Gibson

For most, the Les Paul Custom needs no introduction.  Compared to the Standard, the Custom has a couple of notable upgrades, as it was originally intended to be the standard’s more extravagant counterpart.  Chief among these is the ebony fingerboard, which contributes a more punchy response and glassier feel than rosewood, which is generally a softer material. The Customs also feature some more elaborate cosmetic features, including a double body binding with multi-ply top and back purfling, a bound headstock with multi-ply purfling, block fingerboard inlays, split diamond headstock inlay, and gold hardware.

This particular Les Paul Custom is no exception to this reputation. The most obvious and striking feature of this guitar would be its color. The Ferrari red is a color the demands the attention of the audience, and needless to say, the sound of this guitar matches the horsepower of its aesthetics. Upon sitting down with this guitar, there are a couple of features that are of note. First, the pickups on this model are effortlessly punchy and strong. This is somewhat characteristic of the time this guitar was produced in, acting as a great tool to push the front end of a Marshall into a gritty overdrive. As strong as these pickups are, they do still maintain a good deal of clarity and expressiveness. The volume does not necessarily need to be turned down in order to achieve a somewhat clean tone. By simply picking lighter, the pickups clean up well and allow for a dynamic player to find the sounds they may be looking for without engaging any kind of effect pedal.

Speaking of the 1980’s, the neck of this model exhibits a very slim “C” shaped neck profile that is extremely easy to play. It offers the player a wealth of room in their left hand to slide up or down the neck, and saves their hand some strain in the process. The frets on this guitar are on the lower side and may be a bit jarring to a player that is used to jumbo frets.

As is true with most Gibson Les Paul Custom models, this model leans towards the heavier side. At 10.9 lbs, the body of this guitar certainly bears the bulk of weight as opposed to its much thinner neck. However, the guitar still feels very balanced when either sitting or standing and the player does not need to worry about neck dive.

The previous owner kept this Les Paul in wonderful condition. There are some marks on the back of the neck that are consistent with the guitar being leaned up against something at that height or potentially regular use of a capo on the 1^st fret. In addition, there is very light swirling all over the body that comes from general use. In terms the lacquer that covers the body, there is some checking starting to form around the headstock and select spots on the body. Lastly, some of the edges of the gold hardware is starting to fade, particularly on the edges of the bridge pickup and screws of the stop tailpiece. The bold red finish remains intact and ready to be shown off. As such, we rate this guitar as VERY GOOD condition.

• Les Paul Body Size
• Mahogany Body
• Maple Top
• Cream Binding
• Gloss Finish in Ferrari Red
• Mahogany Neck
• Bound Ebony Fingerboard
• Large Block Inlays
• Bound Headstock with Black Veneer
• Slim “C” Neck Carve
• Gloss Neck Finish
• Humbucker Pickups
• Gold Hardware
• Tone-o-matic Bridge
• Grover Tuning Machines
• 4-ply Black Pickguard
• 1 11/16” Nut Width
• 24.75” Scale Length
• 22 Frets
• 10.9 lbs
• Hard Case