The Black Beauty Recipe, Dialed For Real Players
The original Les Paul Custom was all about elegance and authority. This Custom Shop Les Paul Custom keeps that Black Beauty vibe but adds the kind of feel and response that modern working players actually want. Solid mahogany, a maple cap, ebony board and Custombuckers give you that singing sustain, rich midrange grind and piano-like attack that made these guitars legends in the first place.
Solid Mahogany Punch With Maple Top Clarity
The 1-piece solid mahogany body is your foundation. It gives you that thick, chewy midrange and long, even sustain that makes every note feel like it blooms out of the amp. The 2-piece plain maple top adds just the right amount of snap on the front of the note, so your chords stay defined and your leads cut without ever getting harsh.
The gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish lets the wood resonate instead of choking it under a thick plastic shell. Over time it will wear in, not out, getting even more lively the more you play it. Classic multi-ply binding and that Black Beauty aesthetic finish the look so it hits your eyes as hard as it hits your ears.
Ebony Fingerboard And Authentic ’59 Neck Feel
The solid ebony fingerboard is a huge part of the feel and tone on this guitar. Ebony gives you a fast, glassy surface under your fingers and a crisp, piano-like attack that pairs perfectly with the warm mahogany body. Big chords stay articulate and single notes have that clear top end that slices through a dense mix.
The authentic ’59 Medium C-Shape neck profile sits right in the sweet spot. It fills your hand enough to feel substantial, but it never fights you. The 12 inch radius and 22 medium-jumbo frets make bends feel buttery, vibrato feels controlled, and there are no weird shoulders or flat spots to get in your way during long sets.
Custombuckers: Real-Deal PAF Attitude
Both pickups are Custombucker Alnico III units, unpotted and built to vintage-correct specs. That means open, three-dimensional tone with plenty of harmonic content and a touch response that feels alive under your picking hand. Hit the strings hard and you get grit and growl. Back off your right hand or your volume knob and they clean up into glassy, articulate chime.
The neck pickup is warm and round without turning to mud, perfect for singing leads and syrupy jazz voicings. The bridge pickup has bite and cut for rock rhythms and solos, but the top end stays musical instead of ice-picky. The middle position gives you that sweet, slightly hollow sparkle that records like a dream.
Long Tenon Sustain And Vintage-Correct Details
The long tenon, hide glue neck joint is not marketing fluff. It is one of the big reasons this guitar feels so alive. More neck in the body means better transfer of vibration, which you hear as longer sustain and a more even response string to string. The authentic 1950s no-tube truss rod keeps the neck construction true to the old recipes that players chase.
Hardware is all spec’d for tone and feel: a no-wire ABR-1 bridge for direct coupling to the body, a lightweight aluminum stop bar that helps the guitar ring, and Kluson single line, single ring tuners that keep things stable without adding unnecessary weight to the headstock. Gold hardware, multi-ply black pickguard and black speed knobs finish the classic Custom look.
Stage-Ready, Studio-Ready, Lifetime-Ready
Scale length is the classic 24.75 inches, so the strings feel slinky under your fingers and big bends come easily. The nylon nut and 1.69 inch width keep tuning stable and the feel familiar if you are coming from other Gibsons. At 9 lbs 4 oz it has enough mass for serious sustain while still being manageable for real gig nights.
This Les Paul Custom ships with a Gibson Custom Shop hardshell case and certificate of authenticity. It is in brand new condition, fresh from the Custom Shop and dialed in by our techs with a full Player-Perfect setup. Serial CS301273 is sitting in our Evansville shop right now, ready to go from case to stage without any drama.
Questions about this guitar or how it will feel compared to your current number one? Call (888) 794-8482 and talk to Rob or Cory. Real players, real conversation, zero scripts.
