The Gibson R8 reproduces the famed 1958 Les Paul Standard model, the first in the line to include both a sunburst finish and the then-new PAF humbucker pickups. Launched in 1952, the Gibson Les Paul model put a carved Maple cap on a Mahogany slab, and paired that with a Mahogany neck with Rosewood fingerboard and a gold-top finish. The Les Paul custom soon followed, but without the Maple cap – the body was all Mahogany, including the carved top – and with an Ebony fingerboard and Black finish. For 1958, the Les Paul Standard appeared, using the same Maple and Mahogany construction but with a Sunburst finish.

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