The History of Les Paul Electric Guitar

The Les Paul Standard was not the first Gibson Les Paul model of guitar. The first Les Pauls appeared on the market in 1952, had two single coil, P-90 pickups combined with a one-piece, trapeze bridge. Then, in 1954, Gibson released the second version of the Les Paul, the "Custom". This was an entirely black guitar with a mahogany top and the classic "Tune-o-Matic" bridge. A P-480 pickup was added in the neck position on the Custom Les Pauls.

Also in 1954, Gibson introduced the Les Paul Junior in order to expand their market and offer a less expensive guitar that students could afford. The Junior had simple controls, a single P-90 pickup and an unbound fingerboard.

By the time the first Les Paul Standards came to market in 1958, the line of guitars were already beginning to fall out of favor in the guitar community. The Fender Stratocaster had become extremely popular - its lighter weight and flashy choice of colors made the Les Paul seem out-of-date. Sales lagged, and in 1961 Gibson stopped production on the Les Paul, focusing their attention on theGibson "SG".

By the mid-1960s, a new generation of English guitarists had taken note of the Les Paul. Musicians like Eric Clapton andKeith Richards - both fans of American blues – noticed that many of their idols like Freddie King, Muddy Waters and Hubert Sumlin were playing Les Paul guitars. On the 1966 Blues Breakers album with John Mayall, Eric Clapton used a Les Paul Standard, and soon guitarists everywhere were clamoring to get their hands on the instrument. Due to this overwhelming demand, in the late 1960s Gibson re-introduced the Les Paul, and has been producing the guitar ever since.