Gibson Les Paul 1957 Custom “Black Beauty”

This is the guitar that I, and most guitar players my age, always think about when we think of a Les Paul. Gibson had made the Les Paul guitar since 1952 and had introduced its flagship model, the “Custom,” a jet black, mother of pearl inlaid masterpiece in 1954, but that model had single coil pickups.

In 1957, Gibson introduced its “humbucking” pickups - dual coil pickups that would “buck” the 60-cycle hum from line current, electric lights, and so on that would cause hum, feedback and other interesting (and unwanted) effects in the normal single coil pickups. These are the so-called “PAF” or “patent applied for” pickups that are so highly prized.

To top it off, the Les Paul Custom had a tune-o-matic bridge and gold plated hardware. Most 1957 models had three pickups with gold covers, hoping to capitalize on the “gee whiz“ factor, I guess. A few had dual pickups like the late 60s one I had.

Times were hard in the 1950s and Gibson couldn’t sell enough of its high end models to keep them in continuous production. That’s why today they are so highly sought after; there’s only so many out there and most of them are spoken for.

I bought one of the two-pickup Les Paul Customs in the early 1970s for the princely sum of $300. They weren’t a very popular model then, but since Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page as well as Marc Bolan, Billy Gibbons, and Joe Walsh played them around then the prices for Les Pauls went through the roof.

Gibson knows a good thing when it sees it, so it began reissuing its classic models with prices escalated to suit the prosperous new century.

The Les Paul Custom has a deep, mellow Rhythm sound with a piercing high lead voice. It has a "fatter" sound than most other guitars, especially when played through a Marshall stack - perfect for filling a packed concert hall with sound. Not high-tech, by any means, just solid, dependable quality, made in the USA, for those for which those attributes are important.

The rhythm pickup setting is a little on the dark side but the fat signal can be amplified and processed to your heart's content. The current 1957 LP Custom comes with either 3 or 2 “Burstbucker” pickups, which have a more balanced sound than the dark tone of the old PAF pickups, consistent with today's better technology.

The guitar features separate volume and tone knobs for each pickup and a three way switch that allows selection of either pickup separately, or both together. That's for the two pickup model. The 3 pickup model has the three way switch wired so the up position turns on the neck pickup, the down position turns on the bridge pickup, and the middle position turns on the bridge and middle pickup. I just leave the volume and tone controls full on so I don't know exactly how they are wired differently on the three pickup model.

The body is made of solid mahogany with a belly that sticks up, like a violin. The solid body is where the weight comes from. The 1957 reissue lacks the maple top plate that most Les Pauls have.

The appointments are simply the best; there is nothing too good for a Les Paul Custom and Gibson lavishes enough mother of pearl, multiple layer binding, and gold plating to satisfy anybody’s need for bling.

The solid mahogany neck is set into the body and features an African ebony fretboard and jumbo frets that have given it the moniker of “the fretless wonder,” since your hands can move around the fretboard like no other guitar. This model has the 50s baseball bat neck, for those of you who don’t like the skinny necks on the later Les Pauls.

The guitar is finished off in multiple layers of beautiful black lacquer that you can see yourself in. It will age together with the fine wood and make the guitar sound better year by year. The Les Paul Custom looks right at home on the finest concert stage and sounds great, too.

One of the drawbacks of the Les Paul Custom is the solid construction makes for a very heavy instrument. I got rid of mine in the early 80s because it was crippling my shoulder. Little did I know the price would be what it is today. The Les Paul Custom costs an arm and a leg - currently around $4,000. That is plenty and more than some are willing or able to pay. However, if you want the best, that’s what they go for.

The guitar comes with a fitted hard shell case at no extra cost and is lifetime warranted to the original owner by Gibson.

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