Lil’ Junior – The Gibson Les Paul Junior
The Gibson Les Paul Junior came of age just as America was falling in love with television. You see, Gibson released this guitar in ’54 to be a cheap yet qualiity version of the higher end Les Pauls.
But, the thing became so popular with more famous musicians (who would be on TV) that Gibson actually made a finish for this guitar that would look good on black and white television! Thus the color “TV Yellow” was born.
You can pick up a new one for under $900, and all in all, it’s a pretty sweet price for a real Gibson Les Paul.
How’d they get the cost down? No frills. That means:
- No binding
- Only one pickup, volume knob, and tone knob
- Because of the above, no toggle switch & simpler electronics
- No figured maple top
- A satin finish
- No stop bar tailpeice, just a bridge that the strings wrap around
In ’58 the Junior was released with double cutaways, but this eventually became the SG Junior becaue it really did look more like a Gibson SG.
Green Day’s Billy Joe Armstrong talks about his signature Gibson Les Paul Junior:
Prime Players of the Gibson Les Paul Junior:
1. John Lennon
2. Bob Marley
3. Billy Joe Armstrong
My Own Gibson Les Paul Junior Review
Ok, no frills has it’s advantages. For one, it’s got a satin finish and you don’t get smudges all over the thing like you do on a high end guitar. That also means your sweaty arm won’t stick to the guitar, which is a plus Gus.
Turning the tone knob gives you a nice pallete to choose from, from mellow sounds to more twangy. Even though it’s just a single P-90 pickup doing the job, it’s more versatile than you might think.
There’s not a whole lot more to say about this guitar other than simplicity is beauty. It’s solid, simply guitar with great tone, what more do you need? John Lennon liked this thing for a reason though, it does everything a great guitar should and nothing else.
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