Gibson Les Paul Junior (1957)

This 1957 Gibson Les Paul Junior just came into the shop from its second owner, who'd purchased it directly from the original owner back in the early 1980s. It's a fantastic example of the famous single-cut student model Gibson electric, both cosmetically and tonally speaking.

Lying relatively dormant in Western Canada for over 40 years, this '57 shows some light signs of play wear, likely earned earlier on in its life. It exhibited some cowboy chord area fret wear, some light pick scratches on the pickguard, and a little bit of buckle rash on the back of the body, and a few nicks and dings from typical handling. The original nitrocellulose lacquer, however, is particularly well preserved with almost no checking in the finish (we see some at the base of the headstock on the back of the neck - that might be it!).

Coming in at 7lb 12oz on our scale, it's a nice "goldilocks" weight that feels very balanced and comfortable. The typical larger C neck profile offers that classic feel that is still super easy to play as well. The single-pickup mystique is alive and well in this guitar - the original P90 measures 8.34k and sounds HUGE. The low end response and depth of tone is amazing, with rich clean tones and a beautiful sparkle that a great P90 from this period can be known for. Gained up tones are a little bolder and thicker sounding than some of the other period Juniors we remember having here, still with great trebly snap that cuts through a mix like no other.

The original nickel-plated wraparound bridge is actually quite clean but shows some grooves from string wear. We elected to install a MojoAxe wraparound bridge/tailpiece for improved intonation and overall performance, but the original bridge (as pictured) is included. The guitar arrived with newer Gotoh vintage style tuners installed due to the originals having lost their buttons, but single line Klusons are back on the guitar with fresh buttons and they're working great.

The guitar was accompanied by a 1957 Gibson GA-5 amplifier, which was also purchased by the original owner and subsequently sold with the LP to the second owner. That amplifier is also available for purchase should the prospective LP buyer wish to keep the pair intact.

We're always thrilled to have vintage Juniors here in the shop - they represent some of the best sounding "no frills" vintage electrics out there, and always seem to have a transcendently great tone that is deceptively versatile across many genres.