“I think Mick would be totally astonished that he’s still being talked about in such a positive way. This guitar just adds sparkle to an already legendary life”: Gibson unveils Murphy Lab replica of Mick Ronson’s Bowie-era 1968 Les Paul Custom

Gibson Mark Ronson Les Paul Custom.

With its ebony top stripped from its top, revealing the two-piece maple top underneath, Mick Ronson’s 1968 Les Paul Custom, is one of rock’s most iconic electric guitars. It is the Spiders From Mars guitar, his David Bowie guitar… And now it has been replicated in forensic detail by the Gibson Custom Shop for a super limited edition run.

You know the drills. They’ve only made 100. Each is aged by the Murphy Lab, all the cracks in the original’s nitro lacquer meticulously recreated, a super high-end build featuring a pair of reverse-engineered Custom 68 humbuckers for time-capsule tone (these are left uncovered, revealing the double-black bobbins of Ronson’s original).