Les Paul’s initial tenure as a Gibson signature artist lasted approximately a decade. Having first lent his name to the firm’s 1952 single-cutaway debut solidbody Goldtop, the Les Paul brand was dropped in 1963 when the entire pointed double-cutaway line was redesignated SG.
Throughout the ’60s, single-cutaway Les Pauls were seen in the hands of many a guitar hero, including Keith Richards, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. Consequently, these old-style instruments became highly sought-after.
