All Nickel Parts Gibson Les Paul Custom

This uncommon "Third Version" Les Paul Custom with all nickel-plated hardware weighs 10.60 lbs. and has a nice, fat nut width of just over 1 11/16 inches, a medium neck profile, and a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Three-piece (sandwich) mahogany body with maple top, three-piece mahogany neck, and ebony fretboard with 22 small frets and inlaid pearl block position markers. The body of the guitar has seven-ply binding on the top and five-ply binding on the back, the headstock has five-ply binding, and the fretboard 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. Individual Kluson Super tuners with tulip-shaped metal buttons. Serial number "109759" and "Made in USA" stamped into the back of the headstock. Two original Gibson humbucker pickups with outputs of 7.36k and 7.54k. 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. The potentiometers are stamped: "137 7401" (CTS January 1974). Black plastic barrel-shape "Speed" control knobs. Gibson 'Nashville' Tune-O-Matic retainer bridge with metal saddles and separate stud tailpiece. All hardware nickel-plated. This great guitar is in excellent plus (8.75) condition. There is some belt buckle wear on the back of the guitar including an area approximately 4 x 2 1/2 inches where the paint has been worn away. However, the top, sides and neck are remarkably clean. Complete with the original 24 page Gibson 'hang-tag' booklet. Housed in the original four-latch Gibson black hardshell case with purple plush lining (9.00).

This is the first of the all nickel-plated Les Paul Custom's that we have seen. This guitar is actually the Custom "Third Version" (1968-Current): "Two humbuckers. Similar to 'Second Version', except that it has two humbuckers instead of three" (Tony Bacon, 50 Years of the Gibson Les Paul, p. 131).

"Gibson changed their neck construction around 1969, moving from traditional one-piece mahogany to a stronger three-piece laminate, and on to three-piece maple around 1974 for even greater strength. From about 1969 they added a so-called 'volute' to the back of the neck just below the point where it becomes the headstock -- a sort of triangular 'lump' that theoretically reinforces this notoriously weak spot. Another change made to minimize problems in the same area was introduced at this time, when Gibson slightly decreased the angle at which the headstock tipped back from the the neck. Such seemingly practical changes did nothing to enhance Gibson's reputations among traditionalists" (Tony Bacon and Paul Day, The Gibson Les Paul Book, p. 40).