DISC Gibson Les Paul 1957 Goldtop VOS

Full Description

"A truly magnificent instrument with its natural mahogany back and neck, while the top is in gleaming gold with contrasting ivory trim." - Original Gibson advertisement, circa 1955

Click on the link below to download an MP3 demo of the Gibson Les Paul 1957 Goldtop VOS

By 1957, Gibson?s evolving Les Paul model guitar had already undergone several key modifications that would remain as the foundation of the iconic version known around the world today as the Les Paul Standard. But while the addition of the new Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece one year earlier had greatly improved the overall functionality of the Les Paul, nothing would compare with the addition of Gibsons pioneering humbucking pickup in 1957.

At the direction of legendary Gibson President Ted McCarty, Gibson engineer Seth Lover began working on a tone circuit with hum-cancelling capabilities sometime in 1954, applying for a U.S. design patent hence the name Patent Applied For, or PAF on June 22, 1955. By early 1957, the standard double-coil version of the humbucker pickup had begun to appear on Gibson ES-175s and ES-350Ts, and eventually on the Les Paul Model Goldtops of the same year.

Body

Aside from the pickups, the basic specifications of those 1957 Les Paul Model Goldtops remained the same. There were, however, several minor cosmetic variations that made the 1957 version significant in the development of the Les Paul, the most noteworthy of which was the placement of the inlaid, pearl-cut Gibson logo, which was moved closer to the top edge of the headstock. Additionally, 1957 was to be the last full year of production for a Gibson model with a Goldtop finish. The popular color would not adorn another Gibson guitar until 1968.

Near-perfect Recreation

Today's 1957 Les Paul Goldtop from the Gibson Custom Shop is a near-perfect recreation of the original instrument, in all of its original brilliance and historical magnificence. The body features Gibson's traditional hand-carved maple top and solid, non-weight relieved mahogany body. The headstock is made from Holly head veneer, as opposed to fiber, just like it was in 1957, and the vintage-style tulip tuners are mounted in a straight line, also as they were on the original. The neck is made from one solid piece of mahogany, and attached to the body using a long neck tenon - one of the Les Paul's more distinguishing characteristics of the 1950s. The neck is topped by a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard outfitted with acrylic trapezoid inlays matching the size of color of the originals. Of course, two of Gibson's legendary Burstbucker pickups deliver all the subtle variations of true, classic humbucker tone by using historically "unmatched" bobbin windings and Alnico II magnets. The guitars Antique Gold finish also matches the hue of the original model, giving this Custom Shop model the accurate and distinct appearance of this traditional Les Paul. Other historical appointments include CTS potentiometers, bumble bee capacitors, rolled crème-colored fingerboard binding, single-ply thin binding around the body, and period-correct switchwasher and jackplate. The 1957 Les Paul Goldtop comes in a V.O.S. finish, and comes with the standard Gibson Custom case, custom care kit and certificate of authenticity.

Famous Players

The 1957 Les Paul Goldtop was also the model used famously by Duane Allman during the formative years of the Allman Brothers Band and his early session work, including his work with Eric Clapton (Layla sessions), the Allman Brothers Bands legendary Fillmore recordings, as well as their first two albums a body of work considered by many to be one of the most important in the history of rock and roll

Nitrocellulose Finish

Applying a nitrocellulose finish to any Gibson guitar is one of the most labor-intensive elements of the guitar-making process. A properly applied nitro finish requires extensive man hours, several evenly applied coats, and an exorbitant amount of drying time. But this fact has never swayed Gibson into changing this time-tested method, employed ever since the first Gibson guitar was swathed with lacquer back in 1894. Why For starters, a nitro finish dries to a much thinner coat than a polyurethane finish, which means there is less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument, allowing for a purer tone. A nitro finish is also a softer finish, which makes it easily repairable. You can touch up a scratch or ding on a nitro finish, but you cant do the same on a poly finish. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous in nature, and actually gets thinner over time. It does not seal wood in an airtight shell as a poly finish does?and allows the wood to breathe and age properly.

All VOS (Vintage Original Spec) series guitars will use a proprietary process that includes unique steps for staining, wet-sanding, and hand-rubbing; subsequently the guitars reflect what a well-cared for 40-year-old guitar looks like. The result is a remarkable patina that will delight even the most discriminating enthusiast.