A 1968 Les Paul Standard GoldTop Conversion

This unique guitar started out as a 1968 Les Paul Standard GoldTop with two P-90 pickups. In 1993 it underwent a conversion and total re-finish at the Gibson Custom Shop. This was carried out by Master luthier Roger Giffin and the P-90 pickups, potentiometers, hardware and wiring harness were removed and replaced with two '57 Reissue PAF classic humbuckers, new CTS potentiometers and hardware. This unique Les Paul Standard weighs 10.20 lbs. and has a fat nut width of just over 1 11/16 inches and a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Single-bound one-piece mahogany body with carved maple top, one-piece mahogany neck with a medium profile, and bound rosewood fretboard with 22 medium frets and inlaid pearl crown position markers. 'Small' headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and "Les Paul Model" silkscreened in gold. Two layer (black on white) truss-rod cover. Serial number "9 2964" inked-on in black on the back of the headstock. Indivi dual Kluson Deluxe tuners with single-ring tulip-shaped Keystone plastic buttons. Two Gibson '57 Reissue PAF classic humbuckers with cream rings and outputs of 8.00k and 7.88k. Single-layer cream plastic pickguard. Four controls (two volume, two tone) plus three-way pickup selector switch on upper bass bout. The potentiometers are stamped "R137 9308" (CTS February 1993). Gold plastic bell-shape "Bell" knobs. Gibson ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic retainer bridge with metal saddles and separate stud tailpiece. This guitar is in absolutely mint (9.50) condition. Housed in a late eighties Gibson brown hardshell case with purple plush lining (9.00).

The first Les Paul Standard to be fitted with humbuckers was the GoldTop of 1957. In early '58 the GoldTop was replaced by the "Burst" which lasted until 1960. In 1961 the SG Shape replaced the old Standard and for eight years (until 1968) no Les Paul Standards were made (seems impossible to imagine!). In early 1968, due to the huge demand for the re-introduction of the Les Paul, the Standard GoldTop was the first guitar to appear. This first re-issue had the old-style single coil P-90 pickups and it was not until 1976 that the first re-issue Les Paul Standard with humbuckers appeared. The Les Paul Custom aka "Black Beauty" was also re-introduced in 1968 and this did have two humbuckers, but it was to be another eight years before the Les Paul Standard with humbuckers joined its stablemate. So in summary, what we have is one of the very first Les Paul Standard "P-90" re-issues with a one piece body and a one piece neck, which has been Gibson Custom Shop converted and fitted with two "Re-issue" '57 PAF Humbuckers and then re-finished in 1993.

Roger Giffin started building guitars in the late sixties at his workshop in London. His regular customers included Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend and John Entwhistle (The Who), Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), Andy Summers (The Police), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), and many more. In 1988 Roger moved to California and started building Gibson Custom instruments and fronting the Gibson West Coast repair shop. His client list at that time included names like Eddie Van Halen, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Jimmy Page and Malcolm Young among many others. He ran the Gibson Custom Shop up until December 1993, at which time the whole Gibson operation was moved to Nashville. Roger is now based in Portland, Oregon and continues to build fine guitars.