The First Gibson Anniversary Model

This Les Paul Custom Twentieth Anniversary model weighs 10.30 lbs. and has a fat nut width of 1 11/16 inches and a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Three-piece mahogany/maple/mahogany "pancake" body, three-piece mahogany/maple/mahogany neck with a medium profile and with a volute at the top of the neck, and ebony fretboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and inlaid pearl block position markers (with "Twentieth Anniversary" inlaid at the fifteenth fret). The top of the guitar has seven-ply binding, the back of the guitar has five-ply binding, the headstock has five-ply binding, and the neck is single-bound. Headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and pearl five-piece split-diamond inlay. Two-layer (black on white) plastic truss-rod cover with "Les Paul Custom" engraved in white. Serial number ("399799") impressed into the back of the headstock, with a "2" centered above it and "Made in U.S.A." below it. Individual "Gibson" Grover Roto-Matic tuners with bell-shaped metal buttons. Two Gibson humbucker pickups with outputs of 7.23k and 7.38k. The potentiometers are stamped "137 7437" (CTS September 1974). Five-layer (black/white/black/white/black) plastic pickguard. Four controls (two volume, two tone) on lower treble bout plus three-way pickup selector switch on upper bass bout. Black plastic ribbed-sided conical-shaped "Witch Hat" knobs with white markings and metal tops. ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic retainer bridge with metal saddles and separate stud tailpiece. All hardware gold-plated. This guitar is in near mint (9.25) condition, with only the absolute bare minimum of belt buckle rash on the back of the guitar and a couple of tiny marks on the sides of the guitar. There is some very minor tarnishing of the gold-plated hardware on the pickup covers. The "2" stamp on the back of the headstock designates a "second," which at the time of production had some small or very minor cosmetic flaw. We cannot see what that flaw was. Housed in the original Gibson black hardshell case with light brown plush lining (9.00)

"It occurred to Gibson in 1974 that it was 20 years since the first Les Paul Custom had appeared, so they celebrated by issuing a Custom with a Twentieth Anniversary inlay at the 15th fret, in place of the normal blank position marker. This was the first Gibson anniversary model. The only precursors in the electric guitar marker were Gretsch's four Anniversary models of 1958, issued to celebrate that company's foundation 75 years earlier. The 20th Anniversary Les Paul Custom established a marketing trend, and a number of special anniversary-edition Les Paul models have appeared since" (Tony Bacon, 50 Years of the Gibson Les Paul, p. 68).

"According to Tony Bacon's book, it occurred to Gibson in 1974 that it was 20 years since the first Les Paul Custom had appeared (who knows why it didn't occur to them to celebrate 20 years for the Les Paul Model in 1972?), so they celebrated by issuing a Custom with a Twentieth Anniversary inlay at the 15th fret, in place of the normal blank position marker. This was Gibson's first anniversary model, and it proved to be very successful. It is clear that this guitar established a marketing trend for other anniversary models to follow. The 20th anniversary Les Paul Custom is typical of an early 70's Norlin model. It has a pancake (3 piece) body, gold hardware, volute, witch hat knobs, ABR-1 bridge, ebony fretboard, 3-piece mahogany neck, thin binding in the cutaway, 6 digit serial number, and 'Made in USA' stamp on the back of the headstock. The 20th anniversary pictured is cherry sunburst and weighs 9 lbs., 14 oz. The 20th anniversary models were made in Kalamazoo. There are varying accounts of how many 20th anniversary model Les Paul Customs were manufactured. According to Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars, all Les Paul Customs in 1974 have Twentieth Anniversary engraved in block letters on the 15th fret inlay, but then the guide goes on to say black or white finish. Gibson shipping totals show 60 Twentieth Anniversary models produced in ebony or white in 1975, but make no reference to this model specifically in 1974, a year in which over 7,500 Les Paul Customs were manufactured. In fact, 20th anniversary model Customs have also been seen in cherry sunburst (see photo) and wine red, albeit in limited numbers. But, according to shipping records, there were also 572 Les Paul Customs made in 1974 in tobacco sunburst, and some of these has been spotted with the 20th anniversary inlay. Based on the number of 20th anniversary models documented by guitar collectors, it would seem that a very large number, perhaps the majority, of Les Paul Customs manufactured in 1974 (at least several thousand) had the 20th anniversary engraving on the 15th fret inlay" (Mike Slubowski, "Gibson's 'Birthday Babies':
The Anniversary Model Les Pauls," at http://www.lespaulforum.com/finalframes/frameset.htm).