Gibson Les Paul Gold Top 1957 - RECENTLY SOLD

Ahhh...the ‘57 Goldtop.  After five years, this is the first production Gibson Les Paul Standard to feature the humbucking pickup and the Tune-o-matic bridge, both of which have been staples on electric guitars for more than 50 years.  In another year, the Standard would get its cherry sunburst top and be on its way to ‘Burst legend.  All of which makes this an important guitar in the history of the Les Paul and Gibson.  But this one is also a fantastic player that’s still a comfortable, usable instrument (if you’re into that particular daredevilism). 

It’s also extremely rare.  According to the book "Gibson Shipment Totals", there were 598 Les Paul Goldtops shipped from Kalamazoo in 1957, some with Bigsby vibratos.  Of course, this means there were less than 598 with the coveted Tune-o-matic bridge.  Add to it the number of '57s that met untimely deaths in fires or onstage antics, and we have one very rare guitar on our hands that's also great to play.  Beyond that, there’s not much else to say—this is a breathtaking piece of Gibson and rock n’ roll history.

Summary

Body: Carved maple top with gold finish, single-bound. Dark-stain mahogany body and neck.  

Neck:  Round and fat, with clean rosewood fingerboard.  No neck wear to speak of.

Pickups: Very clean-sounding, detailed PAFs (perhaps underwound?), attached with original solder joints.  

Setup/Playability: The narrow original frets are still high enough to dig into, and the guitar is very smooth up and down the neck.

Cosmetic Condition:  Very clean, with only occasional scratches on the top, back, and neck.  The gold finish shows just the slightest hint of checking here and there.

Modifications:  Replaced tuner button by our technician.

Weight: 9 lbs 14 oz

Case: Original hardshell case.