Gibson Les Paul Model (1952)

Few electric guitars are as iconic as Gibson's Les Paul Model, and this first-year 1952 "Goldtop" is the perfect example of what has made them so special for over 70 years.

In what we've gathered as a late 1952 build based on the original electronics, this '52 Goldtop has some of the best textbook natural aging and wear you'll ever see on one of these, all while having been very well maintained over the years. What makes this even more special is its weight - our scale has this LP coming in at an uber-lean 8lbs - nearly unheard of in the world of Les Paul weights.

Unplugged, this LP has a loud, crisp acoustic voice that translates wonderfully when plugged into an amp. The original P90 pickups have quintessential open and clear tonality reminiscent of really beefed up old Strat pickups, with a slightly rounder top end. They're remarkably even in response as well. The original IRC 0.5 Meg potentiometers (using the bridge tone pot as the reference) show the proper codes that are consistent with LPs from this period - 615-0689 manufacturer code with a date code of '236', indicating they were made in the 36th week of 1952. The harness also features its original Grey Tiger tone capacitors.
As an early pre-serial trapeze LP, it can be a little funky to play with the stock bridge. The under-wrapped tailpiece allows for little adjustment and requires some repositioning of the picking hand to allow for any palm muting or "natural" hand position. This is easily remedied by outfitting the guitar with great aftermarket hardware, and in this case, MojoAxe. We removed the original trapeze and bridge assembly and installed MojoAxe's "wrapeze" setup, with a more common top-wrap design, shallow height, and machined compensated intonation ridges. It's a fully reversible mod that allows for a much more comfortable playing experience with more precise intonation and stability.

The plastics - truss rod cover, pickguard, rear control covers, and knobs are all original to the guitar. The original Kluson 'no line' tuners are in fantastic aesthetic and operating condition, too. The frets were well worn and partially replaced when we first acquired the guitar, so we elected to refret the guitar in-house with Jescar 45100 wire. Playability is fantastic with the new frets!

The previous owner made some rather unique attempts at providing some RF shielding in the control cavity, soldering a small 3" strand of PVC coated wire to the back of the neck volume pot and in turn securing that to some aluminum foil - crafty! That's since been removed. The input jack plate was also replaced, an all-too-common occurrence considering how often the originals cracked and broke. Part of the input jack lead was spliced back in at this time as well.

We'll let the photos do all the talking when it comes to the finish - nothing ages quite like an old Goldtop! If the Murphy Lab ever wanted more inspiration...

It's a total thrill to offer such an historically significant guitar like this, and even moreso when it just happens to be a truly great LP.