NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 1 - ISSUE 4 - The Gibson Les Paul Classic - A brief history
Hello everyone,
This months newsletter brings me to the Gibson Les Paul Classic. Lately I have had some enquiries regarding the various model types of the Les Paul Classic and also whether there is a difference between the first issues and the current issue.
The story below should clear a few things up.
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The Gibson Les Paul Classic Premium Plus versus the Les Paul Reissue.
The origin of the Les Paul Reissue dates back to the mid 1970's when a few vintage oriented dealers began requesting reproductions of the increasingly precious late 50's Le Paul Standards. In the early 1980's Gibson added a variation of the model to the product line. At the time, merely applying a figured maple top to the current stock model seemed to suffice. Although it received minor cosmetic and hardware changes through the 1980s, it was not based on accurate 1950s design and detail until 1993. The Les Paul Reissue had been distinguished because of its figured maple top, inked serial number, ABR bridge, etc until the appearance of the Les Paul Classic in the early 1990s.
Designed by J.T Ribiloff of Gibson R&D, the Classic featured a noticeably thinner 1960 neck profile as well as features previously exclusively found on the Reissue. To enhance the vintage look, Ribiloff designed a smaller headstock with push in bushing tuners and aged fingerboard inlays. Of course these features soon made their way to the reissue. It was at this point that the Reissue and the Classic were structurally very similar.
Originally the Classic was not to have a figured maple top, but the grading standards for the figuring in the tops for the Reissues became so high that the tops that did not qualify as Reissue quality wree applied to the Classic, thus creating the Les Paul Classic Plus. Some of the 'Plus' tops would turn out to be more figured than others, and thus became 'Premium Plus Tops' - and introduced the Les Paul Classic Premium Plus.
By 1992 there existed the, Les Paul Classic, the Classic Plus, the Classic Premium Plus, and the Les Paul Reissue - and one more! The thin profile 1960 'classic' neck was offered on the reissue, creating the 1960 Reissue.
At this point there was some confusion between the 1960 Classic and the 1960 Reissue. Gibson actually began addressing the problem as early as 1991, and began blueprintingoriginal instruments in 1992. By the winter NAMM show in 1993, the redesigned '59 Reissue (Model LPR9) was introduced.
In the spring of 1993, Gibson changed the model decal on the headstock face of the Classic to read Les Paul Classic. Reissue Les Paul models in 1993 retained the silk screen logo (just like the originals). The Historic Reissue line can be identified by the "R" plus the model year ( R9 = 59 Reissue, R7 = 57 Reissue, R6 = 56 Reissue) stamped into the ledge in the bottom of the control cavity. From 1993 until the spring of 1994 all Reissues received a Historic decal on the back of the headstock (some early 1993 models may have the Custom Shop decal instead)
Reissue information courtesy of Gibson
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The Guitar Colonel
All prices negotiable - Call (+61) 03 95319143 or (+61) 0422 958 522 or Email anthony@guitarcolonel.com
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Archives
NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 1 - ISSUE 1 - The Fender Mustang
NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 1 - ISSUE 2 - The Fender Precision Bass
NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 1 - ISSUE 3 - The Gibson Les Paul Special P100 Pickups
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