Gibson Les Paul Special
Electric guitar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Gibson Les Paul Special is a variation of the Gibson Les Paul guitar. It was introduced in 1955.[1] It is designed to be an intermediate level instrument, at a price point and trim level between the low-cost Les Paul Junior and the standard Les Paul.
| Gibson Les Paul Special | |
|---|---|
Gibson Les Paul Special Singlecut in Spearmint (1998) | |
| Manufacturer | Gibson |
| Period | |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Solid |
| Neck joint | Set |
| Scale | 24.75" |
| Woods | |
| Body | Mahogany |
| Neck | Mahogany |
| Fretboard | Rosewood |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Wraparound / Tune-o-matic (reissue) |
| Pickup(s) | 2 Single-coil, P-90 |
| Colors available | |
| TV yellow, white, cherry red | |
Overview
Like most of Gibson's other budget models,[clarification needed] the Les Paul Special was produced in a TV Yellow finish,[7] which was made by Gibson as a finish that would look good on black and white television.[citation needed] In 1958, the model received a major change when it was introduced as a doublecut model instead of the traditional singlecut.
In 1961, the Les Paul received a drastic change when it was redesigned into what would become known as the Gibson SG. Les Paul's contract had expired by 1963, bringing a change to the submodels. When the contract was renewed in 1968, the original models were rebooted.[7]
Models
The list of Special models manufactured since 1955.[6][verification needed]
Single Cutaway
- 1955–1958: Les Paul Special (Single Cutaway)
- 1974:[3][4] Les Paul '55 Special limited edition
- 1974[6]/1977[3]/(1978[5])–1981: Les Paul '55 (Special Single Cutaway Reissue)
- 1989–1998: Les Paul Junior II (Les Paul Special Single Cutaway Reissue)[8]
- 2019–present: Les Paul Special (reissue with wrap tailpiece; vintage cherry and TV yellow finishes)
- variations
- 1996–1999: Les Paul Special SL
- 1999–2003: Les Paul Junior Special
- 2001–2005: Les Paul Junior Special Plus
- 2001–2002: Les Paul Junior Special With Humbucker
- 2003–(2005): Les Paul Special Faded With Humbucker[9][10]
- 2003–2006: Les Paul Junior Special Faded With Humbucker
- 2006–2008: Les Paul Special New Century
- 2009–2011: Les Paul Junior Special Robot
- 2011: Les Paul Special Humbucker
- 2012–2013: Les Paul Junior Special Humbucker
- 2012–2013: Les Paul Junior Special P-90
- 2014: Les Paul Special AAA Flame Top Semi-Hollowbody
Double Cutaway
(renamed from "Les Paul Special Doublecut" in 1959[1]) The guitar on the photo features later aftermarket Badass tailpiece bridge, similar to so called "Pigtail" bridge.
- 1958–[1]/1959[6] Les Paul Special (Double Cutaway)
- 1959: Les Paul Special 3/4 (Double Cutaway)
- 1959–1961: SG Special (Les Paul Special Double Cutaway)
- 1976[5]–1989: Les Paul Special Double Cutaway (1st Reissue)
- 1993–1995: Les Paul Special Double Cutaway (2nd Reissue)
- 2015: Les Paul Special Double Cutaway 2015
- variations
Timeline
