2019 LES PAUL STANDARD ’50S & LES PAUL TRIBUTE

It all seemed like it was going rather well for Gibson. Rejuvenated under new ownership and with fresh investment, the goodwill generated by the company’s NAMM Show return in January was palpable. Led by former Levi’s main man JC Curleigh, Gibson seemed ready to move forward, focus on making great guitars again and exorcise the ghosts of the latter part of Henry Juszkiewicz’s troubled reign.

Then came June, that Mark Agnesi video, and a laundry list of news stories about trademark infringement, litigation, counter-claims, statements about “shifting from confrontation to collaboration,” and a lot more besides. And as we type this, a week or so prior to Summer NAMM, it looks like it’ll be some time before the dust settles. However, away from the lurid social-media posts and the sound of hundreds of lawyers rubbing their hands together with glee, there’s the small matter of some electric guitars to write about. After all, that’s what got us here in the first place.

In July, we featured Gibson Custom’s flagship 2019 model, the 60th Anniversary 1959 Les Paul Standard. Now it’s time to check out what