Help Identify A Les Paul

[DanMac]

Hi Guitarists,

I am looking at a Gibson Les Paul that the owner is calling a Les Paul Special. This is a double cutaway guitar and the headstock simply says Les Paul Model, it says nothing about being a Special. I have looked at a couple of hundred of them on ebay and other places, and most of them have headstocks that say Les Paul Special, but I have seen a few that just say Les Paul Model.

Do you think it is a Special? Could it be a Junior? How can I tell for sure? The guitar is in very good condition but comes without a Gibson hardshell case. He's asking $850 CDN (which is roughly $600 USD.

What do you think? It's only the name thing that put me off, I really liked the guitar, it sounds great and is a fabulous player.

Thanks in advance for your input.

[jeff mercer]

Hey, Dan,

We'd need much more info to be sure, but a couple of things..

Juniors & Specials changed specs several times,but one thing remained the same..Juniors had 1 P90 pickup, Specials had 2, so that'll tell you immediately which model you're looking at.

Also, by the time the Special became a double-cutaway, it was re-named the SG special ( c.1959 ), and the "Special" designation was dropped from the headstock logo...

The price certainly sounds tempting, but I'd recommend you have someone knowledgable check it out before you plonk down any $$.

P.S...Does it have a serial number ?

Hope this helps,
Cheers,
Jeff.

[DanMac]

HEy Jeff,

Thanks for the info. I must have been brain dead, I know the Juniors have only one P90. This guitar does have a serial number and I will attempt to get it from the guy and post it here.

Thanks again, Dan

[Spud1950]

[jeff mercer]

[Spud1950]

Here's why sometimes you have to be suspicious if something just doesn't look right.This is the web site of one of the many companies that sells counterfeit guitars.They don't only rip off the designs,they go as far as to illegally use the company logos.Check out the Fenders.They even copied the stickers that come on the real guitars! There's a lot of these floating around and a lot of people without good enough guitar knowledge to spot a fake buy these thinking they're getting the real product. I'm not saying this is definitely the case with the Les Paul Special in question,but if a guitar appears to to be the real deal,but some little detail just doesn't seem right,this can be a possibility.

[DanMac]

[jeff mercer]

[Spud1950]

I found the listing.


Looks legitimate to me,but I think this is where the confusion came from:

"Les Paul Special officially discontinued 1963 in name only (now officially called SG Special). Still in production today as the "Les Paul Special" in several different variations."

So,in 1976,although it really is basically the same guitar, it wasn't called a Special anymore. This must be why you won't find any with "Les Paul Model" on the headstock if you do a search for "Les Paul Special". I'll see if I can find a 70s "Les Paul Model" on the net.

Edit - I found the info! After being out of production for some years, the former double cutaway "Les Paul Special" came back in 1976 with the"Les Paul Model" designation on the headstock. It's about the middle of this page.





Of couse, a '76 version wouldn't be worth anywhere near a '50s or '60s version, but $600 US seems like a decent price to me if it is in real good condition. You might want to try to get a more expert opinion.

[jeff mercer]

Good one, Spud !

Well there you go, Dan..the serial number jibes with the models' re-introduction, so it all looks pretty bona fide.

Keep in mind, too, that if someone was going to go to the bother of "faking" a vintage LP Special, they'd be unlikely to do the model you're looking at, as it's worth only a fraction of the value of a mid 50s/mid 60s one..just my opinion, of course !

Good luck, & please let us all know how you go...

Cheers!

[DanMac]

I sent the pic and serial number to Gibson and they said the number went out on a 2005 Les Paul Faded Double Cut and he says it is similar in appearance to a Special. I still don't know if that makes this guitar legit or not. I will try to get some more photos of the guitar and post them here on the weekend. For some reason, he has had this guitar for sale for a few weeks but it hasn't sold yet, although he says nobody but me has come to look at it.

Thanks for your ongoing help.

[Spud1950]

I wasn't aware of those. They came out in 2005,made for a few years and are now discontinued. They do say "Les Paul Model" on the headstock. Here's a couple for sale. This yellow one has a clear shot of the headstock logo.

[DanMac]

Those are definitely the same guitars as the one I am looking at, so I guess there's no question. The headstock front and back is the same, Gibson tuners, serial number position and Made in USA the same.

Thanks for your help researching this, I'm going to look at the guitar again tomorrow and will probably buy it.

[Spud1950]

Well,that was interesting and confusing!I just checked on Gibson serial numbers and found out that the 00 at beginning of number on the one you're looking at could have meant 1976, however from 1975 to 1977 they used decals for the numbers. From 1977 to the present,they went back to pressing the number into the wood,as they had done in the past. There was also a period of time when they ink stamped the numbers on the back of the headstock. Here's some very thorough info on Gibson serial numbers.



I like investigating this stuff.So many small details that can make a big difference. Sometimes it takes awhile to get it right,but you learn a lot!