Les Paul was a man of many fine qualities, but understatement probably wasn’t one of them. Rather than ease loyal Gibson customers into the concept of a solidbody electric guitar, Les came out swinging when he specified a metallic gold finish for his official signature model. Back in 1952, it would have shone like a supernova in an era of muted sunbursts.
With the metaphorical dial already turned to 10, Gibson had its work cut out when devising an even more upmarket version of Les Paul’s signature guitar, but it still had a few more cards to play. It’s almost as if someone on the design team pondered about the world’s classiest musical instrument and decided it was probably a concert grand piano.
