Serial: 75255
By 1957, Gibson's evolving Les Paul Model guitar had already undergone several key modifications that would remain as the foundation of the iconic version known around the world today as the Les Paul Standard. But while the addition of the new ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece one year earlier had greatly improved the overall functionality of the Les Paul, nothing would compare with the addition of Gibsons pioneering new PAF humbucker in 1957, the pickup that truly made the Les Paul a legend. The 1957 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue from the Gibson Custom Shop is the closest thing to taking a time machine more than 55 years back in time to land your own original, and now for 2013 it features a host of new details to make it the most accurate recreation of the 57 Goldtop ever created.
At the direction of legendary Gibson President Ted McCarty, Gibson engineer Seth Lover began working on a pickup with hum-cancelling capabilities sometime in 1954, applying for a U.S. design patenthence the name Patent Applied For, or PAFon June 22, 1955. By early 1957, the standard double-coil version of the humbucker pickup had begun to appear on Gibson ES-175s and ES-350Ts, and eventually on the Les Paul Model Goldtops of the same year. Gibson Customs new Custom Bucker accurately recreates the original PAFs of the late 50s, using Alnico III magnets and unequal turns of 42 AWG wire in each coil for that characteristic PAF bite. These pickups clean up beautifully at the guitars volume controls, while Bumble Bee tone caps assist in that warm, singing woman tone when you roll back the tone controls. To top it all off, the 1957 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue plays superbly right out of its Custom Shop hardshell case thanks to a trip through one of Gibsons state-of-the-art Plek machines before it leaves the Custom Shop floor.
Body
Body Shape: Les Paul
Top: Maple
Back: Mahogany
Weight Relief: None
Finish: Nitrocellulose VOS
Neck
Material: Solid Mahogany
Profile: 50s C
Scale Length: 24.75″ / 628.65mm
Fingerboard Material: Indian Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius: 12″
Number Of Frets: 22
Frets: Historic Medium-Jumbo
Nut Width: 1.687 in/ 42.85 mm
End of Board Width: 2.239 in/ 56.89 mm
Inlays: Trapezoid
Hardware
Hardware Finish: Nickel
Bridge: ABR-1
Tailpiece: Aluminum Stop Bar
Electronics
Neck Pickup: Custombucker
Bridge Pickup: Custombucker
Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone
Pickup Selector: 3-Way
Output Jack: 1/4″
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