This vintage 1956 Gibson Les Paul Special electric guitar with original case is a fabulous example that came from the widow of its original owner. I'm always a Gibson guitar buyer but I'm especially looking for 1950s Gibson Les Paul guitars. You can contact me here to sell a vintage Gibson Les Paul guitar.

It is very well preserved and has its original brown alligator chipboard case and string receipts from the original owner from 1959 through 1962. She never saw him play it throughout their marriage which began in the late 1960s. She was very kind to provide copies of two photographs of him with his guitar. One of the photographs shows his mom presenting a birthday cake so I think it's likely this guitar was his birthday present in the late 1950s.

Make and Model: Gibson Les Paul Special

Year: 1956. Ink stamped serial number 6xxxxx. For more help on Gibson guitar dating, check out How To Date A Vintage Gibson Les Paul guitar.

Specifications: 7lbs 6oz. Neck depth at the first fret = .90", depth at the 12th fret = .98".

Originality: All parts original except the bridge post bushings. Gibson's bridge post bushings from 1953-1956 were only 3/4" long even though the holes were factory drilled 1" deep. I replaced the original short bushings with proper 1" bushings with no drilling required. This corrected the post lean so the saddle position is correct for proper intonation.

Condition: Excellent! The guitar shows like checking a few bumps here and there. The original case is in poor condition. The tuner buttons have degraded significantly and will likely need to be replaced. There is a hairline crack in line with the wood grain between the treble side bridge post and bridge pickup cavity. It's common to find on guitars with post lean and isn't an issue with the new bushings.

Playability: Excellent! The frets are full height, the nut has never been cut down, and the strings terminate off of the bridge/saddle at the right place. It's a joy to play.