Very Rare 50th Anniversary Custom - One of Only Fifty…

This Les Paul Custom "50th Anniversary" Limited Edition model weighs just 9.10 lbs. and has a nut width of just over 1 11/16 inches and a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Solid maple body with two-piece curly koa top and one-piece figured maple back. Three-piece curly maple neck with a center strip of curly koa and a huge neck profile very similar to a '54 Les Paul GoldTop. Bound Madagascar ebony fretboard with 22 medium frets and inlaid abalone cloud position markers and abalone side dot inlays. Headstock with Inlaid abalone "Gibson" and abalone five-piece split-diamond inlay. Polished brass truss-rod cover. Serial number "2002 25" stamped in black on the back of the headstock, with "Anniversary" above it. Individual "Gibson" Grover Roto-Matic tuners with stairstep metal buttons. The body of the guitar has seven-ply binding on top and five-ply binding on bottom, the headstock has five-ply binding, and the neck is single-bound. Two beautifully balanced Gibson '57 Reissue PAF Humbuckers with black plastic surrounds and outputs of 7.77k and 7.75k. Four controls (two volume, two tone) plus three-way pickup selector switch on upper bass bout. Specific ebony control knobs with pearloid dot markers. Gibson ABR-1 retainer bridge with metal saddles, separate stud tailpiece. All hardware gold-plated. This guitar is in mint (9.50) condition. The top and back of this guitar are beautifully figured. Housed in the original Gibson black hardshell case with black plush lining and embroidered black cloth case cover (9.50).

"The year 2002 marked the 50th anniversary of the Les Paul model, and Gibson's Custom Shop issued two very different guitars to commemorate this event. The first was a 1952 reissue… For their second model, Gibson created an ultra-deluxe version of the legendary electric solidbody model, made with exquisite materials. Featuring figured tone woods and abalone pearl inlays, the 50th Anniversary Les Paul was produced in a limited run of 50 instruments. The 50th Anniversary Les Paul has a one-piece figured maple back and a two-piece curly koa top. The three-piece neck has a strip of curly koa running between two pieces of curly maple. The fingerboard is Madagascar ebony and inlaid with abalone clouds and abalone side markers. The top, back and fingerboard are bordered with multi-ply binding. The finish is nitrocellulose lacquer in an antique natural shade that brings out the rich tone of the koa and maple. All the hardware is gold-plated, including the brass backplates and truss rod cover. The limited-edition 50th Anniversary case came with an embroidered case cover (Mike Slubowski, Gibson's "Birthday Babies": The Anniversary Model Les Pauls). http://www.lespaulforum.com/slubanniv/sanniver.html

"Ultra-deluxe Les Paul marks 50th year of legendary Gibson. To commemorate 50 years of Gibson Les Paul guitars, Gibson Custom has created an ultra-deluxe version of the legendary electric solidbody model, made with the guitar world's most exquisite materials. Featuring figured tone woods and abalone pearl inlays, the 50th Anniversary Les Paul will be produced in a limited run of 50 instruments.

"The Gibson Les Paul has set the standard for style, sound, innovation, functionality - every element by which a guitar is judged - for fifty years now," said Henry Juszkiewicz, chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar Corp. "This monumental anniversary calls for nothing less than the finest materials to commemorate the world's finest guitar. The 50th Anniversary Les Paul has a one-piece figured maple back and a two-piece curly koa top. The three-piece neck has a strip of curly koa running between two pieces of curly maple. The fingerboard is of the highest grade Madagascar ebony and inlaid with abalone clouds and abalone side markers. The top, back and fingerboard are bordered with multi-ply binding. The finish is nitrocellulose lacquer in an antique natural shade that brings out the rich tone of the koa and maple. All the hardware is gold-plated, including the brass backplates and truss rod cover. The limited-edition 50th Anniversary case comes with an embroidered case cover.

Gibson introduced the Les Paul Model in 1952. The collaboration between the world's premier guitar company and the world's premier guitar legend, Les Paul, became the most successful endorsement agreement in the history of musical instruments. Since that classic "goldtop" model of 1952, Gibson has offered more than 100 different variations of the Les Paul model. The body shape has become so closely identified with Gibson and Les Paul that it is a registered trademark. The Gibson Les Paul model is recognized around world as an unmistakable icon of rock 'n' roll music". http://www.gibson.com/whatsnew/pressrelease/2002/apr25a.html