Gibson Les Paul Custom Solid Body Electric Guitar (1969)
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Item # 13130
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Gibson Les Paul Custom Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1969), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 561600, black lacquer finish, mahogany body with maple cap; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
One of the all-time most sought-after late '60s Gibsons, the 1968-9 Les Paul Custom has developed a mystique all its own. This gleaming black-and-gold beauty was arguably the biggest success story to come out of Kalamazoo after the departure of Ted McCarty, and remains an enduring classic today.
Re-issuing the original '50s style Les Paul models was one of the few great ideas Gibson had in 1968, a year not otherwise remembered as a company high point! The new "old" Les Pauls -- initially a gold-top Standard with P-90s and black Custom with humbuckers -- were introduced at the 1968 NAMM show and proved an immediate success. Within months of their introduction, the company ramped up production dramatically and soon started making production changes that were considered minor at the time, but have become the stuff of collector obsession since.
This particular guitar with a 561XXX serial number was made in early spring 1969, probably shipped around April/May that year. The visible pot dates are all to the 50th week of 1968. The body is the earlier 1968-style one-piece slab of mahogany with a maple cap. This is a distinguishing feature of the '68 Custom re-issue; the '50s original mahogany-bodied Customs did not feature the maple top, something Les Paul himself called a "mistake". As Les was a consultant on the re-issues, this was one thing that was changed! Later in 1969, Gibson began laminating the Les Paul bodies out of multiple pieces of mahogany; these so-called "pancake" bodies are considered less desirable now.
This guitar also has the old style one-piece mahogany neck, replaced by 3-piece mahogany laminated construction soon after. This neck is built with the original 1950s style long mounting tenon; this is generally considered an important point as this was also discontinued shortly after this guitar was built. The single piece, long tenon neck is a 1950s correct feature that makes a big difference in the desirability of earlier and later 1969 Les Pauls. The Gibson logo has no dot on the "i" which also differs from previous 1968 examples. As is typical for the Custom model, it has a bound ebony fingerboard with pearl block inlay. The tuners on the multi-bound, pearl inlaid headstock are 1950s-style Kluson diecast units, nicknamed "wafflebacks" with metal keystone buttons.
The body itself is finished in gleaming black lacquer with multiple binding that has aged under the clear topcoat to an amber color. All hardware is gold-plated. The knobs are another distinguishing feature; Amp-style "witch-hat" black plastic pieces with a gold cap. This Custom mounts two Patent-sticker humbucking pickups instead of the three PAFs used in the late 1950s. This was another change many considered to be for the better; indeed, over the years some players have come to regard the 1968 re-issue Custom a tonally superior instrument to its 1958-60 ancestor, due to the brighter maple capped body and the absence of the in-the-way (to many) third middle pickup and its attendant out-of-phase wiring.
Although the 1968-69 Les Pauls were a major success for Gibson, this is still a fairly rare guitar. Well under 2,500 of these "Black Beauties" shipped out of Kalamazoo in 1969, and only 433 the year before. As production continued to go up, subsequent summer-fall 1969 models have multi-piece necks and bodies, as well, so "one-piece, long tenon" examples like this are actually much rarer than these raw numbers suggest.
By 1970 Gibson made further changes to the Les Pauls, including adding a volute to the back of the neck and a "Made In USA" stamp, as the '70s kicked in and production was in the multiple thousands each year. In the years since these early re-issues, "Black Beauty" Customs have become one of the most recognizable and collectible of late-'60s Gibsons, and as always wonderful-sounding guitars with their own special character. John Fogerty still plays his 1968 original, and many other players who bought one "back in the day" still cherish it as well. This is a great playing, fine sounding example just worn in enough to play without fear!
Overall length is 39 1/4 in. (99.7 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 in. (5.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.)., 9.97 lbs.
Overall this is a nicely preserved original guitar; played but well-cared for and never abused. The all-original black lacquer finish has a beautiful look and still gleams in ebony splendor, with some small dings and dents but no large areas of loss. There are a couple of deeper dings on the side down by the jack, with what appears to be the original plastic jackplate still intact. There are scratches and buckle marks on the back into but not through the finish, with one chip to the wood off the back of the heel. The top is mostly relatively clean overall but does have some small pick marks above the strings. The back of the neck has some edgewear on the treble side and a pair of feelable dings in the 3-4th fret area.
The gold plating on the hardware is somewhat worn overall; most heavily from the pickup covers and the bridge ends. The original "Patent number" pickups and wiring remain original including the 1968 dated pots and Sprague "black beauty" caps. Two stop tailpieces are included; both appear correct '60-70s period pieces and the cleaner of the two is currently mounted. The white plastic switch tip has a small crack at the base. The pickguard looks to have been removed long ago; a replacement could be installed if desired but this guitar appears to have gone "guardless" practically from the beginning.
The guitar was refretted long ago with slightly taller wire but not large jumbo frets; this is very typical for these older Customs as in the 1960s and '70s practically nobody liked the "fretless wonder" tiny, flat frets they originally came with. The current frets are fairly small and do a nice job of "splitting the difference" between the original low fret style and a more typical '70s jumbo feel. This gem of an old Les Paul plays beautifully and sounds spectacular, a perfect example of why this particular Custom variant is a long standing favorite. It is still housed in its original rectangular yellow-lined 1968-style case, which is a worn externally but still does the job. Overall Excellent - Condition.
One of the all-time most sought-after late '60s Gibsons, the 1968-9 Les Paul Custom has developed a mystique all its own. This gleaming black-and-gold beauty was arguably the biggest success story to come out of Kalamazoo after the departure of Ted McCarty, and remains an enduring classic today.
Re-issuing the original '50s style Les Paul models was one of the few great ideas Gibson had in 1968, a year not otherwise remembered as a company high point! The new "old" Les Pauls -- initially a gold-top Standard with P-90s and black Custom with humbuckers -- were introduced at the 1968 NAMM show and proved an immediate success. Within months of their introduction, the company ramped up production dramatically and soon started making production changes that were considered minor at the time, but have become the stuff of collector obsession since.
This particular guitar with a 561XXX serial number was made in early spring 1969, probably shipped around April/May that year. The visible pot dates are all to the 50th week of 1968. The body is the earlier 1968-style one-piece slab of mahogany with a maple cap. This is a distinguishing feature of the '68 Custom re-issue; the '50s original mahogany-bodied Customs did not feature the maple top, something Les Paul himself called a "mistake". As Les was a consultant on the re-issues, this was one thing that was changed! Later in 1969, Gibson began laminating the Les Paul bodies out of multiple pieces of mahogany; these so-called "pancake" bodies are considered less desirable now.
This guitar also has the old style one-piece mahogany neck, replaced by 3-piece mahogany laminated construction soon after. This neck is built with the original 1950s style long mounting tenon; this is generally considered an important point as this was also discontinued shortly after this guitar was built. The single piece, long tenon neck is a 1950s correct feature that makes a big difference in the desirability of earlier and later 1969 Les Pauls. The Gibson logo has no dot on the "i" which also differs from previous 1968 examples. As is typical for the Custom model, it has a bound ebony fingerboard with pearl block inlay. The tuners on the multi-bound, pearl inlaid headstock are 1950s-style Kluson diecast units, nicknamed "wafflebacks" with metal keystone buttons.
The body itself is finished in gleaming black lacquer with multiple binding that has aged under the clear topcoat to an amber color. All hardware is gold-plated. The knobs are another distinguishing feature; Amp-style "witch-hat" black plastic pieces with a gold cap. This Custom mounts two Patent-sticker humbucking pickups instead of the three PAFs used in the late 1950s. This was another change many considered to be for the better; indeed, over the years some players have come to regard the 1968 re-issue Custom a tonally superior instrument to its 1958-60 ancestor, due to the brighter maple capped body and the absence of the in-the-way (to many) third middle pickup and its attendant out-of-phase wiring.
Although the 1968-69 Les Pauls were a major success for Gibson, this is still a fairly rare guitar. Well under 2,500 of these "Black Beauties" shipped out of Kalamazoo in 1969, and only 433 the year before. As production continued to go up, subsequent summer-fall 1969 models have multi-piece necks and bodies, as well, so "one-piece, long tenon" examples like this are actually much rarer than these raw numbers suggest.
By 1970 Gibson made further changes to the Les Pauls, including adding a volute to the back of the neck and a "Made In USA" stamp, as the '70s kicked in and production was in the multiple thousands each year. In the years since these early re-issues, "Black Beauty" Customs have become one of the most recognizable and collectible of late-'60s Gibsons, and as always wonderful-sounding guitars with their own special character. John Fogerty still plays his 1968 original, and many other players who bought one "back in the day" still cherish it as well. This is a great playing, fine sounding example just worn in enough to play without fear!
Overall length is 39 1/4 in. (99.7 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 in. (5.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.)., 9.97 lbs.
Overall this is a nicely preserved original guitar; played but well-cared for and never abused. The all-original black lacquer finish has a beautiful look and still gleams in ebony splendor, with some small dings and dents but no large areas of loss. There are a couple of deeper dings on the side down by the jack, with what appears to be the original plastic jackplate still intact. There are scratches and buckle marks on the back into but not through the finish, with one chip to the wood off the back of the heel. The top is mostly relatively clean overall but does have some small pick marks above the strings. The back of the neck has some edgewear on the treble side and a pair of feelable dings in the 3-4th fret area.
The gold plating on the hardware is somewhat worn overall; most heavily from the pickup covers and the bridge ends. The original "Patent number" pickups and wiring remain original including the 1968 dated pots and Sprague "black beauty" caps. Two stop tailpieces are included; both appear correct '60-70s period pieces and the cleaner of the two is currently mounted. The white plastic switch tip has a small crack at the base. The pickguard looks to have been removed long ago; a replacement could be installed if desired but this guitar appears to have gone "guardless" practically from the beginning.
The guitar was refretted long ago with slightly taller wire but not large jumbo frets; this is very typical for these older Customs as in the 1960s and '70s practically nobody liked the "fretless wonder" tiny, flat frets they originally came with. The current frets are fairly small and do a nice job of "splitting the difference" between the original low fret style and a more typical '70s jumbo feel. This gem of an old Les Paul plays beautifully and sounds spectacular, a perfect example of why this particular Custom variant is a long standing favorite. It is still housed in its original rectangular yellow-lined 1968-style case, which is a worn externally but still does the job. Overall Excellent - Condition.