach mirrors what Gibson did partway through 1953, increasing the neck angle and adding a wraparound, stop bar bridge on two studs. In 1954, it changed again with the introduction of the ABR-1 ‘Tune-O-Matic’ bridge and stop tailpiece combination. These parts are very common now, but were brand new at the time.

Here we’re looking at a Gibson Les Paul GoldTop from the 1952 model year. It was long ago refinished and converted to the early 1953 spec with wraparound, stop bar bridge ground to allow for lower action. The tuners and pickups are original, and the control knobs are from the early 1950 period. The finish has its share of honest play wear, and has clearly been played a lot over the years. Fretwear is moderate, and the fret wire is vintage style- narrow and low.

This 1952 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop is in fully playable condition, looks and sounds great with a fantastic vintage vibe.

A Gibson molded hard shell case is included.