Gibson Les Paul Special - TV Yellow

Designed as a lighter, more comfortable alternative to the substantially weighted Les Paul Standard, the original mid-’50s era Gibson Les Paul Special was always destined to become a classic, and time has proven that to be the case - players went on to consider the Special to be one of the finest guitars ever made, and its distinct and unique, yet patently classic Gibson tone turned out to be a highly sought after sound indeed.

Fast forward sixty-plus years and today’s Les Paul Special still deserves all the adoration it receives, thanks to its brilliant recreation of the timeless design and fusion of vintage spirit and unparalleled tone. 

The special feels fantastic in hand and is a joy to play. It’s lightweight Mahogany body and Vintage ’50s Mahogany neck combo results in a comfortable playing experience, made all the more special by a fast actioned Rosewood fingerboard that features 22 medium-jumbo frets, all having been optimised using Plek Pro’s state of the art fret optimisation technology. This process grades and lays each fret to its best possible position, resulting in a remarkably smooth playability and a brilliant action that allows each note to sing to its full potential.

The whole instrument is coated in a period-correct layer of nitrocellulose lacquer finish that allows the wood to breathe, resulting in high resonance and pure, fundamental tones - not to mention providing a layer of protection and a fine, glossy, vintage aesthetic. This vintage style is carried through the guitars hardware with the addition of vintage tuners and a ‘50’s style wraparound bridge/tailpiece.

As mentioned earlier, the Special is renowned for its unique brand of Gibson tone and it owes its amazingly versatile sound to a duo of P-90 pickups that produce a brighter, leaner, rawer sound than their humbucking counterparts. That's not to say that this guitar cant wail as well - these P-90’s possess a distinctive bark and true grit - and thanks to some handwired controls and the inclusion of classic-era Orange Drop capacitors, you can produce an electric, explosive sizzling sound like no other.

Todays single-cut Les Paul Special is a ringer for its early namesake, and does a wonderful job of recreating its amazing qualities. Today’s Gibson Les Paul Special is a worthy addition to any collectors arsenal.

Oh, and if you were wondering - TV Yellow? A wonderfully golden mustard colour developed to make the guitar look amazing on black and white television. A true throwback to the golden era of Gibson that still looks amazing to this day.

FEATURES:

• A single-cut Special with P-90 pickups and a period neck
• Lightweight Mahogany slab body
• Vintage ’50s Mahogany neck
• Rosewood fingerboard 
• Plek Pro fret optimisation
• Medium jumbo frets
• 2 single-coil P-90 pickups
• Handwired Orange Drop capacitors
• Breathable nitrocellulose lacquer finish