1954 Gibson Les Paul Model (goldtop)

This fine vintage 1954 Gibson Les Paul Model electric guitar is a fine example of the model. It was a joy to play before it sold. I'm always looking for vintage Gibson Les Pauls so please contact me here to sell a vintage Gibson Les Paul guitar.

If you're looking for help with how old is my Gibson Les Paul guitar? Check out my post on How To Date A Vintage Gibson Les Paul guitar.

Gibson's Les Paul Model debuted in 1952 with a revolutionary design inspired by the rich history of the brand: a solid body electric guitar with single cutaway, set neck, carved Maple cap over solid Mahogany body, two P-90 pickups, and visually stunning gold top finish. The fine craftsmanship of the carved Maple top and set neck was a rebuttal to Leo Fender's Broadcaster model (later renamed the Telecaster) introduced in 1950, which Gibson executives like company president Ted McCarty considered crude and unrefined. The attractive gold finish, commonly known as the "Goldtop" lasted until the introduction of the Sunburst finish in 1958. The goldtop Gibson Les Paul Model enjoyed stage time with popular artists of the 1950s including Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Freddy King, Muddy Waters, and countless others.

Make and Model: Gibson Les Paul Model (also known as the Regular in era Gibson advertisements, later known as the Standard, and currently referred to as the Goldtop)

Year: 1954. Serial number "4_17xx", potentiometer codes indicating the 20th week of 1953.

Specifications: Single cutaway Les Paul body style, Honduran Mahogany body with Maple cap, wrap tail style bridge, two P-90 pickups, original multicolor swirl pickup covers, 24 3/4" scale length, 1 11/16" nut width, .91" neck depth at the first fret, 1.00" neck depth at the 12th fret, 8lbs 14oz total weight.

Originality: All parts original except the pickup selector switch tip and the strings. I've installed a real amber Catalin switch tip from Historic Makeovers. I soldered back in the Grey Tiger capacitor on the neck pickup circuit since it was disconnected from the circuit and left in place. I believe it was disconnected because the tone potentiometer was very sluggish and semi frozen in a low setting. It's now in excellent working condition after cleaning. The original jack plate is cracked but I'm including a reproduction jack plate from Historic Makeovers. 

Condition: Very good with no breaks or repairs! The all original goldtop finish shows checking throughout and oxidation in the forearm area. It's instantly recognizable as an original goldtop finish. 

Playability: Excellent! It’s a dream to play. All electronics have been cleaned and work as intended. The neck is straight and the frets are in proper playing condition. It's currently set up with .005" neck relief and 4.5/64" height at the bass side 12th fret and 4/64"s on the neck side.

Notes: Just in from the grandson of the original owner is this killer 1954 Gibson Les Paul Model! Uncirculated goldtop Les Pauls, like all 1950s vintage Gibson guitars, have become rather difficult to source. I was thrilled to be contacted to appraise and evaluate this example in September of 2019 and then equally pleased to be the last person standing to purchase it the following January of 2020. I was excited to find that it did not disappoint when I arrived in San Diego, California to purchase it. I'm confident you'll love the tone, playability, and feel of this uncirculated 1954 Gibson Les Paul Model!

You can watch the video of the entire Guitar Safari to buy this 1954 Gibson Les Paul Model goldtop in San Diego, California here. This is how the guitar looked right off the pick with its 50+ year old flat wound strings: