GIBSON’S ICONIC BLACK Beauty, the Les Paul Custom, has long represented top-flight elegance in the solidbody electric guitar. Yet as it evolved from its origins as a black-tie-worthy accessory for the dinnerclub set, it proved its versatility in the hands of some heavy rockers too.
Guitar star and inventor Les Paul said on several occasions that when he sat down with Gibson in the early 1950s to devise the revolutionary instrument that would carry his name, he envisioned two versions of the Les Paul Model: a standard iteration with a goldtop finish and nickel-plated hardware, and a custom model that would be the crème de la crème. This Les Paul Custom would be dressed in formal wear, like the tux a jazz artist might put on for a major performance. The
