Gibson Custom, Art & Historic 1957 Les Paul Custom 'Black Beauty' Reissue 2000

This is a stunning Gibson Custom, Art & Historic 1957 Les Paul Custom ‘Black Beauty’ Reissue in Ebony finish. Made in the USA in 2000, this guitar comes from one of the early iterations of what is today called the Gibson Custom Shop. Whilst Gibson have long been producing ‘custom’ special orders for customers & artists, it wasn’t until late 1993 that a dedicated division was set up. Originally, the Custom, Art & Historic division produced historic reissues alongside special versions of USA line guitars that included unique features not available elsewhere. By 1996 the first Artist models were produced, beginning with the Joe Perry Les Paul & Ace Frehley in ‘97 which both went on to enjoy Gibson USA production runs. In 2007, Gibson renamed the division to simply ‘Gibson Custom’, simplifying its name but continuing to develop the finest & most exclusive instruments that Gibson offers.

A faithful recreation of the 1957 Les Paul Custom ‘Black Beauty’ specification, this instrument of course features a set-neck construction comprising a Mahogany body with a Maple top, Mahogany neck and 22 fret Rosewood fingerboard. Gold hardware is fitted including a Bigsby B7 tailpiece, ABR-1 ToM bridge & Grover Rotomatic tuning machines. A trio of Gibson ‘57 Classic humbucking pickups are installed, and are wired to a 3-way toggle switch, neck volume, neck tone, middle/bridge volume & middle/bridge tone controls. Era-specific features are present such as the ‘50s headstock, ‘50s neck profile- even down to the historic spec wiring & electronic components.

The Mahogany neck plays very well, with the Rounded ‘50s profile feeling nicely substantial in the hand. Whilst certainly on the thicker side, there is still plenty of scope for fast articulate playing - the neck is no ‘baseball bat’ as some ‘50s reissue instruments can be. There is a reassuring weight to the body at 10.25lbs thanks to the non-weight relieved Mahogany body - just as the original ‘50s guitars were. It’s easy to see why this era of Les Paul has endured & been celebrated so long - the smooth lines of the body are comfortable in both seated & standing positions, the controls are well placed & the cutaway offers unrestricted access to the top frets.

The ‘57 Classic is Gibson’s modern recreation of the PAF humbucker, and as such make use of AlNiCo 2 magnets & balanced coils to get as close to the original PAF tone as possible without sacrificing any modern reliability. The neck position is round and powerful, and can handle plenty of gain for saturated lead tones. The bridge is of course brighter, and with a higher output can easily push your amp into a harmonically rich & searing distortion tone which is perfect for rock rhythm parts and riffs. The middle pickup is paired with the bridge, and adds a unique, powerful output which is exclusive to the Black Beauty.

Luthier Report

Our ID: 1210726225290

Weight: 10.25lbs

Serial: 701256

Aesthetic Condition:

Headstock: Overall very good condition, both front and rear face demonstrate very consistent light scratching surrounding the tuners, causing a hazing of the finish under direct lighting. This is most apparent to the rear face.

Neck: Overall very good condition, the rear of the neck demonstrates a speckled finish imperfection behind the first fret at the bass side that cannot be felt beneath the finger. The early register demonstrates light indentation, piercing the finish slightly, which is somewhat discernible beneath the thumb.

Body: Overall very good condition, similar to the neck there is a speckled finish imperfection along the lower bout on both front and rear face. This cannot be felt beneath the finger. A small indentation chipping the top coat is apparent to the front face treble side lower bout. All aspects of the body demonstrate light scratching and indentation visible only under direct lighting at certain angles, most notably to the center of the rear face.

Condition of Frets:

The frets demonstrate minimal signs of use. There is considerable material remaining for any future fretwork the new owner may wish to perform.

Current Set Up:

Truss Rod: Fully functional. Truss rod tool (5/16” socket) not included.

Hardware: Fully functional with moderate signs of wear, most notably tarnishing of gold plating on bridge and tuning buttons.

Structural: No concerns or issues to note.

Height of the string from the 12th Fret-1.25mm - Bass 1.75mm

Please be aware that the action on a guitar may move slightly in transit and this measurement is the current height.

Strings on Guitar - 10-46

Electrics:

Fully functional.

Case & Accessories:

Original Gibson Art Historic hard case

The case demonstrates light signs of use. Original COA and truss rod tool are not included.