The first year Les Paul Studio came in four color options; Natural, Tobaccoburst, Pewter and this incredibly striking Electric Blue. Very few however came with the Gibson-stamped Kahler tremolo system, (called the 'Super-Tune Vibrola' in Gibson's marketing material).
Three ways rare!
Three ways rare – a first year model, the color and the factory-fitted trem – the guitar may be all original, but without another model to compare it to, we can't be a hundred percent certain that it left the factory with these pickups. Theoretically they should be reissue '59 humbuckers, but a bit of chopping-and-changing was not uncommon at Gibson's Nashville plant at the time, and the solder joints do appear to be untouched. (If the pickups are replacements, they could be Seymour Duncan's pole-adjustable Custom Shop '3 + 3 Offset Humbuckers', or even Fender's early seventies "wide range" 3 + 3 h/b, sometimes called the Keith Richards humbucker) anyway, whatever they are, they do the job very nicely!
9lb 12oz of tone
Tipping our digital guitar scales at 9lb 12oz, (4.4kg), this is seriously meaty for a LP Studio, though not as weighty as the Les Paul models Gibson produced in the seventies! Coupled with the Maple top and Alder back, the weight definitely gives this axe an edge in the tone department!
"Fretless Wonder" frets
Built at Gibson's Nashville plant in the third week of June, 1983, the guitar features a one-piece maple neck, Rosewood board with MOP dot inlays, Kluson-style Gibson Deluxe tuners, 'fretless wonder' frets in near perfect condition and the original locking nut and brass truss-rod cover. The case may be original, but again, we can't be 100% certain what these early original Studio models shipped in.
Condition
Other than the few bits of missing paint around the four lower tuners, (see pic # 3), there's very little wear or damage anywhere on the guitar – some around the top of the headstock and a couple of bits of edge wear on both sides of the body, level with the bridge, (pic # 4). The few small chips and dings aside, the paintwork is in generally excellent condition!
An amazing Gibson buy
Pure, vintage Gibson tone, a rare model, in a rare color, and with a rare and wicked-accurate Gibson-stamped Kahler tremolo system – at this price, an amazing Gibson buy!
NOTE: We have over-printed the first four digits of the serial number in pic # 8 – in the photo only – in order to make all 8 numbers clearly readable.
Just Guitars
