Now you can have a vintage Black Beauty with a Bigsby straight from the Gibson Custom Shop.
Les Paul wanted two colors used on the Gibson guitar that would forever bear his name: gold (for its
connection to all things fine) and black (because a player's hands would be easily visible against a dark background). Les
got the gold in 1952, but had to wait for the black. The Les Paul Custom was introduced in 1954 and featured elegant appointments
like gold hardware, multiple binding, and an ebony fretboard. The '54 Custom was also the first solidbody Gibson guitar to
use the ABR-1 bridge, the familiar piece of hardware we've all come to know as the Tune-O-Matic. Matched up with a vintage-style
Bigsby vibrato, it's an unbeatable combination.
Underneath it's luxurious inky finish, this historic recreation of
the original 1954 Custom features a carved mahogany top, a solid mahogany back, one-piece mahogany neck with long neck tenon,
an early '50s rounded neck profile, 24-3/4" scale length, and a 1-11/16" nut width. It also has multi-ply white/black binding
on the body and headstock, with white single-ply binding on the fingerboard. Its finer appointments include gold hardware,
an ebony fingerboard, large pearl block inlays, pearl headstock inlay, and kidney bean tuners. The original circuitry is preserved
with the use of CTS pots and bumble bee capacitors in the signal path and the unique pickup array of a vintage P-90 pickup
at the bridge and a rare Alnico V pickup at the neck.
The Alnico V pickup was designed in 1952 by Seth Lover and Walt
Fuller for Gibson to succeed the P-90 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. It 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.
Vintage Original Spec series instruments receive a special nitro-cellulose finish
treatment yielding the patina of a gently-aged vintage guitar while handcrafting enhances comfort and playability. Each VOS
model has a solid mahogany back; historically accurate long-neck tenon for strength and sustain; and period-correct neck
profile, hardware, and electronics.
Gibson Custom 1954 Les Paul Custom with Bigsby VOS Electric Guitar Features:
- Carved mahogany top
- Solid mahogany back
- Multi-ply white/black binding on top and back
- Ebony finish
- VOS aging treatment
- Gold hardware
- ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge
- Bigsby tremolo/vibrato tailpiece
- 1-piece mahogany neck with long neck tenon
- 22-fret ebony fingerboard
- Pearl block inlays
- Single-ply white fingerboard binding
- Early '50s rounded neck profile
- 24-3/4" scale length
- 1-11/16" nut width
- Holly headstock veneer
- Kidney bean tuners
- Alnico V neck pickup
- P-90 bridge pickup
- CTS pots and bumble bee capacitors
- 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way selector switch
- Vintage Reissue .010 strings
- Includes Custom Shop case, certificate of authenticity
Gibson Custom 1954 Les Paul Custom with Bigsby VOS Electric Guitar Includes:
- Custom Shop hardshell case and certificate of authenticity
It's like you walked into your local guitar shop and found an original 1954 Custom just
waiting for you. You can pretend you're Neil! Order today!
