One of the Last of the Alnico/P-90 Les Paul Customs
An Exceptionally Fine 1957 "Black Beauty" - Signed by Les Paul

This incredible guitar weighs just 9.20 lbs., which is the perfect weight for a fifties 'Custom'. Multi-bound solid mahogany body. One-piece mahogany neck with a nice, fat nut width of just under 1 11/16 inches, a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches, and a wonderful thick profile. Ebony fretboard with 22 original small frets and inlaid pearl block position markers. Headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and five-piece pearl split-diamond inlay. "Les Paul Custom" on truss-rod cover. Serial number inked-on in yellow on the back of the headstock. The body 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. Individual Kluson Super tuners with single-ring Keystone plastic buttons. One Alnico pickup in the neck position with a huge output of 8.47k and one P-90 pickup in the bridge position, also with a very strong output of 8.28k. Each pickup with a black plastic cover, the Alnico with "UC-452-F / 1" and the P-90 with "UC-452-B / 2" stamped on the underside. Five-layer (black over white) plastic pickguard secured to body with a single bracket and a top screw. Four controls (two volume, two tone) plus three-way selector switch. Black plastic bell-shaped "Bell" knobs. ABR-1 non-retainer Tune-O-Matic bridge with metal saddles and separate stud tailpiece. All hardware gold-plated. The potentiometers are stamped "134 701" (Centralab January 1957). This totally original "Black Beauty" is one of the very last of the Alnico/P-90 Customs and is in exceptionally fine (9.00)condition. There is some very minor belt-buckle scarring on the back, a few small surface marks / indentations on the top, and some small areas on the back of the neck (behind the first three frets only) where the black finish is worn away due to good honest playing wear. Nearly thirty years ago, the previous owner had Les Paul himself inscribe the back of the guitar in gold marker "To Clay / Keep Pickin' / Les Paul / 87". Housed in a later Gibson four-latch black hardshell case with purple-yellow plush lining (8.50).