The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar that was first sold by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952. The Les Paul was designed by guitarist/inventor Les Paul with the assistance of Ted McCarty and his team. The Les Paul was originally offered with a gold finish and two P-90 pickups. In 1957, humbucking pickups were added, along with sunburst finishes in 1958. The sunburst 1958–1960 Les Paul – today one of the best-known electric guitar types in the world – was considered a failure, with low production and sales. For 1961, the Les Paul was redesigned into what is now known as the Gibson SG. This design continued until 1968, when the traditional single cutaway, carved top bodystyle was reintroduced. The Les Paul has been continually produced in countless versions and editions since. Along with Fender’s Telecaster and Stratocaster, the Les Paul is one of the first mass-produced electric solid-body guitars.
I'm Joost Nusselder, the founder of Neaera and a content marketer, dad, and love trying out new equipment with guitar at the heart of my passion, and together with my team, I've been creating in-depth blog articles since 2020 to help loyal readers with recording and guitar tips.