Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty

A real 1968- not a reissue this is different from the 1960 I had that was stolen at Kennedy Airport in 1971 in that it has a maple top under that Black finish- the 1960 did not- aside from that and the knobs these are pretty alike- 22 frets two Humbucker ( yes my 1960 only had 2- there were less than 20 made that way) two vols two tones 3 way switck Lacquer gloss with a one piece medium neck and a one piece mahogany body under the maple cap- Stock TOM and Stop tailpiece- Kluson gold super tuners- factory case that stinks to high heaven

A pair of humbuckers will give a surprising number of sounds the neck pickup is fat and sweet- easily can be used for traditional jazz or great robust rhythm sounds- the bridge pickup has plenty of bite it won't get as bright as a tele but it will run right along side a strat. Played through blackface and blond fenders as well as old JMP Marshall it has a nice individual voice- go for a lot of sustain and roll off the tone on the neck pickup and it does some very nice things with a slide

Always surprised by how well these are made running that 5 piece binding around the cutaway has got to be tough, but Gibsons always look great guitar is 41+ years old and the binding still looks(well worn but) great- some idiot removed the pickup covers and pickguard so I replaced those with period correct units- parts for these are STUPIDLY expensive- If you get one make sure it is complete or you will pay a premium for parts- only 489 Customs were made in 68 and not all were black- maybe 60% survive of those many have had the neck broken at the headjoint, these had no volute

Its 41+ years old and every part except the pat pending bridge is original- all switches pots etc... what does that say! As pro I always bring backup instruments even if it is just for a string break

Obviously some(many) repro parts will fit this and Gibson has a good reputation-so far all parts I needed were well used

I've been playing most of my life I currently own over 40 guitars and 11 vintage or boutique amps These guuitars are the closest you can come to the 50's Les Pauls and still afford to eat!! Still these are getting very expensive it has been 38 years since my last vintage Les Paul and the wait was worth it- this guitar is nothing short of great- new reissues and VOS madels are very close to the 50's but they don't get this vibe- 68 is a magic year by mid 69 they had 3 piece necks and sandwiched bodies of multile parts

Made in 1957 in the USA. This guitar was purchased brand new by my father, who passed away in 1980 and left it to me. It has a lot of sentimental value. 22 frets, solid top, two volume, two tone controls, 3 way selector, two chrome covered humbuckers (not the gold edition), original Gibson pickups - still work like a champ, passive electronics, body and neck are mahogany, now very faded black finish full cream body, neck and headstock binding. The only thing I have changed on this guitar is that I put a cream pickguard, selector cover and humbucker mounts on it. I also put gold speed dials on it, so it looks like an Ebony Les Paul Standard except for the design on the headstock. Tuners are new versions of the original vintage Les Paul tuners. Tune-O-matic bridge, stop tailpiece, 50's neck, has a very old hard case. You gotta give this baby a 10 cuz it is still here and still jamming.

I play blues - mostly dirty blues and blues based rock with an appetite occasionally for hard rock and electric folk. This guitar handles it all beautifully. I do not gig and have been through many amps, but at home now I have only a Marshall MG30DFX and an MG10CD. I have an Ibanez Tube Screamer, Behringer Tube Overdrive a Boss Distortion Pedal and a Danelectro Chorus Pedal, which I bought because my MG30DFX effects are not footswitchable. Nice beautiful beefy twang on the bridge pickup, in between is good for classic and hard rock and the neck pickup gives the sweetest blues and jazz sounds you have ever heard. I've bought a lot of guitars since I got this one, some of them great guitars, but ALL of them pale in comparison. This guitar turns 50 years old next year and it is till going strong.

Well, I was three when my Daddy bought it, so I can't answer those questions. What I can say is that this guitar, though faded, still looks absolutely great.

Well, it was made in 1957 - need I say more?

Been playing for 45 years. Got my first acoustic guitar at 7, been at it ever since. Now don't think I am some rich dude when you see my gear. I've collected all of my stuff over the last 30 years, little by little. I might be rich if I sold it all, but that ain't gonna happen:

MY GEAR

ELECTRIC GUITARS

EPIPHONE

1996 Epiphone Les Paul Hollow Body Korea

2004 Epiphone G310 China

FENDER

1984 Fender Standard FAT Telecaster Japan
1988 Fender Telecaster Custom Japan
1999 Fender Standard Stratocaster Mexico
2003 Fender FAT Stratocaster Mexico
2005 Fender Deluxe Archtop Telecaster USA

GIBSON

1957 Gibson Les Paul Custom
"Black Beauty" USA

IBANEZ

2000 Ibanez GAX70 Indonesia


ACOUSTIC GUITARS

EPIPHONE

2002 Epiphone AJ-18 Acoustic Indonesia

GIBSON

1978 Gibson Mini Jumbo Acoustic USA


VALENCIA

2003 Valencia Classical Guitar Taiwan

and I've also got the amps listed above. Been through every guitar and amp out there all these years and this is what I have now. I am going to buy a Laney LX65R amplifier in the next couple of days. I'll review it when I do.

1988 black nitro finish of course. used to be dead mint when i got it...but you HAVE ti play it duhhh. has stock 490r 498t humbuckers. schaller tulip tuners and tuneomatic bridge. "gold" hardware now faded or flaking. nothing is perfect. perfect is sterile.

This is a very versatile guitar. people typically use just the bridge pickup, but you can dial in many shades of tones by choosing both pickups and blending the volume and tone controls to make different sounds. Generally, beefy sound with authority. It helps to lower the pickups. i also put the strings over the tailpiece because i feel it sounds better. I like the midrangey thick sound and exploiting the vol/tone controls to get varying shades of sound. really useful and i dont think a lot of people use them enough. the clean sound is nice and piano-like, and you can get squealing leads to warm blues and jazz. I play pretty much whatever i feel like. Nothing super techy in the least, maybe Dinosaur Jr. Blur, Guided By Voices, Jeff Buckley, to old Zep...anything. Marshall JCM800 and Mesa Boogie blue angel. trying to get Orange Overdrive stack...

hmmm well the setup was great, there was a minor finish issue, like it wasnt totally buffed out...like little bubble marks. no big deal, you cant even notice anymore through all the scratches i put in there over the years.looks like the body is one piece and the top is one piece. neck is also one piece. no crackling pots or faulty wiring at all..very clean inside! ironic how i use to polish this guitar and fret over every smudge all those years ago. word of advice: just play it a lot more times than you polish and look at it. otherwise you're taking it for granted.

this used to be my ONLY guitar, so its seen a lot of use as a working tool indeed. its survived some carelessness on my part, like when i put a sticker in it many years ago in my "punk" phase. the finish is still there underneath, but is matte-black and dulled out, while the rest of the finish is still relatively glossy...hopefully the finish will dull altogether with the binding yellowing. the hardware is wearing off and flaking in some parts. i really dont care though. gives it character. strap buttons are crap. i've had the same dunlops on this guitar the whole 10 years ive had it. this guitar is totally dependable, and i swear it almost never goes out of tune. i've played many gibsons that dont stay in tune this well, its TITALLY dependable. it could definitley use a refret right about now, though.

ive dealth with them a few times for minor inquiries. seem friendly and respond quickly...well in my experience.

i'v been playing this guitar for almost as long as ive been playing guitar. i call this guitar Kanabun. it has a very special place in my heart, and is still a totally dependable working tool to this day. i use other guitars now including some nice boutique ones whenever i play out because i think i might have gotten too attached to the old kanabun. yeah, its not cheap, but take care of it and dont forget to PLAY it and you will have a dependable guitar for life. you can even pass it down to your kids. it was a gift from my parents(that i tottally did not deserve) when i was 14, and while i had been pretty good to that point, i really busted my ass getting better and more impportantly really writing great songs and using this guitar as often as possible. i love the sound, and the dependablity, especially when it comes to holding its tuning. if it were lost or stolen, i'm not sure what i'd do. i'd get another les paul, but it sure as hell wouldnt be THE one. call me crazy, but i wouldnt trade this one for a '59 burst.

My 1991 Black Beauty was made in the USA, 22 frets, carved maple top,
mahogany neck, back and sides, two tone and volume controls, 2 Alnico humbucking pickups, Tune-O-Matic bridge, stop tailpiece, Grover tuners, 24 3/4 scale, in other words: the customary specs. After only three years of gentle and infrequent use, its nitrocellulose finish began to peel, exposing a bare patch of mahogany the size of a quarter. The Grover tuners couldn't keep all 6 strings in tune any longer than 24 hours. And after bending blue notes, the treble strings would require immediate re-tuning. The mahogany body can sustain a note for a whole day -- but be prepared to re-tune that sustained note! Did I buy a beautiful, black, 10 lb. lemon or what?

Without the Les Paul, there would be no rock in "rock 'n' roll."
You can't smash this solidbody supermodel on stage like a Strat.
It would hurt. Les Paul designed this guitar for his heavy-handed style of picking, and it was only natural for rockers to come along and raise its level of abuse higher -- along with the decibel level.
This Black Beauty is as tough as a Nashville whore. It'll deliver the warm sweetness, as well as the ballsy crunch. It's a guitar made for ding-a-lings. Just like the tortured syntax of previous reviewers,
dumber strummers don't seem to mind suffering its fat weight, sticky neck, buzzes, muddy lower frequencies, and treble notes consistently twisting out of tune.

Those of us who have outgrown the Rolling Stones have moved on to the sophistication of jazz, and jazzboxes. This is why I ended up trading my Gibson rock 'n' roll hooker for the perfect symmetry of an Ibanez JSM 100; it's Prestige neck offers a compound radius so perfect you never want to put the guitar down, so easy to play, and its maple body so gorgeous to look at while listening to the mellifluous sounds of tall chords, jazz chords, complicated chords, music for real men, flowing out of a Roland Jazz Chorus 120 amp.

Save the hard-to-play Les Paul Custom for the masochistic pickers who enjoy contorting their fingers around a cutaway body to try and reach the upper frets to bend those frustrated notes because it's a guy thing to do.

This "fretless wonder" is a mindless blunder. When pressing down on the "E" first string, it would suddenly slip off the edge of the fretboard. With low action, this became a recurring problem. Adjusting the bridge, or using other brands of strings didn't help. Elixir strings, for example, standard 10-46 gauge, sounded and felt like floppy elastic, slipping, oops! Not again.

As far as the factory set-up went, after one month of play, I was surprised to discover loose pickup screws and a loose nut around the
jack plug. On a high-end Gibson? Shame. How much extra ca$h did I pay for the name?

The finish starts to go fast. Three more years of playing and further scaly patches of mahogany would have begun to appear along its neck like shingles. Sure, durability is what this whore of a guitar is all
about. But beware of endless facelifts after being seduced by all those appointments, bejewelled with goldplating and fancy binding.

The Gibson website is loaded with beguiling captions such as "Don't cover your ass with dissonance." Good ol' Gibson began to cover its losses when the company relocated in Nashville from Kalamazoo, and continues to run on reputation. Any guitar manufactured after the 1960s, following the Norel takeover, continues to decline in quality, and Heritage can't save that dying eagle.

Corporate tricks aside, I never bothered to contact Gibson concerning the ugly surprises with my Black Beauty which I managed to repair by myself. However, I did receive a prompt e-mail reply in less than 24 hours from their customer rep. I had enquired about the cost of a 2005 Gibson Les Paul Custom -- just for the hell of it.

I have made my living teaching and playing music for approximately 40 years. I also own a Martin D 28 (1950 model) and a Lithuanian kankles (dulcimer). I would never sell these instruments; they have become an extension of my voice. I am an award-winning Canadian poet. (My books are available on Amazon.com.) I consider my guitar to be an equal voice which expresses in music what words cannot express. The Gibson Black Beauty just doesn't have the lyrical range. Jeff Beck remains one of the few rockers who can coax poetry out of his Les Paul in his instrumentals. The Les Paul asks to be played aggressively by monkey grippers. If it were stolen by some hairy ape of a country/rock/blues picker, by jingo, I wouldn't bother spilling any more American blood over nothing.

Gibson has become another symbol of American decline. Ibanez Rules.

My Guitar was made in 1979 and is black with gold hardware. Of course, the guitar was made in USA and has 22 frets. It is made out of the regular woods: Maple neck with ebony fret board and a mahogany body. The fret markers are large pearl rectangles. The neck is the classic "D" shape. All the standard electronics and hardware. A typical LP Custom. The guitar is old and things don't work as good as they used to, so I give an eight.

I run my guitar straight into a Rivera Chubster 55 Watt 1x12 combo. Any effects are in the effects loop. Although I only own the one amp, I have played it through everything from Fender to Marshal to THD to Vox, etc. It sounds great through all of them. Because of the type and amount of wood this guitar is made of, a thick, rich tone is always produced no matter what amp you plug into (provided it is all tube). Also, the amplifier you choose will have a large effect on the "voice" of you guitar. For example, if you want a great distortion sound, look towards Marshall or Mesa. If you want a great clean sound, consider Fender or Vox.

I play mainly straight driving rock using a lot of delay and full distortion. However, I also play clean quite a bit. The sound of this guitar really suites my playing and style of music I like. When playing this type of music you really need to have a "thick-sounding" guitar with humbucking pick-ups.

I think that the most excellent part of this guitar's sound (besides the excellent tone) is the sustain. This guitar will kick the A$$ of any strat, tele, PRS, etc. in terms of sustain.

Well, I bought my Paul used through a local dealer and it was in pretty rough shape when I first played it. I think it must've been played in every bar along the west coast! The guitar strap was this ratty piece of crap and the guy had it bolted right to the body of the guitar. Also, the pick-guard was taken off and the pick-up covers had been removed. Luckily the previous owner was smart enough no to throw any of the original hardware away. So, with some help of the guitar tech at the store, I got this baby looking pretty sweet. I had to replace the nut on it because it was worn so far down that I had to crank the bridge up way too high play comfortably. But after all that, she plays and sounds pretty darn good.

Well, like I mentioned before, the guitar was made in 1979 and it was played in all sorts of settings and has taken quite the beating. Yet despite its rough life, this guitar still delivers the tone and amazing sounds that it is famous for. Just go pick one up and you'll know that it is built like a rock!

Never dealt with them.

I give it a nine. Not because there is anything "bad" about it, but the guitar is 26 years old and things don't quite work as well as they should. But overall, this guitar is absolutely amazing (if you like vintage stuff that is).

This is a 1977 USA made Gibson Les Paul Custom in ebony. It has the usual Les Paul Custom features; maple and mahogany, ebony fretboard, black nitocellulose finish, two passive humbucking pickups with volume and tone knobs for each, a 'tune-o-matic' bridge, ivory nut and Grover 'bean' tuners. It has all the features a guitarist needs, any more would be confusing.

I bought the guitar used, sight unseen. For an almost thirty-year-old instrument it was in pretty decent shape with only a few dings in the finish. It arrived in a somewhat battered original Gibson hard-shell case.

This guitar weighs ten pounds which is fine -well, maybe it's a little on the light side. I like heavy guitars because I like the guitar to 'fight back' a little. If I ever get famous I'll ask Gibson to make me a hickory Les Paul. I figure it would weigh 20 pounds! Yes, I would play it all night long. Heavy guitars rule!

I took a long hiatus from music making on account of an injury to my hand. I can't sing. When I decided to return I only considered getting a Gibson Les Paul Custom. It had to be black. This custom has exactly the kind of sound I want to hear from a guitar. It's limited but so is a violin. This guitar expresses midrange sounds from the 'D' to the 'B' strings with great power and articulation. The bottom sorta drops out. It has a nice, clear treble sound in the higher register from the bridge pickup, but it will never be compared to a Telecaster. Personally, I don't like the tinny sounds that come from Fender guitars, and I think most other electric guitars are too light.

I play bottleneck blues and blues oriented rock and some jazz. I play without pedals into a Demeter 50w three channel amp. I can get more sounds with this guitar and amp than I could with a 'brand X' guitar and a trainload of pedals. Depending on the strings used -strings have more of an impact on sound than anything else other than the pickups- there is almost unlimited music, noise and harmonics waiting to be discovered just about everywhere in this guitar.

I play pretty much at the 'lower' register, open tuning(s) and almost never play high up on the neck. Playing high on the neck might be a problem because of the thickness of the body and the shape of the cut-away. Since I don't do it, this is not a problem for me.

My only complaint is the volume control -only one is really necessary- is too far toward the bridge so it cannot be manipulated with the picking hand while playing a note.

The guitar is used; the neck is warped, the high-E 12th fret bzzzzz's like crazy, the same high-E string slips off the edge of the fretboard.... and I don't care! I can make interesting sounds -using these 'defects' to my advantage. Playing bottleneck helps. This guitar has big frets, so a fret dressing would likely fix the buzz. A guitar tech could straighten the neck, but I don't care whether it's straight or not. Compared to some guitars I've tried, this is somewhat hard to play. The quality of the sound compensates for this, and it is the sound that matters. Like a guitarist friend said to me about his guitar; "I don't want to 'fix' it because I'm afraid I might change something in the process...."

The jack is worn out and the selector switch 'pops' so these need replacing. At some point, after I've bought a back-up guitar, it's off to the shop to fix these items. It's an old guitar.

I play with the action set very low considering I'm using a slide. It isn't really a problem for me, I can shift from fingering or chording to the slide between notes. The neck is the thinner style, not as thin as a strat or tele. I can use heavier, high-tension strings on this guitar without difficulty because of the ebony/maple neck and the quality of build.

With care, this guitar should last for hundreds of years on or off the road. Gibson did an excellent job thinking out and making this instrument. The wood sounds great and Gibson glues its guitars together into a solid, unified block. The hardware is original and everything still functions quite well. With Fenders and a lot of other 'screwed together' instuments there are constant problems with intonation, things falling off, etc.

One of my favorite things is that this guitar stays in tune, regardless of the temperature or humidity! If restrung properly -without too many turns on the binding posts- the Paul will stay in-tune all night without retuning!

I would have to be desperate to play a show without a back-up guitar. I could actually do so with this guitar, with two Pauls I could do two shows at the same time. How efficient!

At some point the strap button on the bottom of the guitar pulled out, a previous owner drove a ten-penny nail through the strap button into the bottom of the guitar a half-inch from the old location. I guess something was the mother of invention!

Used guitar, never dealt with 'em....

I've been playing on and off for decades. Geez, I'm tired of it already.... This is the only 'real' guitar, all else is firewood. I've actually never held an acoustic guitar in my hands. Don't wanna either.

Some suggested modifications: bypass both the tone controls and the volume on the neck pick-up. The signal path is from the pickups to the switch to the jack. The tone controls are unnecessary and never used. These just trim the treble output from each pickup rather than actually shifting a range of frequencies. Only one volume control is needed -to keep from feeding back when you are not actually playing the guitar.

I don't like pedals. I don't hate them, it just seems that they're too much of a distraction. I have a tuner and might get a wah-wah someday. With the Demeter a fuzz is unnecessary. An octavia and an echoplex might be fun, but all those footswitch buttons get in the way of wriggling my fingers. I have a replacement Seymour-Duncan bridge pick-up but I actually like the stock Gibson, so I'll stick with it for now.

I've been a Gibson customer for almost my entire playing career; SG's and various other Les Pauls. Standards are okay and goldtops are beautiful to look at but this guitar will completely bury them in the sound department. I can make this Paul sound as if hell is coming completely unglued. Fender makes great basses, I have Mexican Jazz bass that is excellent. I like the older guitars which sound a little better than the newer ones, but I think the newer Pauls are pretty decent, nonetheless. The quality of the wood today is not the same as it was thirty years ago. Large diameter virgin mahogany trees are now almost impossible to find.

1976 GIBSON BLACK BEAUTY CUSTOM - GOLD HDWE -EBONY FINGERBOARD
BOUGHT IT NEW - TRADED A GIBSON L6 S AS PART DOWNPAYMENT - MAINLY CAUSE I WAS ON THE ROAD AND NEEDED A SOLID GUITAR THAT COULD TAKE A LOT OF ABUSE

THIS GUITAR IS AWESOME FOR ROCK AND BLUES - OVER THE YEARS IT JUST GETS BETTER - i PLAY IT THROUGH A 1975 BLUE FACE FENDER PRO REVERB
WITH JBL SPEAKERS IN PLACE OF THE ORIGINAL- AT ONE POINT I HAD A 2 15 JBL CLOSED CAB THAT SOUNDED INCREDIBLE- I SWITCHED BETWEEN SPEAKER SET UPS FOR DIFFERENT TUNES - IN THE OLD DAYS ALL I USED FOR EFFECTS WAS A CRY BABY-FOR TONE MOSTLY - AND AN OLD HEAVY DUTY FUZZ BOX FROM SOME DO IT YOURSELF TYPE KIT - CANT REMEMBER THE NAME ANYMORE

I HAND PICKED THIS GUITAR FROM SEVERAL LES PAULS - FELL IN LOVE AND KNEW IT WAS THE BEST THE MINUTE I PLAYED IT-RARE THING-NEVER LET A TECH TOUCH IT ALWAYS ADJUSTED IT MYSELF - THE IVORY TRIM IS NOW AN AGED YELLOW THAT LOOKS GREAT- THE FRETS ARE STILL GOOD - HAD TO GET ONE POT REPLACED - THATS IT THE TECH LOVED THE GUITAR AND THOUGHT IT WAS SET UP PERFECTLY WHEN HE REPLACED THE POT-PROBLEM NOW IS YOU DONT GET THE CHANCE TO PLAY A VARIETY OF HIGH END GUITARS-AT LEAST IN CANADA- SO YOU HAVE TO ORDER AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. GREAT ACTION VERY LOW FAST - NO BUZZ

THIS GUITAR IS A ROAD WARRIOR - STAYS IN TUNE - TAKES A LOT OF ABUSE-
LIKE FREEZING IN THE VAN GETTING TO THE GIG - THEN SPILLED BEER - DROPPED IT MORE THAN ONCE-YOU COULD USE IT TO KNOCK SOMEONES HEAD OFF AND THEN KEEP PLAYING - TRULY A BATTLE AXE - I TOOK THIS ONE ON THE ROAD FOR 2 YEARS - I DONT THINK ANY GUITAR AROUND CAN MATCH A LES PAUL FOR ROADWORTHY- AND I OWN SOME PRETTY NICE GUITARS

WHO KNOWS I NEVER HAD TO GET GIBSON TO DO ANYTHING- NEVER NEEDED WARRANTY -

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 34 YEARS -WHOOO - FOR THE ROAD I WOULD ALWAYS RELY ON THIS AXE - HAVING SAID THAT I HAVE A D'ANGELICO NEW YORKER THAT I PREFER BUT HEY THATS NOT A ROAD GUITAR - I TAKE THE BATTLE AXE TO THE ROUGH GIGS AND NEVER WORRY - IN MY OPINION A GOOD LES PAUL CUSTOM - AT LEAST THE OLD ONES ARE THE TOUGHEST GUITARS GOING - I WOULD HAVE TO GET ANOTHER IF I EVER LOST THIS ONE - AND ILL KEEP IT FOREVER - WE GO BACK A LONG WAY

Mi guitarra es una les paul del 77 con cuerpo de caoba y tapa de maple, brazo de maple de 3 piezas, las pastillas no se realmente si son las 490R y la 498T, tiene los controles como la custom del 68 (cap knobs) no los transparentes, otra cosa, es que tiene los logos del diamante y de gibson en color dorado (no se si sea por el tiempo), herrajes en chapa de oro, el logo del gibson no tiene el punto en la "i".
Esta guitarra esta bastante gastada, pintura en mal estado y oxidacion en herrajes, pero para una guitarra de 27 a?os esta hermosa, me imagino que debio haberse visto muy bien nueva.
estuche gibson con el clasico tapizado interior en color morado.
le doy un 9 ya que por ahi hay otras marcas de guitarras que presentan tapas flameadas o muy lujosas.

Toco desde los 6 a?os la guitarra, y hace 15 la electrica, puedo saber que tan bien suena una guitarra ya que he tenido demasiadas que me aburro y las vendo o las truequeo. aunque solo toco de hobby mi estilo definitivamente es blues y heavy metal. suena muy bien atraves de mi peavey 5150-212, comparandola con la otra guitarra que tengo(musicman, axis, con pastillas dimarzio) la gibson suena mejor, ya a tope los potencimentros, puedo diferenciar muy bien entre cada nota que toco, y la musicman satura demasiado con los potenciomentros abiertos, no por eso deja de sr una guitarra excelente, creo que de las mejores que he probado.

se toca bastante comoda, a pesar que el dapason esta marcado, no tiene fallas en los tonos en la sensacion al tacto (quiza un poco al hacer los bendings)me gusta su sensacion del ebano en el diapason. no tengo quejas por el peso, para mi es bueno saber que traigo la guitarra todavia en el tali.
de hecho probe una lespaul junior nueva, que me salia el doble de los que me costo esta usada, y le senti horrible, tanto en el peso, los acabados, el color, el sonido, muchas de las guitarras que he tenido le parte su mauser facilmente, pero esta custom esta muy por encima de todas las demas, a pesar que el brazo no sea de una sola pieza y para mi eso le reste merito, no le quita en nada al desempe?o total.

si ya tiene 27 a?os, creo que le falta muchos mas, bastante solida, no se le ve separacion en la madera, los botones para el tali estan mas macizos que los de muchas guitarras nuevas que he tenido.

no lo he utilizado, y no creo que me den soporte por una guitarra tan vieja.

si tuviese el dinero para comprarme una nueva definitivamente los haria, estuve en busca de una gold-top standard, pero cai enamorado de esta belleza negra.
definitivamente las guitarras se ven mejor con diapason de ebano que con palo de rosa, y la sensacion tambien es diferente.

This one is a 1978 LPC. Beautiful black finish, 2 humbuckers, maple neck with mahogany body, maple top, ebony fretboard, mother of pearl inlay. All original hardware and electronics, well taken care of, blah blah blah...

I play stuff along the lines of Tool so it fits perfectly. Its a 70's LPC running thru a Mesa Triple Recto not a bargin basement Ibanez running thru a Behringer...of course it sounds great.

The shop I bought it from really takes care of all of their guitars so when I bought it they set it up for me right there.

The thing is 26 years old and still plays better than anything you can take off the rack at Sam Ash.

Everytime I have called Gibson I get a real person who is knowlegable about their products.

It is an awesome guitar that perfectly fits my style of playing as well as the sound I am going for. If it were ever stolen I would have to hunt somebody down and reclaim it because no 2 guitars are alike and I would have a helluva time trying to find a replacement. Word to the wise...buy an older guitar. The wood won't give you any suprises, they are cheaper, and quality control was a lot better back then. Trust me, I will never buy another brand new guitar.

$9,000 used. 1981 3 pickup model. Made in Arkansas, or Sweden.
Maple neck, you can tell cause its been all rubbed on by somebody with rough hands. Also battery acid.
Who knows about the pickups man? Peoples is always fucking with nature.
I put locking grovers on this one, chrome to replace the gold. Same with every other gold piece on this thing. I melted all the gold down into a crude ashtray.

How does it sound? Oh, really how doesn't it sound? It doesn't sound much like a guitar, more like a songbird. There's no fighting this one, it's so heavy. My weak little stick arms and curved spine can barely hold it up. I've rigged up a system of pulleys and ropes and that seems to help. I have a tech that makes me fly around the stage, pissing upon the poor peasants.

I can hold a note and barely tap the e string and watch it for hours as it vibrates, then settles, the vibrates, then sort of flutters, then stops abruptly. Like I said this thing is like a songbird, pressed between to large sheets of glass, tortured into screaming fits of agony.

It's somewhat reliable - as it's the only guitar I own. I've relied on it for support, and nourishment. I was freezing once and burned a tiny fragment from the headstock. It's the only thing that saved me.

I love Gibson guitars. I have six of them.

Playing time - 15 years.
I wish I had asked the salesman to change the strings, they suck.
Actually somme guys stole it - then brought it back and sold it to me. Now I'm out another two grand.
Damn.

'00 LPC Gibson USA maple top 2 p/u black nashville bridge schaller tulip keys brown case w/pink lining and satin cover obnoxious GibsonUSA logo on case

this issue came with 490R and 498T humbuckers the 498T is overwound to fatten up the bridge sound-works,but took some getting used to neck p/u pretty authentic,though overall tone is easily distorted very big sound;thru a Marshall,distortion pedal irrelevant!more tonal variety and clarity thru a Fender excellent sustain and harmonic feedback

neck shape great,not too thick or thin,wide enough but not too wide,very comfortable action good,getting better as it gets broken in more stable than fender,truss rod works well I'd like to address a statement made by a misinformed reviewer...Gibson doesn't use inferior wood for black guitars;this is a high-line instrument,evident in the construction and tone if the finish wore off the top,it wouldn't be bookmatched flame maple,but solid plain maple it is a misconception that grainy wood sounds better,it only looks better(if you like to get dizzy) the gold tarnishes easily and the nitro lacquer finish scratches easily,which I don't mind I do mind the mentality that guitars should stay clean and shiny as new...do any great guitarists worry about that? just play the thing if you can,don't worry about it. brainiacs pay Gibson and Fender extra to beat up their new guitar so they can PRETEND to have history or something...this is silly,just play the thing every day,you'll give it your own history

better than most,tunes reliably,works as expected,use a fresh strap with a tight hole,you won't need straplocks

good website,parts too expensive(12.95 for pickguard support bracket!)never dealt directly with them,wouldn't expect much from any corporation like this...however,I can say PRS has the best,small-town personal service you'll find in this or any related industry,Gibson and Fender could really learn something there!

got it to play Stooges Raw Power covers,worked great been playing since the 70's like it a lot,definitely would get another,might even get an SG Gibson has had their good and bad moments historically,so you need to inspect each instrument carefully,but generally they're worth some bucks because they are high quality and reliable I personally prefer the nashville to the '57 historic...lighter and louder!better neck too.

Mine is a USA made 1989 3 (humbucker) pickup Black Beauty (though it's not labelled as a 35th Anniversary Edition) which i purchased in 2001.
Usual configuration of 2 volume & 2 tone and a 3 position toggle switch.
All hardware is gold plated and body has rather nice binding.
Battered original case included.
No special features, but that's not what i bought it for...

I play mainly rock through a Marshall AVT150 (with extra cab).
Rhythm can be a bit muddy but this thing shines on solos.
I have several other Gibsons and nothing (not even other LP's) sustains like this thing.
I love to play this on a high gain amp setting and roll all the treble off the tone on the rhythm pickup. Fantastic solo sound.
Not the most versatile of guitars but what it does, it does VERY well.
A very full bodied sound. To use a wine comparison... If Fenders are Frascati then this is a quality Rioja.
Middle pickup can get in the way of playing, but you get used to it and adjust your playing style accordingly.
This is one heavy guitar. I've never used it live but i imagine i'd require a massage if i was to play it for several hours :-)

When i got the guitar (used) i was initially a little disappointed.
The body was covered in lots of small scratches, the frets buzzed, intonation was out and the pickup surrounds had all buckled through time due to them originally being fitted incorrectly.
However i took the guitar to my local luthier who sorted everything out for a mere #30. When i asked him how he got rid of the scratches he told me he used coloured car wax and gave it a good polish.
Top tip!
I then contacted Gibson to complain about the pickup surrounds who sent me new ones free of charge! No complaints there.
Other than that guitar is constructed real well and qulaity of fit & finish is very good.

This thing is solid and as can be seen by everyone else who uses them it would stand up to live use without any problems.
The finish is deep and lustrous and i imagine i would have to take a screwdriver to it to get through the paint.
Gold plating is better than what i'm used to with Gibson, i've got younger Gibsons with gold plated hardware that have worn away quite badly but this one still looks really good with no noticebale wear.
Maybe the previous owners wore gloves?
I would never gig without a backup guitar, but if you had to this is one that wouldn't let you down.

As mentioned previously, complained about pickup surrounds and was sent new ones FOC very quickly and this was for a guitar that was about 12 years out of warranty. Top service.

Have been playing since about 1978 and own other Gibson LP's, V2, Firebird VII, Explorer III, SG, Fender Strat & Teles, Rickenbacker 360/12, Vox Phantom, Kawai Moonsault, to name but a few....
If stolen i would attempt to replace it but i think i would have a long search, there's something very special about the build of this one, the sustain is very unusual.
Hey and it looks fantastic!

Es una gibson, dos humbuckers, 22 trastes, color negro, clavijas grover, muy buen acabado.. lo unico que nunca me ha gustado de el sistema gibson es la manera en que estan puestos los controles de tono y el switch de cambio, ay que dejar de tocar para poder cambiar los microfonos, pero desde que pongo mi marshall en 3 me olvido de estos problemas porque el sonido arregla todo....

al principio encontre los microfonos un poco debiles, un poco sucios, pero cambie los microfonos por un PAF dimarzio y un SUPER DISTORTION Dimarzio y no deja de tener un sustain infinito el sonido es el mejor que he podido probar en mi vida, a todo esto agregue un potenciometro switch para convertir el microfono PAF en single coil, ya que los humbuckers no son muy buenos para tocar baladas o estilos como regae, ya con esto puedo tocar lo que sea y con la calidad gibson. Uso mi guitarra con una Marshall JMP 1978 Mark II, debo decir que es la mejor combinacion del mundo....

otra cosa acuerdense "ONLY A GIBSON IS GOOD ENOUGH"

La Gibson como cualquier guitarra tienen algo en comun no estan hechas para desafiar la ley de la gravedad usen strap locks, ya que no le gustaria que una guitarra de mas de mil dolares se caiga.....

la guitarra es excelente y pueden irse con ella al final del mundo si quieren, no les dara problemas...

tengo alrededor de 13 a?os tocando y esta es mi mejor guitarra... me gusta todo en ella excepto la manera en como estan los controles, pero es algo a lo que tiene que acostumbrarse ya que la mayoria de las gibson son asi pero como dije horita el sonido es tan bueno que uno se olvida de cualquier cosa....
ahhhh otra cosa pesa lo suficiente para sentar a cualquier guitarrista en un concierto pero no importa yo me acostumbre....

A USA-made '79, bought new and then routed out for a third pick-up. Re-wired with a push-pull pot controlling the centre p/u, the rhythm and treble p/us out of phase when the toggle's in centre. Original treble p/u moved to the middle, and a DiMarzio X-something put in the treble spot. Otherwise, after a lot of mucking about, I left the hardware as standard.

This guitar would seem to be made of iron.

Very bass-heavy, even after stringing with monofilament. Had some difficulties in orchestral situations (I used to play a lot of shows) in not making the whole band sound a bit muddy. That said, a note struck in 1980 would still be sustaining now if you didn't let go, even with wispy strings.
Thanks to the re-wiring and the use of a vintage Marshall 50w run in tandem with a Frunt 200w - and a lot of pedals - I could make just about any noise any musical director asked for.
It was and is easily the best guitar I've ever owned.

Beautifuly made and set up, and all my efforts only just about improved it. If there's a complaint, it's that it's too easy to play and your left hand will get lazy: all other guitars feel like an effort after playing one of these.

It's been 23 years, it's been round the world twice, in and out of more vans than you could count - and it refused to eat strings, drift from tune, warp, wave or do anything to upset me. It's a damn sight more reliable than I am.
Now we're both off the road, swapping stories out on the back porch, and it hasn't changed a bit.

Never needed them, so I couldn't say. But I still have the pink credit card thing, just in case!

I've been playing about 25 years, and have owned just about eberything at one time or another. I don't play professionaly any more, so if it was nicked I'd have no excuse for buying another - but if I was working I'd go straight to it.
It's heavy, but since I was usualy in orchestras or studios and sitting down, this wasn't a problem. The only other thing I should have bought was a twin-neck, for occasional use. Otherwise all the noises were here already, waiting for me to find them.

I would rate it as a ten but it was expensive; I know I got what I paid for but I still haven't forgiven them for the things I had to play to get the money! Sorry Gibson, but I suffered for your art you know.

La guitarra en cuestion es toda una preciosidad.Cuerpo y mastil de caoba,con una tapa de arce,diapason de ebano con incrustaciones de nacar.esta retrasteada, y tiene unas pastillas que mas quisiera yo de saber cuales son, pero suenan de Puta Madre,con sus correspondientes chapas doradas.tiene un ribeteado blanco por todo el cuerpo y el mastil rodeandola por completo.los acabados son en dorado,clavijeros,puente,ect..todo lo metalico en cuestion.La guitarra tiene alrededor de 21 a?os.su precio de segunda mano 1350?

?Que voy a decir?!!!es LA GUITARRA!!! su mastil encolado y su puente fijo,junto al peso de la guitarra le dan un sustain...acojonante.Toco Hard Blues y Heavy Metal, fanatico perdido de Zakk Wylde y Metallica.Por ello le colocare las EMG signature de Mr.Zakky, o sea cambiar los ca?ones por misiles nucleares.!!!TIEMBLA MUNDO!!!

Por la calidad de la madera,y su peso dandole ese sustain por su puente fijo y mastil encolado,el tacto y comodidad del mastil,INcurvable,es la mejor del mundo...

!!!LAS GIBSON SON DE POR VIDA!!!me morire y se la pasare en testamento a mi hijo y mi hijo a mi nieto y mi nieto...

!!!ES GIPSON!!!sobran las palabras

Es la mejor del mundo...es la HARLEY de las guitarras

Manufactured in 1976, probably one of the first Nashville made instruments. Ebony fingerboard, 22 frets (fretless wonder, plays like a miracle), mother-of-pearl block inlay, 3 piece laminated neck. Gold hardware, completely original, two humbuckers. Black finish.
Body made of mahogany. The Gibson archive states that this series (1969 LPC reissue) has a maple top but I wonder, regarding the sound of the guitar. I think it's too dark and 'muddy'. I own an Ibanez Artist 300 (1981) with mahogany body & neck and maple top but that guitar has a very bright tone which the Gibson lacks.

As I mentioned this guitar does not sound very bright, although if you take some time you can get a very nice tone. Output is not too high, seems to be very suitable for blues and jazz. Sounds full and quite rich, very well balanced. Good sustain, no complaints here.

Very fast action, no buzz, no flaws, hardware however oxidized but since it's made in 1976 that's not too strange. How many '76 cars are still driving today without rust?

Very well built guitar, no problems to be expected, very dependable. Well, it's a Gibson. No backup needed if you can get all the sounds you want from this guitar.

Never needed it. Warranty expired long time ago I guess....

I've been playing for 22 years now, own about 15 other guitars & basses. If it were stolen I wouldn't buy an old Custom again or it had to come much cheaper than this one, it's too heavy and too limited in it's sounds to become my main guitar. I only bought it because it was still cheaper than expected and it was at an auction and I really wanted it.
I wish it sounded more like my Artist, which seems to be a better Gibson than the real one (not even my own opinion!).
This guitar is for sale, only serious inquirers.....

It's a '97, basic 3-hum paul. I had it custom wired though, took the middle pickup off the toggle and put it on a push/pull pot. So now the toggle works like a 2-pickup gibson.

When I first bought this guitar, I loved it. It's truly a beast. I play through a peavey classic 50/410, and this thing can chunk like no other. You wouldn't believe the growl on power chords.
As time passed, however, I began to relize the limitations of the tone. It's very thick, very muddy. The pickups are crap for clarity, though removing the covers helps considerably. I may replace them with diMarzio or something.
Basically, it's great for low-end rhythm, but sucks for any sort of definition.

Set-up was nice; it's a beautiful guitar. Neck's kinda big(it's a Paul), and it's not very fast, but it was obviously built for tone, not ease. You can tell immediately that the instrument has a huge capacity for tone, it's just the electronics holding it back.

Had it 2 years, no problems.

I wouldn't buy it again, but if you like a thick sound, this guitar is for you.

Well here it is. My alternate to the Super 400 entry many months ago. This is a 1980 American Made (of course) typical LP Custom. Laminated Maple top on a mahogany body. Black with gold hardware and finetuners on the tailpiece.

To be fair, I have had to modify the sound by replacing the rear pickup with a Duncan Custom. This is attributed to a pickup that i had to have repaired and was never the same. I finally gave up and replaced the unit itself. It sounds better than ever but it sounded good before. I just lost higher end gain in the bridge pickup after it was repaired. The rating I give it reflects the changes I have made to the guitar ( a lot of them- it was a nightmare when i first got it) and not how it came from the factory.

It was ok when I got it in 1993 but I have replaced the frets, wiring, pods, jacks, had it wetsanded and buffed to clean up the original finish, replaced the bridge pickup and the bridge assembly. Hell, not much original but it NEVER goes out of tune. I can play it for 5 hours straight and barely have to use the fine tunders. The rating I give it post factory restoration and repair.

Only one complaint! When is gibson going to start shipping their guitars with strap locks? I refuse to play mine wearing a strap until they have them. Period. This earns them a 7 for being shortsighted.

Actually, the one time I called to get an ID of my other Les Paul, they were awesome. My hats off to them.

I have been playing around 13 years and I own another Les Paul Custom Super 400, a completely modified Fender strat and I use a Mesa Boogie Trem-o-verb. My overall rating again reflects the time, effort and aggravation I put into it. it would have been a 6 as I originally bought it.

1980 USA made 21 frets I got it trading in a Fender Strat.(the pink Junk from the late 80's) and an Ovation made in Korea. I would say that this guitar is in great condition, but the neck is like new. When I bought it had on jazz strings!!! Two volumes and two tone controls a three way pick up selector, I don 't really know of what material is made, but judging from other Gibson from this period I would say Maple-Mahogany. When I replaced the cracked pick-up's frames I noticed that behind the Pick-ups there is stamped MAY 1976. Oh well an 18 yrs old babe with a 22 yrs old pick ups!

I play Blues/Hard-Rock and this guiatr seems not to have any problems to fit in any music style. I use a Peavey Classic 50 Watts and now I can say to have a Mr.Amp; in fact, I trade it for a Marshall that was not that great to me! I also own two Danelectro Fab-Tone and Daddy-o, plus a Boss Compressor and a Dealy. Believe me I can nail down Anhtrax,Metallica,Gary Moore,Jimmy Page's sound etc...Even if you own something else get yourself a Danelectro distortion (See Danelectro review). This guitar despite its 18 yrs of age sounds like a brand new baby, the sound is thick,warm, and with a Cry Baby you can almost nail down SRV sound! No complaints USA made!

I never did anything on it because it is simply perfect, professionally made, the pick ups were way to low, now the one at the bridge is closer to the strings, it gives me more impact on solos. The only problem is that most of the gold on the pick ups is gone, and now some green copper is appearing, but it can be removed easly with a small drop of anty copper liquid.

This Guitar is a myth....never dies. It is very weel finished indeed and I do not even think that it will ever die. I used it more than once in a gig and it never let me down except that every other song it needs to be retuned (the only complain)

I never dealt with the company, never repaired, no warranty, why doe it need it?

I've been playing for 16 yrs now and after owning Yamhaha, Ibanez, and other Not USA made guitars I got tired and now I am Mr.Happy! To me this Guitar is not comparable to anything else because it is a Gibson I perhaps sound arrogant, but first of all try to own a Gibson and then let me know! If I would lose it I would certainly buy another one in a New York minute! I know that Gibsons are not cheap guitar but there is a reson why, and if you'll own one you'll be able to find out yourself.