The Les Paul Story 1952-60
This article was researched and written by the webmaster of this site and is © 2001
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- Use guitar software - such as this one (go for the free trial download)
- Take guitar lessons - this guy's good (it's a 'learn guitar online' package)
The Gibson Les Paul guitar went into production in 1952 and was the first solid body electric that Gibson had made. Leo Fender, although not the first person to design or build a solid body electric, had proved that there was a market for such instruments with the commercial success of his Fender Telecaster, which had first been introduced a couple of years beforehand (albeit under a different name).
Now Gibson, under the presidency of Ted McCarty, wanted to make sure they didn't get left out of the market - so they approached player and guitar designer Les Paul with a view to collaborating on a Gibson/Les Paul branded electric solid body. This must have been rather gratifying for Les Paul, as he had previously presented his ideas for a solid body electric to Gibson in 1945/46 and been promptly shown the door. As Les himself has said, "They called it the broom-stick with a pickup on it."
There are many different rumours and stories about exactly who designed what in respect of the Gibson Les Paul guitar - Ted McCarty, Les Paul & others have differing recollections as to who provided the design input for various aspects of the instrument.
Ted's version is that he and various Gibson staff had already finished designing the guitar that became the 1952 Les Paul even before they approached Les about an endorsement deal. In this account there were only two aspects of the production line 1952 Les Paul that derived from Les himself; the trapeze bridge/tailpiece and the name 'Les Paul'. In other words, the only reason that Gibson approached Les was to give the new guitar they had already designed and built added credibility by having it associated with a famous player.
Les Paul himself has said that when Ted approached him he, that is Les, quote, already '...had in mind the Gold Top standard and the black Custom.' Les refers to Gibson giving him the 'final say' on every aspect of the guitar's design. This account doesn't entirely square with the story - told later - of how Gibson had implemented his trapeze tailpiece design incorrectly.
Nor does it square with Les recalling how, when he first examined a Gold Top and a Custom, he was displeased that the Gold Top had a maple top and told Gibson that this was not what he had intended. According to Les, the Custom was supposed to have the mahagony body with maple top, whereas the Gold Top was supposed to just have a mahagony body with no maple top at all. Gibson never implemented this idea on the Gold Top.
Whatever the uncertainties about who designed what in relation to the Les Paul guitar one thing is clear - the solid body combination of maple for the top and mahogany for the back proved to be a winner.
Forward to Part Two: 1952-1954
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This article is © 2001, first published in the UK 2003. It was licensed for use on the UKGuitarShop website in 2004 (they approached me with a request to use it there) and also appeared on earlier versions of this site previously hosted at vintage-gibson-les-pauls.ukartists.com and freeserve.co.uk. Permission has not been given for it to be reproduced anywhere else. All rights reserved.
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