coupled with a mahogany back to lighten the weight. Les also specified the famous
“goldtop” finish.
The Les Paul Model debuted in 1952. The bridge and tailpiece were upgraded when
Gibson introduced the patented tune-o-matic bridge in 1954, and the original single-
coil pickups were upgraded with the introduction of Gibson’s patented humbuckers in
1957. Otherwise, the original Les Paul is essentially the same guitar today as it was
when it was intro d u c e d .
In 1954 the growing popularity of the Les Paul Model prompted Gibson to expand the
line. On the high end, the Les Paul Custom sported an ebony finish and low frets for
fast action, and it immediately gained two nicknames: the Black Beauty and the
F retless Wo n d e r. On the more aff o r dable end, the Les Paul Jr. featured a flat “slab”
top and a single pickup, and it became the best-selling Les Paul of the 1950s.
One year after the Les Paul Jr., Gibson off e red a two-pickup version of the slab-body
model called the Les Paul Special. The Special was further distinguished by its yellow
stained “TV” finish.
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