gibson les paul black beauty custom
The 50s were a time of great advances in music and musical instruments. The guitar world was taken by storm with what is now the classic Gibson Les Paul electric guitar. These classic guitars had their beginnings in the early 50s when Ted McCarty built the first Gibson solid body electric guitar that the legendary Les Paul himself endorsed and played. McCarty designed and named this guitar for Les Paul. Today the Sunburst is a classic guitar that collectors and musicians desire to own.
The Goldtop- From 1952 through 1957 the Les Paul Goldtop was constructed of mahogany and maple wood which gave this guitar its special tonality that no other guitar could match during that era. This fact along with the trapeze style tail piece and bridge and strings that fitted under the stop bar (created a cleaner look) gave this now classic guitar its unique look and features. The Goldtop guitars had black covered pickups instead of the traditional cream colored pickups. The over all style, appearance, and quality of the Goldtop has given this guitar an ever-increasing collectible value.
The Custom- The unique features of the Black Beauty, as it was so called, was the mahogany top, the Tune-O-Matic bridge, and the pickup with the alnico-5 magnet set into the neck of the electric guitar. This was the 2nd model of the Les Paul line and was released in 1954.
The Standard- Similar to the Goldtop of earlier years, the Standard model of the Gibson Les Paul electric guitar was introduced in 1958 and continues today. These are also referred to as the Sunburst version due to its sunburst finish. The humbucker pickups were used in the earlier years. Today the Burstbucker pickups are used on the higher end models with the vintage original specs.
Other models were designed and marketed and are still highly collectible today such as the Junior, the Special, the 1961 Les Paul SG, the Deluxe, and the Studio. The early models from the 50s and 60s are very collectible interests and be very expensive.
Theo van Niel jr: practicing on my Gibson Black Beauty
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