The Gibson Les Paul

By Jornando French

The Fender Telecaster was introduced to the market in 1950. Soon there was a surge in the guitar music world. Subsequent to this introduction, the Gibson Les Paul made its debut. Gibson was then and is still a leading musical instrument manufacturer. Les Paul was one of the most respected guitarists at the time. Les Paul was known for his innovation in musical instruments and because of this the president of Gibson Company, Ted McCarthy, recruited Les Paul to be a consultant for Gibson.

Les Paul first made a solid body prototype known as The Log. Les Paul had already approached Gibson in 1945 with this prototype but the idea was refused. In 1951, Les Paul and Gibson began working together and Les Pauls innovative idea created a shock wave in the music community. The line of Gibson hollow-body electric guitars inspired ideas to create the Gibson Les Paul. It differed greatly from Fender because the Fender was a solid body and Gibson Les Paul sported a more curved body and a glued-in neck.

The role of Les Paul and Gibson was not without issue or controversy. One problem was that the president of Gibson Corporation approached Les Paul and asked him for permission to print his name on the headstock of the guitar hoping it would boost the sales of the Gibson Les Paul. It was also claimed by McCarthy that they only had discussions with Les Paul regarding the tailpiece and fitting of a maple cap over the mahogany body for increased density and sustain. Les Paul also wanted the new model to have a gold finish but the Gibson gave flame and tiger maple finishes for it to compete with the Fender.

The original Les Paul guitar had just two models-- the regular model called the "Goldtop" and the custom model that included upgraded hardware in a black finish. There was a constant improvement seen in the electric pickups, body and hardware patterns which was very pleasing to guitarists. The humbucking pickup completely eliminated the 60-cycle humming that previously inundated the amplified guitars.

The Gibson Les Paul has truly evolved through the years. The Gibson Les Paul models are Goldtop (1952-1957), Custom (1954-1960), Gibson Les Paul Junior (1954-1960), Gibson Les Paul TV (1955-1960), Gibson Les Paul Special (1955-1960), Gibson Les Paul Standard (1958-1960), Gibson Les Paul SG 1961, Gibson Les Paul Deluxe 1968, Gibson Les Paul Studio 1983, as well as the modern Gibson Les Paul guitars. In the 1960s, prominent rock guitarists began using the Les Paul and this really solidified the reputation of quality and ease of play. This is why the Gibson Les Paul is so popular today with upcoming and established guitarists. - 29943

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