A reader of this blog, Russell Dawson, once more bravely steps forward to present a nomination for the Made By Masters category... Gibson Les Paul guitars (the master himself, of course, quite recently pased away - see this tribute from the BBC website). Russell writes:
"Credited with many innovations, including overdubbing, delay and phasing effects, the late Les Paul's greatest invention was the world's best selling guitar - the Gibson Les Paul. His first prototype called "The Log" built in 1939 was one of the first ever solid-body electric guitars.
Since the 30's, Gibson Les Paul's provided a curvy body shape and a glued fixed neck compared to Fender's bolt on neck design, with the first mainstream Les Paul guitar 1952 edition featuring a one-piece, 'trapeze'-style bridge and tailpiece with two P-90 single coil pickups.
"Credited with many innovations, including overdubbing, delay and phasing effects, the late Les Paul's greatest invention was the world's best selling guitar - the Gibson Les Paul. His first prototype called "The Log" built in 1939 was one of the first ever solid-body electric guitars.
Since the 30's, Gibson Les Paul's provided a curvy body shape and a glued fixed neck compared to Fender's bolt on neck design, with the first mainstream Les Paul guitar 1952 edition featuring a one-piece, 'trapeze'-style bridge and tailpiece with two P-90 single coil pickups.
Most importantly, the tone was due to its magnificent mahogany and maple construction.
In 1954 he revealed the second famous "Black Beauty" issue and featured a Tune-o-Matic bridge design and a pickup with an alnico-5 magnet in the neck position.
The Gibson Les Paul 1958 saw the introduction of the famous sunburst colour though the same specification as that of the '57 Goldtop, featuring PAF humbucker pickups with some models carrying the Bigsby vibrato tailpiece.
This model included the original CTS pots (500k audio taper) and Bumblebee 0.02mf capacitors that gives it that truly "vintage" sound.
Over the years, authentic 1950s Les Pauls have become some of the most desirable and expensive electric guitars in the world. In re-sale today, a 1959 Les Paul in good condition can be reach up to $750,000.
It inspired some of the great guitarists of the 20th Century, including Jimmy Page and Slash who have both had custom models made to their specifications."
To note:
Previous Made By Masters posts:
* Made By Masters #4 - The SEGA Megadrive
* Made By Masters #3 - The LM10
* Made By Masters #2 - The Motorola RAZR
* Made By Masters #1 - The iPod
In 1954 he revealed the second famous "Black Beauty" issue and featured a Tune-o-Matic bridge design and a pickup with an alnico-5 magnet in the neck position.
The Gibson Les Paul 1958 saw the introduction of the famous sunburst colour though the same specification as that of the '57 Goldtop, featuring PAF humbucker pickups with some models carrying the Bigsby vibrato tailpiece.
This model included the original CTS pots (500k audio taper) and Bumblebee 0.02mf capacitors that gives it that truly "vintage" sound.
Over the years, authentic 1950s Les Pauls have become some of the most desirable and expensive electric guitars in the world. In re-sale today, a 1959 Les Paul in good condition can be reach up to $750,000.
It inspired some of the great guitarists of the 20th Century, including Jimmy Page and Slash who have both had custom models made to their specifications."
To note:
Previous Made By Masters posts:
* Made By Masters #4 - The SEGA Megadrive
* Made By Masters #3 - The LM10
* Made By Masters #2 - The Motorola RAZR
* Made By Masters #1 - The iPod
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