SOLD - Gibson Les Paul LPR-4 1954 Reissue - USA 2011

SOLD

Here is a very clean, near new Gibson Les Paul 1954 Reissue. The quintessential gold top model with the wrap around bridge, and aggressive P90 pickups that make this machine stand out from the crowd.  

1952 saw the introduction of the now iconic Gibson Les Paul guitar. The namesake of the brilliant Les Paul – Guitar virtuoso and pioneering inventor. Les Paul had been experimenting with solid body guitars since the mid 1930s. His creation ‘the Log’ was an early solid body guitar with bolt on sides. It was a clunky, albeit fascinating contraption made by Les, with the help of Epiphone and their tooling to create this fascinating first instrument. Les had originally approached the Gibson guitar company for his innovative guitar ideas but was rejected. They just seemed too ‘out there’ for the well established ‘old guard’ of guitar manufacturing.  

Gibson’s attitude changed in the early 1950s when the little shop ran by Leo Fender in California started to have real success with the first big production solid body electric guitar – the Broadcaster. This led Gibson to come back to Les and help them launch a new model in answer to Fender’s new guitar.  

The Les Paul was launched in 1952. Its design featured twin p90 pickups, mahogany body and neck, with rosewood fingerboard and a fancy gold finish adorning the maple body cap – a design that has barely changed over the last 71 years.  

One design flaw that was present in the 1952 model was the shallow 1 degree neck angle. This was a manufacturing oversight which resulted in the string height being so low that the strings needed to be wrapped under the trapeze bridge – making guitars from this year quite difficult to play. The issue was rectified in 1953 at approximately 2.5degrees. 1954 saw the neck angle rise to approximately 4 degrees which is optimal. 

1953 to 1955 Les Pauls feature the attractive and unique wrap around tailpiece. Its simplicity and elegance set it apart from other Les Pauls, which typically have and adjustable bridge and stop bar tailpiece configuration. 1954 was a landmark year where the structural design of this iconic guitar peaked. 

This guitar presents as almost new. It has been owned and taken care of by its owner since new and appears to have rarely been out of its case. There is one small hole near the top strap button but is otherwise flawless.  

In the right light one can see a slight ripple in the finish which outlines a perfectly book-matched maple cap. The soft ripples in the finish indicate that the maple top has considerable figuring. This is consistent with many original 50s Les Pauls, and is a reassuring display of quality from the company.  

The chunky C profile neck is a confidence inspiring grip for anyone with larger hands. Low, 1.6mm action make this guitar a dream to play all the way up the neck. There is little fret buzz despite the low string height. The original Gibson P90 pickups are a well balanced 7.87 k ohms in the neck and a slightly hotter 7.94k ohms in the bridge and have that unmistakable P90 thickness with single coil openness in the top end.  

This guitar is a favourite in the shop and will become a close companion to anyone lucky enough to come into possession of this fine guitar.  

Specs: 

Scale length: 24’3/4” 

Fretboard Radius: 12” 

Action at 1st fret: 0.5mm 

Action at 12th fret: 1.6 

Neck depth at 1st fret: 23.45mm 

Neck depth at 12th fret: 25.6mm  

Nut Width: 42.9mm 

12 fret width: 52.9mm 

Neck material: mahogany/indian rosewood FB 

Fretboard inlays: pearl 

Body: Mahogany with figured bookmatched maple cap under gold top 

Body size at lower bout: 33.3mm 

Front Pickup: p90 7.87k ohms 

Middle Pickup (both combined): 3.95k ohms 

Bridge Pickup: p90 7.94k ohms 

Tuners: Gibson Deluxe Tulip 

Pickguard: Standard off white 

Bridge: wrap around  

Electronics: Standard  

Hardware: Nickel 

Case: OHSC