Completed on October 30, 1997 (for those playing at home, it was a Thursday), at Gibson’s famous Nashville Custom Shop, making it now just a year shy of a quarter of a century, it’s imediately noticeable that the timbers have opened up beautifully – this thing is ALL tone! And not just any tone, either, but that highly coveted Les Paul Custom tone that famous record after famous record after legendary performance have all been built on.
Original weight
The late fifties Custom was the only Les Paul model carved from a single slab of Mahogany, providing the spooky mid-range the model became famous for. It's the Les Paul that myriad big names have relied on for over sixty years; Jimmy Page, Peter Frampton, Robert Fripp, Trent Reznor, the legendary Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Frank Zappa, Thurston Moore, Mick Jones of The Clash, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, David Gilmour, Daniel Johns, Phil Manzanera, Marc Bolan... and this is the proper original weight Custom, a full pound and a half more tone than the current models, (and two and a half pounds more than a Les Paul Standard).
Legendary tone
They’re not called Black Beautys for nothing – from the dedicated 7-ply binding to the split diamond headstock inlay, the deep “tuxedo black” finish to the extra mother-of-pearl fingerboard inlay, your Les Paul Customs is black, beautiful, and chock full of legendary tone and grunt.
Sharp teeth
The solid one-piece Mahogany slab body, matched to a hand-carved select Maple top, delivers at any tone, volume and amp setting you care to dial in, with just on fifteen seconds of natural sustain! Once you plug in, the mighty 490R/498T pickup combination immediately knocks everything else out of the park, with every bit of the crunch and clarity the Custom is renowned for. The Ebony board is also a big part of the upper registry attack – sharp teeth, if you like, vs Rosewood’s gums.
Fabulous condition
Tip to toe, the guitar is in fabulous condition: the entire front loks almost brand new, other than some light playwear on the pickguard; the frets and board look completely untouched; some very light playwear on the back, likewise the neck. For pushing 25, absolutely amazing condition!
Free courier delivery
With our FREE COURIER DELIVERY* to any address in Australia, your practically brand new, twenty-five year old Les Paul Custom will be at your door before you know it. Pop the latches on the Gibson hard shell case, lift the lid and marvel at your very own Black Beauty
Weight: 10lb 7½oz / 4.75kg
*$100 airfreight to New Zealand, $175 to the US, Canada, UK and mainstream European countries. International freight is added during checkout
Just Guitars
