Introducing | CME Exclusive Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom Les Paul Special DOUBLE CUTS
The Newest CME Exclusive Guitars Reimagine a Transitional Moment In Gibson’s History, With Some of Our Favorite Finishes!
Since its introduction in 1955, the Les Paul Special has always carried a workhorse attitude, pushing out immediately identifiable warmth and fatness from two P-90 pickups. Designed to serve an intermediate market between the student-priced Les Paul Junior and the Les Paul Model (aka: the Goldtop), the Special has carved out its own mythos and fandom over its 70-year existence.
We’re proud to partner with Epiphone to bring you two new CME Exclusive Les Paul Specials: the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom series 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut Reissue in Oxblood and Olive Drab! With underwound P-90 Soapbar pickups made by Gibson USA, these are the perfect way to merge a particular moment in electric guitar history, with tonal and visual touches that complement that era! To be among the first players to capture these new CME Exclusives, call us today at (773)525-7773, chat with us on our website, or simply come into our Lincoln Avenue Showroom!
A Special Moment in History
In the late ‘50s, Gibson had a problem: the Les Paul was not selling well compared to Fender’s Stratocaster. The thinner, more heavily contoured design seemed to resonate better with the players of the burgeoning rock ‘n’ roll movement. In an effort to get with the times, the Les Paul would be reinvented in the body style that we now know as the SG, but to test the waters of a double-cutaway design, the Les Paul Special and Les Paul Junior were made with double-cutaway body styles from 1958 to 1960.
In 1960, the Les Paul Special hit its stride in this form: by moving the neck pickup slightly closer to the bridge and by slimming the neck profile, the Les Paul Special took on a unique tonal profile that was easier to play than ever. While the Les Paul Special was changed in 1961 (along with the other guitars in the Les Paul lineup) to the body style we now more commonly know as the SG, this particular model year still occupies a particular place in the hearts of players.
A Vintage-Voiced Tone Machine!
To put our own spin on the 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut formula, we’ve worked with Gibson USA to put special, slightly underwound pickups into each one of these CME Exclusive Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom guitars. By slightly underwinding each P-90 Soapbar pickup, these pickups supply a modified EQ response, with a slightly brighter top-end, and extreme clarity across every note!


These 1960 Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom Les Paul Specials represent more than a particular chapter in Gibson’s history: it represents a unique design that carries a mythos all its own! To be among the first people to capture our CME spin on this mythos, call us today at (773)525-7773, chat with us on our website, or come into our Lincoln Avenue Showroom to pre-order this very Special guitar!
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