Introduced in 1954 and intended as a companion to the then-new Les Paul solidbody, the Gibson J-160E was one of the first mass production electrified steel string guitars. This model was discontinued in 1979, and is occasionally re-issued. One of the greatest contributors to the success of this model was a 1962 model’s appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, in the hands of one John Lennon. That was The Beatles first US performance, and made all their gear quite popular.
P-90
Introduced in 1955 as an intermediate model, the two-pickup, single cutaway Gibson Les Paul Special’s main difference from the GoldTop Les Paul was the lack of a carved Maple top. This model followed the entry level, single P-90 pickup Les Paul Junior that appeared in 1954. Both models used ‘slab’ Mahogany bodies, Mahogany necks and Rosewood fingerboards – at the time, Brazilian Rosewood.
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MORE →The National ResoLectric Jr. was produced for only a short time starting in 2001, and in two major versions.
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MORE →The Gibson Les Paul Junior was introduced in 1954 as a single cutaway slab bodied design, essentially a Les Paul without the carved Maple (or Mahogany, in the case of the Custom) cap. Intended as an entry level model, it carried a single P-90 pickup and very little decoration.
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MORE →The Gibson Les Paul TV Special was introduced in 1955 as a midway point between the also newly introduced Les Paul Junior and the Les Paul itself. Like the Junior, the Special used Honduran Mahogany for the body – no carved Maple cap like the Les Paul – and the neck, and Rosewood for the fingerboard. The Special, however, had two P-90 pickups and a bound fingerboard; at the time, ‘Rosewood’ meant Brazilian Rosewood.
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MORE →The Gibson 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut Reissue is a great take on a classic, straight ahead solidbody that delivers plenty of tone via a pair of P-90 pickups. Often referred to as the ‘Les Paul DC’, the Les Paul Special first appeared in 1955 along with the Les Paul Junior, both as lower cost alternatives to the carved-top Les Paul model. Aside from lacking the carved Maple cap and simpler hardware, the Special and Junior construction was similar to the carved-top Les Paul.
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