Page 101 - Guitar Classics Magazine - The Les Paul Bible 2019

VINTAGE BENCH TEST

KEY FEATURES
PRICE £24,995
DESCRIPTION Solidbody guitar. Made in the USA
BUILD Mahogany body with set mahogany neck, ebony fretboard
honk with a hint of Ricky jangle. Leaving the neck with pearl markers, 22 frets OPPOSITE The Kluson tuners
volume on 10 and rolling back the bridge is like HARDWARE Kluson wale-back tuners, are one of the few aspects of
applying a notch filter, with the scoop occurring Tune-o-matic bridge with stop tailpiece the guitar that are showing
lower in the frequency range. So the tone still has a ELECTRICS Staple single-coil (neck), P-90 (bridge), individual signs of age, and some of
the shafts have been bent
phasey quality, but it’s fuller, smoother and sweeter. pickup volume and tone controls, 3-way switch over the years
Even by the high standards of 50s Les Pauls (no FINISH Black nitrocellulose
SCALE LENGTH 625mm/24.63"
pun intended), this is an unusually versatile and NECK WIDTH 42.7mm at nut, 53.05mm at 12th fret ABOVE The ‘staple’ pickup
sophisticated instrument. NECK DEPTH 21mm at irst fret, 24mm at 12th fret was created after Les Paul
STRING SPACING 35.75mm at nut, 51.6mm at bridge modded his Goldtop with a
CLASS IS PERMANENT WEIGHT 4.35kg/9.57lbs DeArmond Dynasonic pickup
Unlike the hooligan Goldtop, the Les Paul Custom CONTACT ATB Guitars
reveals its charms gradually. This was designed to be a atbguitars.com
classier, more upmarket instrument and by and large,
it is. The Custom reputedly came about because Les
requested a guitar that was like a tuxedo. While many well-mannered dynamics would make it so easy
of us might enjoy wearing a tux from time to time, to record, and you could dial up myriad tones that
the novelty value would be lost if we had to wear are familiar and yet just that little bit different. The
one every day… much like a jobbing jazz musician. tuners could do with a refurb and some might suggest
On the whole, that analogy fits in well with how a refret is in order, but we think it’s fine as it is.
we feel about this guitar. It oozes quality and feels Overall condition is excellent and, as far as we
wonderful, but as an everyday player, our desert can tell, the only non-factory items are the strings.
island choice would still be a P-90 Goldtop of a The Staple Custom is an interesting and unfairly
similar vintage – if we could afford one, of course. overlooked model in the Lester lineage and we
Having said that, we think this Custom might be a wonder how many examples out there are as good
secret weapon in the studio, because its clarity and as this one…

THE LES PAUL BIBLE 101