Gibson Les Paul Guitars: Types and Models, Past and Present!

The legendary Gibson Les Paul Guitars are played by some of the most prestigious musicians, especially in the world of Rock music. And though the guitar began with a humble, single model and upgraded sister, the Gibson Les Paul Jr. electric guitar began a revolution and entire line of Gibson guitars.

Today there are at least 10 Les Paul electric guitars available. Check out this list of Les Pauls.

The Gold Top
From 1952 to 1957, the Gold Top, which was the first Gibson Les Paul electric guitar released, was in production. The original 1952 Les Paul sported two P-90 single-coil pickups. The guitar is also known for it’s single-piece bow style bridge. The most profound feature of the guitar, besides it distinctive body shape, was the strings that fitted under the stop-bar, rather than over it, like a traditional guitar model. The Gold Top is made of beautiful mahogany, which makes the guitar heavy and long lasting.

The Custom
In production from 1954 to 1960, the Custom was the second release of the Gibson Les Paul. The Custom was entirely black and considered a work of art. To establish a visual difference between the Gold Top and the Custom, the Custom was made to feature a mahogany top instead of rosewood. In 1957, the Custom was revamped with new humbucker pickups. Later the guitar also became available with three pickups, which was unheard of at the time. Traditional guitars before the Custom were equipped with only one or two.

The Junior
From 1954 to 1960, Gibson produced the Junior. The Junior, which was intended to continue the beginning of a tradition in Gibson guitars, was very similar to its parent, the Gold Top. The Junior was, however, designed more for the beginner guitarist though it is such high quality that it’s used by professionals as well.

The visual differences between the God Top and the Junior were that the Junior had a mahogany body. It’s body was also one solid, slab piece. It was also considered a cheaper version of the original and featured the same single P-90 pickup as its predecessor. Later, in 1958, the Junior was given the double cut-away body design, which most feel improved the model.

The TV
The name of the guitar may sound odd, but the name is indicative of the ingenious behind it’s color. Les was known for his quirky antics and this guitar is an excellent representation of that. The Junior ran from 1954 to 1960 and was given a natural finish that actually looked like a bright yellow. The purpose of this annoying color was to eliminate glare of the guitar when being filmed for television, and it was a success. In 1958, like the Junior, the TV was given the double body design.

The Special
The last of the original series of Les Paul guitar models was the Special which was produced from 1955-1960. The Special was a two-pickup version of the Junior. It also came in the TV Yellow that the TV model came in, to eliminate glare when filmed for television.

Later, in 1959, the Special was given the double cut-away body type that both the Junio and the TV received in their refurbishing year 1958. The first release of the Special, however, was not so special. Because the neck pick up was located over the joint of the neck and body, the guitar could break after average handling. In response to the problem, Gibson released a sturdier version with the neck pickup moved farther down, away from the joint. This corrected the problem and allowed the model to continue successfully. It was available in colors Cherry and TV Yellow.

The Standard
Not much different from the Goldtop, the Standard ran from 1958 to 1960 and was given the Sunburst finish. Other than the new humbucker pickups on the guitar, and the color change, not much else was different about the Standard.

Les Paul SG
As Fender became more popular and released cheaper and lighter models similar to the Gibson Les Pauls, Gibson needed to be creative to recover. Guitar sales were slipping in 1960 and the Stratocaster was gaining public approval. So Gibson modified the Les Paul line. The Les Paul SG was a thinner and much lighter version. Unfortunately, Gibson put Les Paul’s name on the product without permission. Because of this, Les Paul asked Gibson to strip his name from the guitar and he parted paths with Gibson. Regardless of how Les Paul felt about it, Gibson continued to use the Les Paul name until they ran out of logos and other products with the name already printed. In 1963, the Les Paul SG became the SG and eventually other models of the Les Paul were re-released with the lighter body.

The Deluxe
Despite the issues that arose in 1961 over the SG, the Deluxe was still released as a Les Paul in 1968. Mini-humbuckers were the new feature on this model but it was incredibly unpopular. So unpopular, in fact, that Gibson cancelled the line. Later in 2005 the Deluxe was released again and gained more popularity than in the past.

The Studio
In 1983 Gibson released the Studio which is still being produced today. The sound output on this device was paid special attention to in development. This was so that the guitar would appeal to professional and semi-professional musicians who recorded in studios. The only features the model keeps from the original Les Paul models, is the carved maple top and some of the hardware.

Gibson Robot Guitar
December of 2007 marked the release of the Gibson Robot Guitar. The idea of the guitar was that it would be a computerized version of the Les Paul. The guitar has a computerized master control knob which has excellent range in commands to the guitar. The ease in electronic tuning of the guitar is also a plus for musicians who purchase the Robot.

All in all, the entire line of Gibson Les Paul guitars, with the exception of the guitars that were cancelled, is an optimum piece of equipment that is never to be underestimated. Though the guitars are up to 50% more expensive than similar, knock-off models, the price is well worth the quality.

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