A GIBSON LES PAUL JUNIOR 1956 SINGLE CUT SUNBURST GUITAR, IN...

Hammer

£6,000

A GIBSON LES PAUL JUNIOR 1956 SINGLE CUT SUNBURST GUITAR, INK STAMPED SERIAL NUMBER 6 0847       
98cm x 33cm max 

The Gibson Les Paul Junior was introduced to the market in 1954 as a more affordable option to the Les Paul Standard, for students and beginners. Classed as an ‘entry level’ electric guitar it was essentially a paired down ‘no frills’ version of the Standard with a single P-90 ‘dog ear’ pickup, single tone and volume controls and a solid single-piece mahogany body with fixed neck and no complicated carving or shaping. A double cutaway version came to the market in early 1958. This example was key in James’ run of Gibson classic vintage guitars and like many players, he valued it for its characteristic simplicity and expressive tone which was due to the P-90. This single coil pickup has been produced by Gibson since 1946 and despite the usual mains hum problems associated with single coil pickups, the sound produced through a high-gain amplifier made it a popular choice with many mainstream rock and blues musicians through the 1960s and 70s. John Lennon played one, post the Beatles, albeit with an extra pickup added adjacent to the neck.

This example has the characteristic mahogany body with a good, warm toned-down sunburst finish commensurate with its age. The front has almost perfect linear glaze craquelure, with some dints and marks and some lightly coloured-in edge chips and fine scratching and chips around the body sides. The reverse of the body has the usual buckle rash, which has over the decades, had some colouring .  There is some heavier wear through to the mahogany on the top bow. The output jack is mounted on a black plastic plate. Having removed the backplate to reveal the wiring, there are some historic solder repairs visible on the pots.

The bridge is a ‘wrap-around’ which may have been changed but is aligned straight, making its setup proud of the bottom peg. The knobs are classic Gibson Goldtop top hats and the black ‘dog ear’ pickup cover and scratch plate have very fine scratching as you would expect.

The neck has a rosewood fret board with circular pearl markers and the nut appears to be original. The headstock transfer  ’Les Paul Junior’ has some wear but the ‘Gibson’ is sharp and bright. The black paint has craquelure and there are some ‘arc’ scratches adjacent to the machine heads, maybe due to using a winder. The Kluson single line ‘Deluxe’ machine heads appear to be original. The 6 0847 serial number has been smudged on stamping. There are some marks and dints the back of the neck.

The guitar comes with a Gibson branded brown leather-effect hard case which may be original. The case is very worn and lined in purple plush fabric.

Sold with non-transferable CITES A10 certificate No. 613902/07