Gibson Les Paul CUSTOM 70s: Back...and BETTER!
What is your favourite Gibson guitar and why is it the Les Paul Custom?
The Les Paul Custom is one of those guitars that everybody loves at least a little bit. They are just too beautiful, too timelessly iconic and frankly, too badass not to like. For years, production of this epic instrument came only from Gibson’s Custom Shop - appropriate, given its name - but something exciting has recently happened…
May I present to you the Gibson Les Paul Custom 70s!!!
Contents
The Gibson Les Paul Custom 70s
A Proper Gibson USA Les Paul Custom
The Gibson Les Paul Custom 70s
This wonderful new model looks back to the 1970s for its inspiration. What do I mean by that? Well, Gibson aficionados will know that in the 70s, GIbson did things a little differently. Not everybody loved every part of this period, but several famous Les Pauls - notably those played by Randy Rhoads and The Edge - came from this period. For Les Paul customs, the 70s were a time of volutes, sandwich bodies, backbreaking weight, ‘White tuxedos’ and some very yellow-hued cream finishes.
This particular era - once considered less special than the likes of the late 50s and late 60s - is now one of the most quickly appreciated eras of the LP Custom. Maybe it’s the usual scarcity of vintage 70s examples and those other eras, but prices are steadily mounting, making them harder and harder to find.
Also, it’s been a long time since GIbson USA had the Les Paul Custom in its ranks…
A Proper Gibson USA Les Paul Custom
This, folks, is the real deal. By that, I mean a solid bodied, USA Gibson Les Paul Custom. It’s not a Custom Shop guitar, so the price is a lot more attainable than Gibson CS reissues. Gibson have put their coolest Les Paul back into proper production, and I’m very glad to see that! Before I dive into the details, I’ll tell you which finishes are being made available:
These are all great 1970s colours, and they are all proper nitrocellulose finishes, too. I’m surprised they didn’t included Silverburst since that is a colour that originated on late 70s LP Customs, but maybe they’re saving that for another time?
I don’t know, but I DO love the inclusion of the White Tuxedo! That’s a nickname of course, based on the finish that has an off-white/cream top and black back-and-sides. This did exist back then, and the name comes from the Ebony LP Custom’s ‘tuxedo’ nickname. This is not something I’ve ever seen on a new Gibson Les Paul in my 18 years of service here at gg, so if you like the look, take my advice and buy one pronto!
What Makes These Different?
So, the good news is that everything that makes a Les Paul Custom amazing is here, built into these guitars. Let me just pull out the checklist:
- Mahogany body with maple top
- Multi-ply binding on headstock, body front & back
- Ebony fingerboard
- Mother-of-Pearl block inlays
- Gold hardware
- Split Diamond headstock inlay
- Slightly bigger headstock
So far, so classic! So, what makes it a 70s Les Paul? Well, there were certain details that belonged to this era. Some of them are loved by Les Paul fans; others, less so. Thankfully, someone at Gibson was definitely doing their homework with these guitars! The bad bits (sandwich bodies) have not been included, but the good bits (volute, witch hat knobs) are here! Here’s a rundown:
- Specially wound and calibrated T-type humbuckers
- Volute at headstock (reinforced area for added strength)
- 70s–style with hat control knobs
- Posi-Lok strap locks (yes, those ones!)
- Grover Rotomatic tunes with Keystone buttons (I call them ‘tulips’)
All in, these guitars bring a flavour of the 70s to a guitar that is pitched perfectly for today’s market.
What Are T-Type Pickups?
T-Type pickups are Gibson humbuckers from the 70s. They have small letter T’s stamped onto the top of each bobbin to let the pickup builder know which way the bobbins should go together. This kind of reveals a fair bit about the mass-market production of the brand back then!
But, the real story with T-Types is their sound. They use Alnico 5 magnets and so their sound is similar to - but brighter than - standard PAF units.
People can get very starry-eyed about a good set of T-Types, or T-Tops as some call them. Relating to these new 70s Les Paul Custom guitars, that extra brightness is most assuredly required to counteract the thick, heavy mahogany body, and to sweeten & balance the tone.
These are Going to Be Popular
I’m hardly sticking my neck out here when I say that these new Gibson Les Paul Custom 70s guitars are going to be very popular. As I mentioned at the beginning, there are hardly any guitarists out there who don’t think the LP Custom is the epitome of cool, not to mention the deliverer of one of the thickest, most powerful guitar tones in history.
I’m not for a moment calling these guitars ‘affordable’ because they are not. But they are the best-priced Gibson Les Paul Customs I’ve seen in over a decade, and they are made in Nashville. There’s really nothing else to say, is there? Here’s a link, and I’ll see you in the queue for one!
Click to View the New GIbson Les Paul Custom 70s
