Gibson Les Special Guitar

The Les Paul guitar line, named and used by jazz guitarist Les Paul, originally included two models: the regular model (nicknamed the Goldtop), and the Custom model, with upgraded hardware and a more formal "black tie" finish.

The Les Paul Special was released in 1955, featuring two soapbar P-90 single coil pickups. In 1959, the Special was re-released and given the same new double-cutaway body shape that the Les Paul Junior and the TV received in 1958.

When Gibson were hand crafting their guitars, and using fine woods in most cases was the time the original Les Paul's were created. The end result of the vision of Ted McCarty and Les Paul were guitars that played exceptionally well, and sounded like nothing else produced since.

Even Paul McCartney played a Gibson Les Paul. In our photo, he's playing a 1960 left-handed cherryburst Les Paul.

Often referred to as the 'Holy Grail' of guitars, the 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, is easily the most desirable guitar on the planet, with values rising into the stratosphere in recent years.

Over the years, original 1950s Les Pauls have become some of the most desirable and expensive electric guitars in the world, not to mention rare. It is estimated that less than 2000 original examples survive.

A 1959 Les Paul in good condition, for re-sale today, can be easily priced between $200,000 and $750,000, although even by the mid 1960s prices for Les Paul guitars had begun to increase.

Yet a reissue of the 1958, 1959, or 1960 Les Paul can be purchased for much less than an original, between $3,000-$6,000.

Those not in the circle of guitar collectors may wonder at the values of these instruments, but if you get chance to play one then it's easy to understand what all the fuss is about. It seems unthinkable now, yet the Les Pauls in the late 1950s were not all that popular at the time.

Aside from shaping and body design, there are a number of characteristics that make the Gibson Les Paul line stand out from other electrics.

The Gibson features a variety of colors, such as Wine Red, Ebony, Classic White, Fire Burst, and Alpine White.

With the Les Paul models you get offered a variety of finishes and decorative levels, a diversity of hardware options, and an innovative array of electric pick-up options, some of which significantly impacted the sound of electric music.

After fifty years of aging the tone on these guitars are like no other, the guitar simply 'sings' when played acoustically and positively howls when plugged into a classic valve amplifier.

The Les Paul is known for its considerable weight due to many of these produced in the 1970s (maple neck, very solid, heavier tuners). This is due to the thickness of the guitar (one of the thickest solid body electrics) and the kinds of woods used.

The weight of Les Pauls can cause guitarists to complain of shoulder and back pains while playing standing up. The weight is worth it though as this thickness contributes to the warmth of the tone and the length of the note sustain. Les Pauls are known for being much deeper than many Fender guitars which have distinctive bright, open tones.

In recent years Gibson has started producing "weight-relieved" Les Pauls, with holes drilled into the mahogany body.