Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar that was first sold by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952. The guitar was designed by factory manager John Huis and his team with input from and endorsement by guitarist Les Paul. Its typical design features a solid mahogany body with a carved maple top and a single cutaway, a mahogany set-in neck with a rosewood fretboard, two pickups with independent volume and tone controls, and a stoptail bridge, although variants exist.
| Gibson Les Paul | |
|---|---|
Gibson Les Paul | |
| Manufacturer | Gibson |
| Period | 1952–1960 1961–1963 (in SG form) 1968–present |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Solid, Semi-hollow, Chambered |
| Neck joint | Set neck |
| Scale | 24.75 in 628.65 mm |
| Woods | |
| Body | Mahogany (often with a maple top) Swamp ash (rare) |
| Neck | Usually mahogany Maple |
| Fretboard | Usually Rosewood Ebony Maple Richlite |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Usually Tune-O-Matic |
| Pickup(s) | Usually 2 humbuckers 2 P-90s 3 humbuckers |
| Colors available | |
| Originally gold; many other colors subsequently produced. | |
The Les Paul was originally offered with a gold finish and two P-90 pickups. In 1957, humbucking pickups were added, along with sunburst finishes in 1958. The 1958–1960 sunburst Les Paul, today one of the best-known electric guitar types in the world, was considered a commercial failure, with low production and sales. For 1961, the Les Paul was redesigned into what is now known as the Gibson SG. The original single-cutaway, carved top bodystyle was re-introduced in 1968. The Les Paul has been produced in many versions and editions since. Along with Fender's Telecaster and Stratocaster, it was one of the first mass-produced electric solid-body guitars. Due to their versatility, Les Paul electric guitars have been used in a wide range of music genres, including rock, country, pop, soul, rhythm and blues, blues, jazz, reggae, punk, and heavy metal.