Gibson Les Paul Special
The Gibson Les Paul Special was released in 1955, and originally sported a pair of P-90 single coil pickups and a variation of the “TV Yellow” finish. It looks a little funky to the naked eye, but looked great on 1950s black and white television!
When it came out, the Special was a stripped down version of the original Les Paul. It was made to bridge the gap between the entry level Junior and the more expensive Les Paul.
No maple top, just a solid chunk of mahogany with the standard Gibson layout: 2 pickups, 2 tone knobs, and 2 volume knobs, although the toggle switch is down by the knobs, not uptop. No binding, no fancy stuff, just the goods.
In 1959 however, the Special was appointed with a double cutaway,and the TV Yellow color was passed on to the Les Paul Junior.
The new double cutaway caused some issues though: the cavity for the neck pickup overlapped with the neck-to-body joint, resulting in a weak connection that made the guitar susceptible breakage. This issue was solved when Gibson engineers realized the issue and put the pickup closer to the center of the body.
Production of the Gibson Les Paul Special halted in 1960 after just 5 years, but there are reissues available today in limited quantity.
You can find the original Specials on eBay for anywhere from $5,000 to $30,0000, or you can pick up a reissue.
The VOS (Vintage Original Spec) is a new guitar that failthfully recreates the 1960 Special. Made in Gibson’s Custom Shop, it sports a special nitrocellulose finish that gives it the look and feel of a vintage axe.
Certain reissues come with the P-100 pickups instead of the P-90s, and oftentimes players opt to replace these with the P-90s. The P-100s are
a bit “quieter.”
One modification I ALWAYS recommend? Get straplocks! Don’t even ask me again, just go get them now.
Gibson’s other brand Epiphone also makes a much cheaper (China made)version of the LP Special. Whether you want to go down that path is
purely a personal decision, but I always recommend getting the best guitar you can afford… you’re gonna have it a long time, God willing.
Playing the Gibson Les Paul Special
For a single coil pickup, the neck P-90 sure does have a warm, soulful sound.
The action is nice and low on this guitar too, which is a plus for faster runs but also makes it easier to play in general. It’s also got a slightly
slimmer neck than a typical LP or SG, and all this adds up to a nice & easy jamming experience.
The neck pickups are nice and warm, and the bridge pickups sharpen the sound like you would expect… reminds me of a Telecaster a little bit.
The Special is equally at home playing rock or country, and the P-90s make it refreshingly different from most other Les Pauls.
Bottom Line? Whether you get an original or a reissue, the Special is a guitar that you don’t see too many folks playing, and I like it for that. It’s a no-frills guitar that’s easy to play, what more can you ask for?
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