One of the First Les Paul Special Reissues

This 12 3/4-inch-wide electric solid body weighs 9.10 lbs. and has a nice, fat nut width of slightly over 1 11/16 inches and a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Solid mahogany body, three-piece mahogany neck, and bound rosewood fretboard with 22 frets and inlaid pearloid dot position markers. Headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and "Les Paul Model" silk-screened in gold. Individual Gibson Deluxe tuners with single-ring Keystone plastic buttons. Two black P-90 pickups with outputs of 8.20k and 7.90k. Five-layer (black/white/black/white/black) plastic pickguard. Four controls (two volume, two tone) on lower treble bout plus three-way selector switch on upper bass bout. Black plastic barrel-shaped "Speed" knobs. Combination "wrap-over" bar bridge/tailpiece. The pots are dated: "137 7437." The underside of the pickguard has a previous owner's name ("Robert/C. May") written (not visible unless pickguard is removed). There is a small amount of belt buckle wear and a few small surface chips to the edges. This guitar is remarkably fresh and clean and is in excellent plus (8.75) condition. There is a minor professionally repaired split in the left-hand seam on the back of the headstock which does not go all the way through and therefore does not affect the black lacquer on the headstock face (otherwise we would have given this guitar a 9.00). Housed in the original Gibson black hardshell case with maroon plush lining (9.00). Although the Gibson records show that 1925 guitars were produced in 1974, only the very first examples, a relatively small number, had the original features of a wrap-over bar bridge/tailpiece and plastic tuner buttons (most had a Tune-O-Matic bridge and metal tuner buttons).

The Les Paul "Special 55" was based on the original Special "Single-Cut" and produced in 1974 and then from 1977 to 1980. "[The] earliest examples [produced only in 1974] with wrap-over bar bridge/tailpiece; [the] majority have six-saddle bridge plus separate bar tailpiece. Sunbursts or colours. Earlier examples have plastic tuner buttons. Available production totals for 'Special 55' models made at Kalamazoo: 1974/1925; 1976/2; 1977/331; 1978/293; 1979/224. Figures not available for 1980, nor for any Nashville production" (Tony Bacon, 50 Years of the Gibson Les Paul, p. 141).