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1969 Gibson Les Paul Custom

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SN#: 500085

Scale length 24 3/4" Nut Width: 1 11/16" Neck depth, 1st/12th frets: .80/.99

Materials: Solid maple top; 3-piece Honduras mahogany body and neck; solid ebony fingerboard; multi-ply cream binding.

Hardware: All original gold hardware includes twin Gibson Pat. sticker pickups, Grover Rotomatic tuners, ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge, aluminum stop tailpiece, beveled 5-ply pickguard with nickel bracket, black bonnet volume and tone knobs, 3 way pickup selector with original tip and ring, CTS pots with Sprague 'bumblebee' capacitors, 'Custom' truss rod cover.

Notes: Introduced in 1954, the Les Paul Custom was Gibson's upmarket version of their popular original gold top model. Borrowing the ornate inlay patterns of the Super 400 and L-5, the Custom also featured a solid ebony fingerboard and multi-ply binding.

It was also Gibson's first solid body with a Tune-o-matic bridge, and the only one fitted with the short-lived Alnico pickup. Nicknamed the 'Fretless Wonder' and 'Black Beauty', the Custom sported an elegant ebony finish, which matched smartly with Mr. Paul's tuxedo.

By 1957, the Custom was updated with three PAF humbuckers, which the model retained when the body was converted to the SG style design in 1961. By 1968, intense demand led Gibson to re-introduce the Custom in the classic 50's body contour.

By popular request, the model returned to its original two pickup design, and was fitted with humbuckers, a full '50's style neck, and a solid mahogany body with maple cap. Wildly popular on it's debut, and now highly collectible, this first reissue Custom was built for less than two years, until a multi-laminate 'pancake' body was substituted, and the neck reinforced with a 'volute' bump at the peghead by 1970.

In this fine example from 1969, the codes on the original CTS pots date from the last week of 1968. Unplayed for decades, this guitar has all the right stuff: no-volute, long tenon mahogany neck, and all original gold hardware, including twin Pat. sticker pickups measuring 7.76K at the neck and 7.28 at the bridge. The one-piece mahogany body has a solid maple cap, and shows no cracks or structural repairs.

Its gleaming ebony finish is remarkably free of pickwear, thumbwear, or checking, and the ebony fingerboard is without divots, and retains its original 'Fretless Wonder' fretwork in fine condition. Apart from some light buckle worming and a few finish dings between the pickups, the guitar shows very light playwear for an instrument of its vintage. Some normal ageing is apparent on the gold plating, with an older Bigsby removed and the original stoptail re-installed, with no remaining footprint, and just a bit of immaculate touchup to the area.

The neck has effortless action over a generous 3-piece"C" profile neck, with full 1 11/16" nut. Both pickups retain their Patent stickers, and feature the smooth, creamy tone these vintage T-Top humbuckers are renowned for. All four pots are original, with Sprague 'bumblebee' .022 caps and wiring harness, and at 9lb 2oz, the guitar is on the light end of its typical weight range. And all nestled in its original Gibson logo plush lined case, with gold plush lining.

Les Paul fans had to wait almost a decade for this guitar in the 60's. You don't have to. Just call now.

Setup: Trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.

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