Les Paul Custom: Black Beauty or Fretless Fiasco?
By Mike Slubowski


The Les Paul Custom is arguably one of the more controversial guitars in the Les Paul lineup, in that players and collectors always seem to have divided opinions about the desirability of this model. This article is an abbreviated summary of facts and observations about the Les Paul Custom from various books and documents regarding the model, as well as the author’s observations as an owner of two vintage Customs.
  
 


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The Les Paul Custom debuted in 1954 (some references say late 1953) in an attempt to broaden the solid body product line after the initial success of the Les Paul Model gold top. Les Paul claimed that he suggested black as the color for the guitar because it looked classy and went well with a black Tuxedo on stage.

 
    The first price list of September 1, 1954 called it the “Les Paul Deluxe,” at a list price of $325, a full $100 more than the Les Paul (goldtop) Model. The term “Custom” soon replaced “Deluxe,” as noted on the truss rod cover.



The Les Paul Custom differed greatly from the Les Paul Model in several ways. It had a solid Honduras mahogany body, which gave it a mellower tone than the maple capped Les Paul Model. It came with a dark ebony fret board with rectangular pearloid inlays, a wider, bound headstock with the Super 400’s style split diamond inlay, gold plated hardware, seven-ply top binding on top of body, five-ply binding on back of body and around the headstock, and three ply pickguard. The Custom was the first Les Paul model to receive the Tune-o-Matic bridge. It was equipped with very low, flat frets for fast playing action. The Gibson catalog said that “players rave about its extremely low smooth frets and playing action, calling it the ‘Fretless Wonder.’” Tuners were specified as “gold plated Sealfast individual machine heads with deluxe (tulip style) buttons.” It was introduced with speed knobs, which changed over to the top hat style in approximately 1956. The serial number was inked in white on the back of the headstock.
  
 
  The Custom was issued with the unique Alnico V pickup in the neck position that was designed by Seth Lover during 1952/53 and installed in Super 400s and L-5s. It was designed by Seth to be louder than the P-90 in the bridge position. Lover said that he designed the pole pieces in the alnico pickup to be rectangular so that it looked different from other pickups and would also allow the placement of screws in between the pole pieces for height adjustment. Many players would inadvertently adjust the pole pieces too close to the strings, thereby negatively affecting the tone.
   
  The first version of the Les Paul Custom lasted until mid 1957, when the second version of model was converted to three humbucking patent-applied-for (PAF) pickups. The middle position on the pickup selector switch is for the bridge and middle pickups, which are wired out of phase. There were a few two pickup PAF models made, but there are no records available as to how many two pickups versions were produced. A March, 1958 price list puts the Custom at $375, at the same time that the Les Paul Model was $247.50. The humbucker-equipped Les Paul Custom was available until 1960 according to shipping records, although there are a few examples with early 1961 serial numbers. Gold plated Grover tuners were introduced in late 1958.
   
   
For both versions of the Custom, the standard case, made by Lifton, was a black pebble style covering with gold interior lining.
    

There were 1,912 Les Paul Customs shipped from 1954 through 1960, in contrast with 9,557 Les Paul Model/Les Paul Standards shipped from 1952-1960.

A few observations are provided by the author on his “first version” Alnico/P-90 1957 Custom and “second version” PAF equipped 1958 Custom.

The 1957 Alnico/P-90 Custom is relatively light, at 8-1/2 pounds, and is a very resonant guitar and delightful to play. While it has original fretless wonder frets, string bending is possible and the guitar feels good. The Alnico pickup in the neck, at 8.17 ohms, is very full sounding and articulate yet throaty sounding, depending on the playing style and volume adjustment. The P-90 bridge pickup is 8.08 ohms.

The 1958 PAF Custom is also relatively light, at 9-1/2 pounds, especially when one considers that it has an additional pickup and Grovers. The neck pickup is 8.14 ohms and bridge is 7.98 ohms. Three pickups Customs can be challenging to play due to picking with the middle pickup in the way. Lowering the height adjustment of the middle pickup of this guitar can help, but it adversely affects the tone of the middle selector switch position, which already has less volume due to the out-of-phase wiring of the middle and bridge pickups. The tone capacitors used in this guitar are original Sprague “phonebook” caps. The guitar sounds great in the neck position and good in the bridge position. The middle position is an “acquired taste.”
   
  The Les Paul Custom has historically not been as desirable a model among players/collectors in the vintage marketplace as the Les Paul Model (P-90 Goldtop versions) and Les Paul Standard, presumably due to many subjective and objective factors, including the challenge with the “fretless wonder” frets for string bending, less interest in three-pickup guitars, not as much use of the model among major “guitar heroes,” perception that it is more of a jazz guitar, etc. Thus, pricing has been lower than that of comparable Les Paul Goldtops and Standards. Rise in pricing on Customs has tended to shadow the rise in prices for Les Paul Goldtops and Standards, although the values on Customs seem to be more volatile after the 2003-2006 period of rapid vintage guitar price rise and subsequent 2007-2008 market adjustment that has occurred.
   

The Les Paul Custom has a unique place in the history and lineage of Gibson solid body guitars, with a large contingent of die-hard loyalists. Both versions of the Custom have a unique look, unique tone with their all-mahogany bodies, and unique electronics and voicing with the Alnico V pickup in the first version and the three humbuckers in the second version. There has been enough interest in and love for Les Paul Customs to warrant multiple versions of the guitar to be introduced after 1960/61, including the reintroduction of the Les Paul in 1968 and well beyond to the present day.

 

   
  

NOTE: As a member of the Les Paul Forum, I am always interested in learning new things about the details and history of Gibson Guitars. Thus, I appreciate any additional information or questions that readers may have about the history of the Les Paul Custom or any other Gibson model. Please contact me at MikeSlub@aol.com.

Credit is given for references from “50 Years of the Gibson Les Paul” Book by Tony Bacon, “Gibson Electrics” and “Gibson Electrics: The Classic Years” by A.R. Duchossoir, “Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars” by George Gruhn and Walter Carter, and “Gibson Shipment Totals” by Larry Meiners.

Mike Slubowski is a Gibson enthusiast, collector, player, and author, with a special passion for Les Pauls.

This article and photos are property of Mike Slubowski. No part of this article may be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the author.