Needless to say, it would be no exaggeration to claim that modern music would not exist without this instrument—the Gibson Les Paul, the very epitome of the electric guitar.
Since its debut in 1952, it has been cherished by countless legendary musicians—including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Duane Allman, Mike Bloomfield, Gary Moore, Randy Rhoads, Slash, and Tak Matsumoto—and continues to enjoy unwavering popularity and admiration even today.
While the model has undergone various specification changes and temporary discontinuations over the years, resulting in distinct characteristics depending on the era, this time we’d like to focus on the rare Gold Top Les Paul from the initial release. Please take your time to appreciate this masterpiece, whose sheer presence is overwhelming even just to look at.
GIBSON 1956 LES PAUL
1956 Gibson Les Paul
This 1956 model can be considered the definitive form of the Les Paul equipped with P-90 pickups. While the 1954 model with a bar bridge is also popular among enthusiasts, it had issues with octave accuracy and tuning stability. In contrast, the 1956 model, which introduced the Tun-O-Matic saddles, gained popularity as a model offering superior playability.Despite being single-coil, the P-90 pickups produce that uniquely sweet and warm Gibson sound. Their presence and clear, resonant tone are also major attractions.
The headstock veneer features Hollywood (Holly), and the logo is inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
The body back is, without exception, a one-piece mahogany body. Both the back of the neck and the body back are finished in dark brown.
The maple used for the body top is covered in a matte gold finish, so it’s difficult to determine exactly, but it is typically made from 2 to 3 pieces of maple, with some models using as many as 6 pieces. The gold color appears slightly greenish because the finish from that era was created by mixing bronze powder into lacquer paint; the oxidation of the bronze in the paint produces the deep gold top coloring.
The headstock angle is 17 degrees, as it has been since the model’s release in 1952. Gibson’s neck-cutting method intentionally cuts the wood at an angle; this ensures that the grain runs straight from the headstock—which is prone to breaking—to the area behind the nut, thereby increasing strength. Additionally, the fine grain of the neck wood allows moisture to evaporate quickly, which helps the instrument acclimate to its environment more rapidly.
This method of wood selection yields fewer necks per piece of lumber, making it a very costly and luxurious specification; however, it reflects Gibson’s commitment to instrument craftsmanship at the time.
The Gibson Les Paul features a set-neck construction, with the truss rod adjusted from the headstock side. Gibson has used truss rods since the 1920s; in addition to their original purpose of adjusting the neck, they also serve to maintain the strength of the neck, which has been softened due to the wood-cutting process.
Gold hat knobs. These knobs were used on Les Paul models from around 1955 to 1960.
Introduced in 1955 and becoming the standard thereafter, this model features a combination of the Tune-O-Matic bridge and stud bridge/tailpiece, paired with P-90 pickups. The Tune-O-Matic bridge was designed by Ted McCarty; by incorporating the stud bridge/tailpiece—also Ted’s design and previously used on Les Pauls—directly into the tailpiece, it creates a structure capable of generating high string tension.The patent was filed on July 5, 1952, and granted on April 3, 1956; this bridge was developed six months earlier than the previously used stud bridge/tailpiece (filed January 21, 1953; granted August 2, 1955).Originally filed for use in hollow-body guitars, it allows for fine-tuning of octave pitch by adjusting the saddles for each string. The body is made of die-cast Bass with brass saddles.
The capacitors are "Sprague" Bumblebee types. The pots are "CTS" products.
The toggle switch is manufactured by Switchcraft.
The fingerboard features Brazilian rosewood, a world-renowned premium wood currently designated as an endangered species under the Washington Convention, with import and export prohibited. Compared to standard rosewood, it is a heavier and harder wood, reinforcing the soft neck while producing a solid, well-defined attack.
The tuners are 'Cluson' 320VP models. These are commonly known as "No-Line" because the Cluson logo is not engraved on the tuners. They are also called "Single-Knob" because the shape of the tuner knob is close to the shaft and features a single knob.
The set-neck joint employs a deep-insert joint, where the neck is inserted more than halfway past the pickups. Naturally, the term “deep-insert joint” did not exist at the time; this was simply the standard specification.By making the contact surface of the joint wide and deep, the design increases strength while allowing the vibrations of the neck and body to be directly reflected in the sound. Although this method is commonplace today, the fact that the system was already established at that time speaks to the high level of refinement of Les Paul instruments themselves.
The pickups feature the P-90 single-coil pickup, introduced in 1940. It features a design where two Alnico magnets sandwich the pole pieces, with the coil wound on a plastic bobbin. The wire is #42 AWG, with approximately 10,000 turns, resulting in a characteristic fat, punchy sound.The pickup cover is not the traditional dog-ear type, where the screw mounts are located next to the pickup, but rather the soapbar type, with screw mounts positioned between the 2nd and 3rd strings and between the 4th and 5th strings. Both the dog-ear and soapbar types share the same internal structure. The woodworking beneath the pickup is also meticulously finished, further demonstrating Gibson’s high level of craftsmanship.
For solid-body guitars manufactured between 1952 and 1960, the first digit of the serial number corresponds to the last digit of the year, followed by four to five digits indicating the serial number. Since this guitar’s serial number is “612851,” it can be identified as the 12,851st Les Paul produced in 1956. With over 10,000 units shipped, this demonstrates the strong sales performance of the Les Paul.
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