The Gibson Les Paul

The Gibson Les Paul was first sold in 1952 and has been a classic ever since. Designed with input and endorsement from guitarist Les Paul, it features an iconic single cutaway body, typically made from solid mahogany. It was originally offered with a gold finish and two P-90s, but in ’57 they added humbuckers and additional finish options.

These guitars have found their place in just about every genre of music: rock, country, pop, soul, R&B, blues, jazz, reggae, and punk, just to name a few. Some of the most notable Gibson Les Paul players are Jimmy Page, Slash, Duane Allman, Neil Young, and Billie Joe Armstrong.

The Gibson Les Paul Junior

The Les Paul Junior was introduced in 1954 as an affordable, entry-level version of the popular Gibson Les Paul. While the original Les Paul Junior had a single cutaway body like the Senior, the double cutaway body style was introduced in 1958 and has become iconic in its own right.

In order to make a high-quality guitar that was still affordable, Gibson stripped the Les Paul down to the basics to create the Junior. No binding, no carved top, one pickup, one volume knob, and one tone knob. The P-90 “dog ear” pickup was used in the bridge position, allowing for great sounds, if not as much versatility. The Gibson Les Paul Junior is still beloved for its simplicity and distinguishable tone when played through a high-gain amp, giving it that crunch that we all know and love.

The Gibson Les Paul Special

The Gibson Les Paul Special was another budget version of their hugely successful Les Paul model. Introduced in 1955, it was designed to be an intermediate-level instrument, placed at a price point between the low-cost Les Paul Junior and the standard Les Paul. It also started as a single cutaway body, but was given a double cutaway version in 1958.

The Les Paul Special retained the standard’s double P-90 pickups and dual tone/volume knobs. This gives it more tone versatility than the Junior. The Les Paul Special holds a “special” place in the hearts of Gibson-lovers, and the company has capitalized on that, reviving it every couple of years.

1978 Gibson Flying V – Rottweiler Mod

Collaboration

This 1978 Gibson Flying V is a custom project we did at The Local Pickup. We took an all original 1978 Flying V in amazing condition, one that played perfectly well and had an ideal neck in every way with great frets, and we replaced all of the removable parts with all black components selected by us.

We worked with Porter Pickups to design H90s (P90s that fit into humbucker slots). This way we did not have to alter the guitar at all (no new holes or routing). So, it can be put back to its original state very easily. These pickups are way bad ass, and guitar looks amazing.

We also worked with Couch Straps to design a custom vegan leather strap for the guitar, a strap that we think goes perfectly and makes a great addition to the guitar (really completes the package).