Gear Hunter

1956 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue
The Gibson Les Paul Model as it stood in 1956 is a pure rocknroll legend, represented in greater detail than ever before in the 1956 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue. This was not quite where the Les Paul had begun, and not quite where it was going, but a powerful stop along that road that carried plenty of important features that have made this mid-50s marvel a beloved tone machine to this very day. The guitar still retained its fat, snarling P-90 pickups and a rounded 50s neck profile that not only feels superb in the hand, but also transmits added string vibration from neck to body to enhance resonance. One of the most significant changes to the Les Paul Model of 1956, though, was the addition of the new Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiecewhich debuted on the Les Paul Custom two years beforereplacing the trapeze and wraparound tailpieces that had adorned earlier versions. The innovative Tune-o-maticalso known as the ABR-1was the brainchild of celebrated Gibson president Ted McCarty, and set the standard for simplicity and functionality in electric guitar bridge design.

In addition to its foundation of a solid, lightweight mahogany body with carved maple top and a glued-in, quarter-sawn mahogany neck with long-tenon neck joint, the 1956 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue benefits from Gibson Customs 20th Anniversary Specifications, newly adopted for 2013. These include a one-piece rosewood fingerboard, Kluson Deluxe machine heads, hot-hide neck glue, a Historic Truss Rod assembly with no tubing, accurate body and fingerboard binding color, and period-correct Goldtop and back/neck finish colors, the latter treated to Gibson Customs proprietary VOS process for a gently worn look and feel. Put it all together, and the 1956 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue is the quickest route to the look, feel, and tone of a great vintage Goldtop made nearly six decades ago.

The sonic powerhouse of the 1956 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue remains its two fat single-coil P-90 pickups, beloved since the 1940s for their aggressive midrange, solid low end, and sparkling, silky highswith that ever so slightly gritty edge for added cutting power. Gibson makes its P-90s today just like it did a full 60 years ago, with two Alnico V bar magnets in each pickup and coils wound with approximately 10,000 turns of 42 AWG wire, for plenty of beef when you hit em hard, but crystalline clean tones when you back off the guitars volume controls. Bumble Bee tone caps assist in that warm, singing woman tone when you roll back the tone controls, too. To top it all off, the 1956 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue plays superbly right out of its Custom Shop hardshell case thanks to a trip through one of Gibsons state-of-the-art Plek machines before it leaves the Custom Shop floor.

Body
Top: Carved Maple Top
Back: Solid, Non-Weight Relieved Mahogany Back
Binding: Single-ply Cream Binding on Top
Adhesive: Franklin Titebond

Neck
Species: 1-piece Mahogany Neck with Long Neck Tenon
Profile: Early '50s Rounded
Truss Rod: Traditional
Joint Angle: 4 (+/- 15 seconds)

Neck Fit
Joint: Mortise & Tenon
Adhesive: Hot Hide Glue
Joint Angle Tolerance: +/- .005"

Fingerboard
Species: Rosewood
Radius: 12"
Scale Length: 24.75"
Binding: Single-ply Cream
Inlays: Cellulose Trapezoid
Nut/E.O.B: 1.687/2.062

Nut
Material: Nylon
Width: 1.687
Slots: Gibson PLEK System

Headstock
Inlay: Holly Headstock Veneer w/Pearl logo
Truss Rod Cover: Vintage Black and White
Angle: 17 Degrees

Tuners
Model: Kluson Deluxe
Tuning Ratio: 12:01
Plating: Nickel

Bridge
Type: ABR-1 bridge
Plating: Nickel

Tailpiece
Type: Lightweight Aluminum Tailpiece
Plating: Nickel

Hardware
Knobs: Gold Top Hats with Dial Pointers
Toggle Switch Washer: Cream with Gold Silkscreen
Pickup Mounting Covers: Cream
Control Plate Cover: Black
Strings: .010 - .046
Strap Buttons: Aluminum

Pickups
Neck Position: P-90 Single Coil
Bridge Position: P-90 Single Coil
Coil Wiring: Parallel-Machine Wound

Electronics
Potentiometers:
- 2 Volume Controls
- 2 Tone Controls
Capacitors: Bumblebee
Toggle Switch: Three-Way with Amber Toggle Cap
Output Jack: Traditional 1/4"

Finish
Sealer: Nitrocellulose Lacquer

Specifications
- One-piece rosewood fingerboards
- Hot Hide Glue Neck Fit
- Kluson Deluxe machine heads
- Historic Truss Rod Assembly (no tubing)
- Accurate body and fingerboard binding color
- Gold top Top and Back Color Change