Description
This Gibson Les Paul Custom with a Cherry Sunburst finish dates to 1970 or 1971, and was built at Gibson’s historic Kalamazoo, Michigan plant. It is in overall good condition, showing wear appropriate for an instrument that has been played for more than half a century.
The finish is the original nitrocellulose lacquer Cherry Sunburst, with honest play wear throughout. The top finish is worn through where the player’s arm rests, and there are numerous small dings and dents. The back shows a moderate amount of buckle or jean “rivet rash,” and the neck finish is worn through in the areas most frequently played. The gold plating on the bridge and tailpiece is worn as expected, with some corrosion present on the stop tailpiece.
The original gold-plated Kluson “waffleback” tuners were replaced long ago with chrome-plated Schaller M6 machines. The guitar has been refretted with medium-high fret wire; wear is moderate, and it plays cleanly throughout the neck. The retainer wire from the gold-plated Tune-o-matic bridge is missing but can be easily replaced with a piece of plain steel string up to approximately .017" diameter (plain G).
Some electronic components have been changed. The tone pots were bypassed for many years, with only the volume pots active. The original configuration has been restored and new caps installed. The pots appear to be original 300k audio-taper units given their code "70-028", a Gibson part number. The pointer washers are missing from the volume controls. The original plastic output jack plate has been replaced with a gold-plated metal plate. The “witch-hat” knobs appear to be original, though one shows significant wear. The strap buttons have been replaced with a locking style. The pickguard is present.
A Les Paul–style flat top case by TKL is included, and it contains the strap-lock hardware.
Construction and Materials
From its introduction during 1954 until the Les Paul model was redesigned in 1961, the Les Paul Custom featured an all-mahogany body, consisting of a carved mahogany top on a mahogany back.
When the original single-cutaway Les Paul body returned in 1968, the Custom was redesigned with a maple cap, similar to the Les Paul Standard and Deluxe. At that time, the headstock pitch was reduced from 17 degrees to 14 degrees.
In 1969, around the time Norlin acquired Gibson, several additional construction changes were introduced. These included the laminated “pancake” body (a mahogany back with a thin maple layer sandwiched between two mahogany sections), the introduction of a three-piece neck (typically mahogany during this period), and the addition of a volute at the back of the headstock for reinforcement. The serial number stamp now included “Made in USA” beneath the number.
The fingerboard is ebony, with mother-of-pearl block inlays, and the guitar features the undotted “i” Gibson logo, used approximately between 1969 and 1971. The body top, back, and headstock have multi-layer binding, while the fingerboard uses single-layer binding.
This guitar displays all the known 1970–1971 construction and material characteristics. As Gibson reused serial numbers during this period, establishing an exact production year is difficult.
Frets and Playability
This guitar was originally equipped with Gibson’s “Fretless Wonder” fret treatment, featuring very low, narrow, nearly flat frets. Developed in the 1950s and marketed toward jazz players, this design reduced fretting effort and facilitated fast chord changes, glissando effects, and smooth single-note lines, though it offered limited support for string bending.
For many rock and blues players — including previous owners of this instrument — once the original low fret wire wore down, the guitar was refretted with taller, wider wire. This fret style is better suited to modern playing techniques that involve expressive string bending and vibrato.
There is a characteristic Gibson binding detail that is typically lost during a refret: the binding “nib.” The nib rises slightly to cover the end of the fretwire and is an artifact of Gibson’s traditional production process.
In this process, the fingerboard is first radiused and inlaid, then fretted, with the fret ends dressed flush to the edges of the fingerboard. After fretting is complete, the binding is applied to the sides of the fingerboard and subsequently carved and scraped down to follow both the fingerboard surface and the fret ends. The completed fingerboard is then glued to the neck, the neck to the body, and the instrument proceeds through final shaping and finishing.
During a refret, the original frets are removed and the fingerboard is typically leveled (not flattened) to correct wear and minor inconsistencies. This process almost always removes the original binding nibs and allows the new fretwire to extend the full width of the fingerboard. While this departs from original factory appearance, it provides slightly more usable playing surface, and many players prefer this configuration.
It is possible to preserve the binding nibs by carefully fitting new frets into the remaining space between them, but this approach requires significantly more labor, precision and consequent expense, and is therefore less commonly undertaken.
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There are no refunds or returns on used items unless authorized in advance by a Twelfth Fret Sales Associate at time of sale. View Our Full Terms Here |
DETAILS:
- Instrument Model: Les Paul Custom
- Instrument Manufacturer: Gibson
- Instrument year: 1970 - 71
- Instrument Finish: CherryBurst Nitrocellulose Lacquer
- Instrument Class: Solidbody Electric Guitars
- Instrument serial number: 126617, built at Kalamazoo during 1970-71
- Country of Origin: USA
- Instrument Condition: Good
- Right-handed
- CITIES Documentation Required: No
- Case included: Yes
- Case original: No
- Case Type: Hard Shell Flat Top TKL LP Case
- Instrument Weight Imperial: 9.856 lbs
- Instrument Weight Metric: 4.48 kgs
- Scale Length Imperial: 24.6 in
- Scale Length Metric: 626 mm
- Nut Width Imperial: 1.672 in
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Nut Width Metric: 42.48 mm
- Items in Case: Strap Lock Hardware
- Consignment: Yes
- Product ID: 190663
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There are no refunds or returns on used items unless authorized in advance by a Twelfth Fret Sales Associate at time of sale. View Our Full Terms Here |