Super cool 1959 Gibson Les Paul Junior that thanks to a few changes/mods makes for a superb player grade Golden-era Les Paul for Custom Shop money!
The always popular Les Paul Junior was introduced in 1954 as the simple, no frills, student model solid-body guitar of the Gibson range, it would remain in the catalog as the Les Paul Junior until 1963 when it was replaced by the SG Junior model. The design would evolve from the original single cutaway style of 1954 to the new symmetrical Double-Cutaway body design in 1958 through to to its final incarnation in 1961 the contoured, pointed double cutaway SG/Les Paul Design. despite these changes the Junior model would resoundingly feature a simply appointed solid Mahogany body and neck with rosewood fingerboard and a single P-90 pickup.
The original solid Honduras Mahogany body and neck are in good condition with no breaks or repairs however the neck has been re-profiled to more of a slimmer ’60 shape. The original lacquer has been removed giving the neck a smooth played in feel and the guitar body a lighter Mahogany appearance. Currently fitted with a set of Grover tuners, the neck has been refretted and features a new nut. The headstock face has a silkscreened Gibson logo, with some wide lacquer checking. The hardware comprises a mixture of original, period and some reproduction parts. As well as the replaced tuners the wrap-over bridge is a replacement. The pickguard is an original part as is one of the control knobs mirroring the pots beneath. Electronically we have a great sounding period P90 that looks to have previously been worked on and likely rewound. There is one new pot and one period Centralab dating to the 14th week of 1960. The P-90 measures at 8.02K and is a fine sounding example with top end presence, bite and a woody midrange. It has a powerful but balanced tone but isn’t as shouty as some '60s P-90’s can be. The neck measures 20.34mm and 22.23mm at the first and twelfth fret with a nut width of 43.22mm.
It’s no secret that we are big fans of Les Paul Juniors here at V’n’R and with each variant of the model having a sound and character of its own it’s easily justifiable to us to have one of each! This ’59 double cut has a loud, percussive acoustic ring and amplified this is one of the more focused sounding Juniors we have had the pleasure of playing. Weighing in at a very sprightly 6.9lbs the guitar comes with a 70’s Gibson Chainsaw Case.
The always popular Les Paul Junior was introduced in 1954 as the simple, no frills, student model solid-body guitar of the Gibson range, it would remain in the catalog as the Les Paul Junior until 1963 when it was replaced by the SG Junior model. The design would evolve from the original single cutaway style of 1954 to the new symmetrical Double-Cutaway body design in 1958 through to to its final incarnation in 1961 the contoured, pointed double cutaway SG/Les Paul Design. despite these changes the Junior model would resoundingly feature a simply appointed solid Mahogany body and neck with rosewood fingerboard and a single P-90 pickup.
The original solid Honduras Mahogany body and neck are in good condition with no breaks or repairs however the neck has been re-profiled to more of a slimmer ’60 shape. The original lacquer has been removed giving the neck a smooth played in feel and the guitar body a lighter Mahogany appearance. Currently fitted with a set of Grover tuners, the neck has been refretted and features a new nut. The headstock face has a silkscreened Gibson logo, with some wide lacquer checking. The hardware comprises a mixture of original, period and some reproduction parts. As well as the replaced tuners the wrap-over bridge is a replacement. The pickguard is an original part as is one of the control knobs mirroring the pots beneath. Electronically we have a great sounding period P90 that looks to have previously been worked on and likely rewound. There is one new pot and one period Centralab dating to the 14th week of 1960. The P-90 measures at 8.02K and is a fine sounding example with top end presence, bite and a woody midrange. It has a powerful but balanced tone but isn’t as shouty as some '60s P-90’s can be. The neck measures 20.34mm and 22.23mm at the first and twelfth fret with a nut width of 43.22mm.
It’s no secret that we are big fans of Les Paul Juniors here at V’n’R and with each variant of the model having a sound and character of its own it’s easily justifiable to us to have one of each! This ’59 double cut has a loud, percussive acoustic ring and amplified this is one of the more focused sounding Juniors we have had the pleasure of playing. Weighing in at a very sprightly 6.9lbs the guitar comes with a 70’s Gibson Chainsaw Case.