1955 Les Paul Historic Electric Guitar

In the mid-50s, a sunburst finish was not an available option on a Gibson Les Paul. In 1958, Goldtops were phased out and a cherry sunburst became the standard finish. Sunburst finishes became all the rage with some really popular artists such as Clapton and Bloomfield using late-50s 'Bursts. The single-cutaway Les Paul guitars were discontinued in '60-'61 and were not reintroduced for several years. Many players started stripping the gold off the top of their early-mid-'50s Gibson Les Paul guitars and having them refinished to emulate the desirable Sunburst Les Pauls. The Gibson Custom Refin features a beautiful Slow Iced Tea Fade top and even has an offset center seam to emulate the originals. The Gibson Refin Hot-Mod Les Paul also introduces a comfortable and resonant neck shape, the Soft Shoulder '55 Neck Profile.

The hot-mod slant on the Gibson Custom Hot-Mod 1955 Les Paul Goldtop Electric Guitar originates from a custom-ordered 1955 Les Paul that was later modified with humbucker pickups (introduced by Gibson in 1957). The classic combination of maple-topped mahogany body with ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge and humbuckers delivers a glorious monster tone that introduces a comfortable and resonant neck profile.

Alnico V pickup
The Alnico V pickup found in the neck position on the Gibson Custom 1955 Les Paul Custom electric guitar was designed in 1952 by Seth Lover and Walt Fuller for Gibson to succeed the P-90 single-coil pickup on several of Gibson's distinguished archtop jazz hollowbodies, most famously the L5 CES, ES-5, and Byrdland guitars. Similar to the P-90 in appearance, the Alnico V is easily recognized by its distinctive rectangular pole pieces. The guitar pickup gets its name from the stronger Alnico V magnets, while each coil has 10,000 turns of 42-gauge wire to achieve its clear, round, ringing sound. It made its debut on a solidbody Gibson in the Fretless Wonder of 1954, the Les Paul Custom, or Black Beauty.

P-90 single-coil pickup
The bridge position is equipped with a screaming single-coil P-90 pickup. The P-90 was the standard pickup on all Gibson models in the late 1940s and into the 1950s and because of its crisp, bright tone it has experienced resurgence in popularity with many of today's modern rockers. This classic Gibson pickup delivers sizzling, slightly gritty midrange roar. You'll find that the P-90's high output and biting treble has more nuanced harmonic coloring than the typical Fender single-coil pickup.


Soft Shoulder '55 Neck Profile
The Soft Shoulder '55 neck profile makes the Gibson Les Paul Refin Hot-Mod sit in your hand like no other guitar neck. Gibson's guitar team chose a '55 Les Paul that had a neck with a "magical feel" to serve as a model for the Soft Shoulder '55 neck. The depth is the same from the top of the fretboard to the back of the neck as the rounded '50s neck, yet has gently sloping sides that sit comfortably in your hand.

ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic Bridge and Stopbar Tailpiece
The ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge was the brainchild of acclaimed Gibson president Ted McCarty in 1954, setting a standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered. On the Gibson Refin Hot-Mod Les Paul, the ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic is slotted directly into the body of the guitar using a separate stud and thumbwheel, providing a firm seating for the strings and allowing players the ability to adjust and fine tune intonation and string height in a matter of minutes. And held in place with TonePros long steel anchors and long locking studs, the stopbar tailpiece yields a great union between the strings and body, which results in excellent vintage tone and sustain.

Year of 1955 Innovation
1955 was a year of great innovation in all areas of American life. 1955 saw the dawn of the United States space program. The first of the classic V8
Chevrolets hit dealerships all over the country, reflecting the spirit of change that was in the air. And don't forget there was Rock and Roll! Jukeboxes were blasting music by Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, a kid named Elvis, and his guitar player Scotty Moore.

Something was afoot. The archetypical tones of this music had already been forged in the Legendary Gibson Guitar Factory. There, in 1955, the future sonic masterpiece known as the humbucking pickup was being prototyped. All the ingredients necessary to create the soundtrack of the next quarter century and beyond existed within that building.