Gibson Les Paul Special (1958)

An untouched single-owner TV Special with quintessential late 50s features that have made it an instant favorite atop a long list of incredible vintage electrics to come through our shop.

This 1958 Gibson Les Paul Special just came in from the original owner, and is the encyclopedic definition of a closet queen. Said owner received it at age 13 from his parents, who bought it new in New York City. It was played "for about a year" before being case up in favor of sports through his teenage years. The itch for guitar playing never really resurfaced, and this LP remained cased up with very limited play time ever since. It's a truly remarkable specimen of what has become one of the most sought-after vintage Gibson electrics out there! This guitar was nearly 100% factory original up until a number of years ago, meaning the original flatwound strings were still on the guitar into the 2010s. Since then, it's had a restring or two, but that remains the only "part" that has ever been changed out on this guitar. It never saw a repair shop for a fine tuning or adjustment, either.

From the perfectly ambered TV finish to the starkly contrasting black plastics, this Special has an immediately identifiable look only partially shared by its younger brother, the Les Paul Junior TV Model. The original small fretwire barely shows any play wear, lending to a super comfortable playing experience along with what is such an amazing neck carve! The carve is really special - a large Soft V with a relatively slim taper that maintains the V all the way up the neck. There's just a hint of C right around the 12th fret, but hardly. It's one of those necks you'd want to have Gibson study and replicate for future use!

The original P90s are not only almost identically wound (7.92k and 7.94k, respectively), but are about as balanced sounding as you'll ever find an original set. This is thanks to an excellent neck set, maintaining near-perfect geometry that allows the pickups to maintain great factory height without manipulation or the addition of shims. Their sweet and shimmery tone into a clean amp is just as exciting as how they sound into an amp being pushed or with an overdrive out front. They're clear, punchy, and offer plenty of output without coming off too hot or aggressive - the perfect P90 tone, really.

If we could clone the perfect P90 Les Paul, I don't know if there's another one we'd choose ahead of this TV Special. The name absolutely precedes the guitar.

Accompanied by its original alligator chipboard case.