GIBSON 1958 LES PAUL

1958 Gibson Les Paul

This 1958 model, influenced by Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers Band, enjoys enduring popularity. It's the quintessential gold top guitar. While the body back comes in the more common natural finish, there are also dark back versions, like the one featured here, with the dark back being the rarer option. Some models also feature black parts for the toggle switch plate, pickup rings, and jack plate, making them even rarer items. The body color is achieved by mixing bronze (precious metal) powder into the lacquer finish, resulting in a vintage gold top hue that is exceptionally cool.

The headstock features a Hollywood (holly) veneer, and the logo is made of mother-of-pearl. The truss rod cover is in excellent condition, but the "roll marks" that occur during the wood processing at the time are visible, confirming that it is original. The Les Paul model logo on this particular guitar is fading.

　Without exception, the body back is a one-piece mahogany body. Both the back of the neck and the body back are finished in dark brown.

A key feature of Gibson's original Les Paul model is its robust set-neck construction. While the neck joint angle was 1 degree at its release in 1952, it was changed to 3 degrees in 1953. In typical set-neck constructions, the core at the end of the neck, which is embedded in the body, is thinned and roughened. However, Gibson's core maintains the same thickness as the neck heel while being joined to the body without roughening. This allows for a wider joint surface between the body and neck, eliminating unnecessary gaps. This contributes to its strength and the excellent sustain that is a hallmark of the Les Paul.

The headstock angle is 17 degrees, as it has been since its release in 1952. Gibson's neck cutting method involves deliberately tilting the wood grain, which ensures that the grain is straight from the headstock to the back of the nut, a part that is prone to breakage, thus increasing strength. Additionally, because the wood grain in the neck is finely cut, moisture dissipates quickly, allowing it to adapt to the environment more rapidly. This cutting method is a very cost-intensive and luxurious specification because it yields a small number of necks from a single piece of lumber, but it reflects Gibson's approach to instrument making at the time.

The Gibson Les Paul has a set-neck construction.RecruitThe truss rod is adjusted from the headstock side. Gibson has been using truss rods since the 1920s.RecruitIn addition to its original purpose of adjusting the neck, it also serves to maintain the strength of the neck, which has softened during the wood selection process.

Gold hat knobs. Also found on Les Paul models from around 1955 to 1960.RecruitThe knobs are painted gold, just like the body, and the blonde powder has oxidized, causing them to turn a greenish color in places.

　The capacitors are Bumblebee brand from Sprague, and the potentiometers are made by CTS.The toggle switch is made by Switchcraft.

The Tune-O-Matic bridge, a replacement for Ted McCarty's guitar. The patent application was filed on July 5, 1952, and granted on April 3, 1956, meaning it was developed six months before the previously used stud bridge/tailpiece (application filed January 21, 1953, granted August 2, 1955). Originally patented for hollow-body guitars, it allows for precise octave pitch adjustments due to the adjustable saddle for each string. It is made of die-cast metal.BassA brass saddle is used.

Although used as a tailpiece, it was originally a stud bridge/tailpiece designed by Ted McCarty, patented on January 21, 1953, and approved on August 2, 1955. This stud bridge/tailpiece was fitted to Les Pauls from around 1952 to 1954. The material is aluminum.

The fingerboard is made of Brazilian rosewood, a world-renowned precious wood that is currently listed as an endangered species under the Washington Convention and whose import and export are prohibited.RecruitIt is a heavier and harder wood than typical rosewood, reinforcing the soft neck while also producing a solid, focused attack.

The tuning pegs are Kluson 320VP. They are known as "single-line" pegs, featuring a single line of Kluson lettering. The peg buttons are also called "one-knob" pegs because of their shape, which is close to the shaft and has a single bump. The plastic has aged, developing a brownish, more aged look (though they are very brittle and easily broken).

The set neck joint is a deep-insert joint, where the pickup is inserted more than halfway into the neck.RecruitNaturally, the term "deep insert joint" didn't exist at that time; this was simply the standard specification. By making the joint's contact surface wide and deep, strength was increased, and the vibrations of the neck and body could be directly reflected in the sound. Although this method is commonly used today, the fact that the system was already established back then speaks to the high level of perfection of the Les Paul instrument itself.

This humbucking pickup has been featured on Les Paul models since 1957. Developed by Seth Lover and Walter Fuller, the patent application was filed on June 22, 1955, and granted on July 28, 1959. Commonly known as the PAF, this pickup gets its name from the "PATENT APPLIED FOR" decal it bears. According to Seth Lover, the wire is AWG 42 (he also used AWG #32 in prototypes), the coil turns are approximately 4,100 to 4,200, and it uses Alnico V magnets (he also used Alnico II and III in the 1950s when Alnico V was difficult to obtain). The bobbin color was originally all black, but the color variations occurred because white or black-and-white bobbins had to be used when black material was not available in sufficient quantities. According to Seth Lover, the pickup cover is important, as this pickup was designed with the assumption that a German silver cover would be attached. The pickup cover is made of German silver, with 80% being nickel silver. Many musicians remove the pickup cover to alter the high-frequency response, which is why the color of the bobbin is considered important among enthusiasts.

The serial numbers for solid-body guitars from 1952 to 1960 consist of the last digit of the year as the first digit, followed by four or five consecutive digits. This particular guitar has the serial number "8 1116," so it can be identified as the 1,116th Les Paul ever made, produced in 1958.