In the early 1950s, the very traditional Gibson company recognized the growing popularity of the revolutionary Fender solid body electric guitar. They decided to collaborate with Les Paul, a leading guitarist of the time and a very keen inventor
The resulting instrument bore his own name and many of his ideas, the first version appearing in 1952. Read the  Gibson Goldtop Review to see what makes it so special.

The styling was pure Gibson: the heavily carved top and classic symmetrical headstock were borrowed from their established archtop guitars. as was the scaled-down yet much heavier solid body. These aspects of the Les Paul guitars design, together with features such as the glued-in neck and ornate fingerboard inlays, conveyed Gibsons craftsmanship. almost certainly intended to contrast with Fenders slab-bodied instruments and mass-production approach.

Gibsons Les Paul started life as the companys first tentative step toward a modern solid body instrument, yet the design has remained virtually unchanged throughout its 40-year history. Together with Fenders Telecaster and Stratocaster designs, the Les Paul is among the most popular and emulated electric guitars ever made.

This instrument is modelled around a 1960s Les Paul Standard classic and has all the features, which made that model very desirable.

The classic features a 1960s slim taper neck, which is a pleasure to play, when

compared to other “boat” type necks. It joins the body at the 16^th fret, which is common with most Les Pauls. The fingerboard is made of rosewood. It is adorned with aged binding and yellow pearloid trapezoid inlays.

The body is made from mahogany and has a single-ply carved maple top. It is surrounded by aged single-ply binding which combines well with the gold coloured top.

All hardware is nickel and the pickup covers for the hot ceramic magnet 496R Neck) /500T (Bridge) are not present for more output.

Visually the guitar is very appealing and all components combine well with the gold coloured top. These include the amber top hat knobs and slightly aged pickguard with “1960” subtly engraved in one corner.

Fit and finish is what you would expect of a high-end instrument such as this: simply perfect.

The instrument comes with a black reptile pattern hard-shell case as is normal with most Gibson guitars.

I actually chose this guitar over a more expensive ‘57 Les Paul solely for the feel of the neck. It is hard to explain in writing but to me it just felt right. The action is great, and string bending is easy thanks to the short scale neck.

The sound of this guitar is also incredible. The ceramic pickups are wound hot and sound best when overdriven hard, to produce rich creamy distortion with subtle overtones and seemingly everlasting sustain.

Clean the Classic also sounds very good, with a snarly treble bite on the bridge pickup, whilst the neck pickup provides a darker sound. Some people comment, that these pickups are too hot, whilst others including myself think they are a perfect companion to this instrument’s sustain and tone.

The only modification required in my own opinion is a set of strap locks, which have been fitted after this review for safety, and peace of mind.

In summary this is an excellent classic guitar, which I am sure will be played for many years to come.By Ernest H Slade

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