A Three-Quarter Size
'Double-Cut' Les Paul Junior

This super little guitar weighs just 7.00 lbs. and has a nice comfortable nut width of 1 9/16 inches and a three-quarter Gibson scale length of 22 3/4 inches. Solid mahogany body, one-piece mahogany neck with a huge '59 profile. Brazilian rosewood fretboard with 19 frets and inlaid pearl dot position markers. Headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and "Les Paul Special" silkscreened in gold. Closed-back "single-line" Kluson Deluxe strip tuners with white plastic oval buttons. The serial number "0 3492" inked-on in black on the back of the headstock. One very hot P-90 pickup with an output of 8.26k. Original black plastic pickup cover stamped on the underside "UC-450-1 / 1". Single-layer black plastic pickguard with seven screws (0.10 inch thick). Two controls (one volume, one tone) on lower treble bout. Black plastic bell-shaped "Bell" knobs. The pots are dated "134 5943 and "137 81X" (Centralab, October 1959 and CTS, ca. April 1958). Original combination "wrap-over" bar bridge/tailpiece. This guitar is in excellent plus (8.75) condition, with just a few small marks/scratches on the top and edges. The original jumbo frets and the fretboard show very little sign of wear. The body is a little faded but overall this super little 'Beastie' is an exceptional example of one of only 96 "three-quarter" Les Paul Juniors made in 1960 out of a total production run (up to 1961) of just 366 guitars. Housed in an early seventies (slightly larger) Gibson brown "alligator" softshell case with brown felt lining (8.75).

"By 1959 the 3/4 size Junior was also fitted with a double cutaway body, albeit in a less harmonious manner. The lower portion of the neck was sunk into the body resulting in a neck-to-body junction at the 15th fret whilst the bridge and pickup were moved towards the lower bout. This may explain the relative lack of popularity of the double cutaway 3/4 junior compared to its predecessor." (A.R. Duchossoir, Gibson Electrics -- The Classic Years, p.206).

"Ted McCarty explained the re-design as a reaction to player's requests. "They wanted to be able to thumb the sixth string," he said, "but they couldn't do it if the only cutaway was over on the treble side. So we made them with another cutaway, so they could get up there. We did things that the players wanted, as much as anything." The Junior's fresh look was enhanced with a new cherry red finish. (Tony Bacon, 50 Years of the Gibson Les Paul, pp. 33 & 36).

In spite of being "a flop" in the late fifties/early sixties this little beastie actually does nearly everything that its big brother can do. If you have small hands and you you are comfortable not playing beyond the 15th fret -- then this one will give you all the great resonance and gutty sound that you would expect from a '59…and all that at a fraction of the price!