50 Years of the Gibson Les Paul: Half a Century of the Greatest Electric Guitars

In 1952 the Gibson Company faced a dilemma: compete with Fenders increasingly popular solid-body electric guitars or stick with the well-established acoustics and electric-acoustics. Les Paul a pioneer of new electric guitar sounds and recording techniques was Americas most famous guitarist at the time. His endorsement of Gibsons new solid-body model fueled its vast popularity. With two hundred color photos saluting legendary Les Pauls and their greatest players, this lavish volume illustrates how Gibson expanded the Les Paul line, creating the highly desired sunburst Standard, high-end Custom, control-laden Recording, hollow-bodied Signature, and many others. Including meticulous listings documenting every model produced since 1952, the book also spotlights the recently revised Historic Collection reissues, such as the 1952 Goldtop and 1954 Custom Black Beauty, and reveals the stories behind signature Les Pauls made for such key players as Peter Frampton and Jimmy Page.