Vintage Gibson Les Paul Custom - USA 1972

A one-owner Les Paul Custom, bought in 1972 from Cord Musical Instruments, with the original receipt to prove it. It has been looked after and played in beautifully for more than five decades, and the owner has never changed a thing apart from the strings. That is the kind of Les Paul serious players and collectors spend years looking for and rarely find.

The Custom has always been the dressed-up Les Paul: multi-bound body, ebony fingerboard, mother-of-pearl block inlays and gold hardware. Like the Standard, it was replaced by the SG body style at the end of 1960, and neither returned until 1968. The reintroduced Custom was a different guitar from the '50s original, with a 14 degree headstock angle, a shorter neck tenon, and from late 1969 a multi-ply mahogany and maple body, a small neck volute and a "Made in USA" stamp on the back of the headstock. This one has all of those features and the character that goes with them.

It has a solid mahogany "sandwich" body with a three-piece maple top, bound on both top and back, and a three-piece mahogany neck with the small volute, cream binding and tortoise side dots. The ebony fingerboard carries mother-of-pearl block inlays, and the multi-bound headstock has the split diamond inlay and Gibson logo. Grover tuners, a Tune-O-Matic bridge and a five-ply black pickguard complete it.

Everything on it is factory original. The humbuckers and wiring work exactly as they should and sound huge, and the gold hardware has tarnished beautifully, the way it only can after years of ownership by one person.

It's honest condition for its age. There is the odd dent or scratch, and some buckle rash on the back, but the wear is minimal for a guitar of this vintage, and the neck is clean and a joy to play. The frets have considerable wear, so a refret is on the horizon, and it can be done without disturbing anything else on this untouched guitar.

Original one-owner Les Paul Customs with the receipt and everything still as they left the factory rarely come to market. If you're a purist, get in touch and plug this one in. You won't be disappointed.

Specifications

Action at 1st Fret: 0.50mm

Action at 12th Fret: 2.25mm

Neck Depth at 1st Fret: 22.89mm

Neck Depth at 12th Fret: 26.63mm

Nut Width: 43.3mm

Width at 12th Fret: 52.72mm

Weight: 4.675kg

Year: 1972

Model: Gibson Les Paul Custom

Crafted In: USA

Finish: Sunburst

Body: Solid Mahogany with Three-Piece Maple Top, Multi-Bound Top and Back

Neck: Three-Piece Mahogany with Small Volute

Neck Profile: C

Fingerboard: Ebony, 12" Radius

Inlays: Mother of Pearl Blocks

Scale Length: 24.75"

Frets: Original

Pickups: Original Humbuckers

Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone, 3-Way Toggle

Bridge: Tune-O-Matic

Tuners: Grover

Hardware: Gold, Aged

Special Features: One Owner Since 1972, Completely Factory Original

Case: Original Green Gibson Hardshell Case