Gibson Les Paul Standard

When it comes to electric guitars, you can't get much more iconic than Gibson's Les Paul line of axes, and the Gibson Les Paul Standard is arguably the most iconic of them all. The initial Les Paul model was introduced in 1952, featuring a solid mahogany body with a carved maple top, dual P-90 single-coil pickups, set-neck construction (as opposed to Fender's bolt-on necks), a trapeze tailpiece and a distinctive Goldtop finish. The Standard model was introduced in 1958, and featured newly-designed humbucker dual-coil pickups, Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece, and a stunning sunburst finish, which allowed the beauty of the figured maple top to show through. This version of the Les Paul was only produced from 1958-60, totaling about 1700 guitars, before slowing sales caused Gibson to change the design to what we now recognize as the SG, with its twin horn cutaways and flat slab body. The ˜58-60 era Les Pauls, however, became popular among blues and rock guitarists like Eric Clapton and Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green for their incredible tone and sustain, and are now among the most valuable production guitars ever produced.

By 1968, as demand for the carved-top Les Paul had grown, the Gibson Les Paul Standard was reintroduced to the market, and has been a mainstay of Gibson's electric line ever since. Today's version is faithful to those collectible vintage axes, but with several modern improvements. For instance, the innovative switching options include coil tapping for low-noise single-coil tones, as well as out-of-phase and direct-through capabilities, in addition to the legendary humbucker rumble. The solid, one-piece quarter-sawn mahogany neck is carved in the asymmetrical SlimTaper profile, and topped with a compound radius fretboard for effortless chording and lightning-fast leads. The mahogany body now features carefully routed chambers to enhance sustain and resonance, while also providing a bit of weight relief, with a carved top of standard or AAA-grade premium figured maple. Finishes include the familiar Heritage Cherry Sunburst and Goldtop options, as well as Light Burst, Honey Burst, Fireball, Ebony, Blue Mist, and Translucent Amber or Black.

If you've ever wondered how guitar heroes like Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Slash and Mike Bloomfield got their killer tones, a large part of the equation lies in the guitar itself - the Gibson Les Paul Standard. As much a work of art as a musical instrument, this model is considered to be the holy grail of iconic rock axes among guitar collectors and tone freaks alike. Try one for yourself and see why the legend lives on.