Gibson Les Paul Supreme Translucent Amber, 2003

Introduced in 2003 and built at the Nashville Tennessee shop, the Gibson Les Paul Supreme is a high-end take on the classic design and features carved, highly figured Maple top and back.

The construction of the Gibson Les Paul Supreme differs from the standard Les Paul though it uses the same basic materials as the Les Paul Custom. The carved top and back set are bookmatched, highly flamed Maple, on either side of a chambered Mahogany core. The neck is Mahogany, and the bound fingerboard is Ebony, though at some points Richlite was used.

All of the hardware is of course gold plated, and that theme extends to the Jescar Evo Gold fretwire. The tuners are Grover Roto-Matics with metal Keystone buttons, paired with a standard ABR bridge and stop tailpiece. For inlays, the fingerboard gets diagonally-sectioned block Mother of Pearl position markers. The headstock inlays are a multi-material deluxe Mother of Pearl globe inlay and “Supreme” banner, Mother of Pearl Gibson logo. The truss rod cover is engraved gold plated brass. The electronics include a pair of 490R and 490T pickups with the standard Les Paul control layout.

The finish is Gibson’s standard nitrocellulose lacquer, here in a Translucent Amber tone and in very good, clean condition.

This first-year Les Paul Supreme dates to October 15, 2003 and was built at the Nashville plant. It is in overall very good condition with only minor wear. It plays quite well, and is visually striking.

While this model doesn’t seem to appear on the current Gibson site, there is an archive page for the Les Paul Supreme that’s worth the visit. Sites change frequently, though, so that link may at some point expire.

Sold with its original black Gibson USA-branded hard shell case by TKL.

More From The Builder On The Gibson Les Paul Supreme:

“More than just an incredible looker, however, the Les Paul Supreme is also a powerful tone machine. A pair of Gibson’s most popular humbucking pickups with genuine Alnico magnets yield a wide array of voices, from sultry to scorching, while traditional Gibson constructional details such as a 17-degree back-angled headstock, a PLEK-cut Corian nut, and rock-solid Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece pairing team up to provide unparalleled sustain and resonance.”