Gibson Review: Les Paul Custon Black Beauty

History:

Purchase: I bought it new from the Melody Shop in '76 for $750. Each of the 3 Melody Shops had one and I played them all. This one had a slight discoloration in the corner of the mother of pearl of the 12th fret inlay, but it was the best player of the three so I bought it anyway.

What I Like About This Gibson Les Paul Custon Black Beauty: This was the '76 re-issue of the Black Beauty after Frampton's '58 became the world's most famous guitar since Hendrix's strat. It's the best guitar I've ever owned! It's a rock! I've pounded the stage with this axe until the jack and back plates cracked and a sizeable section of the binding fell off. It still plays great! Though after a quarter century of punk rock, it could probably use a truss rod adjustment.

What I Do NOT Like About The Gibson Les Paul Custon Black Beauty: I didn't like the machine heads, and replaced them with good 14:1 ration Grover Rotomatics. Over the years the toggle sometimes pops up from the treble position. 3 pickup toggles can be hard to find.

Gibson Les Paul Custon Black Beauty Quality Rating: It's as solid as a rock! I have broken and pulled out the stems from the volume and tone pots, but it was for the rhythm pickup, and I hardly ever used that one anyway. It became my off switch.

Review Summary: Les Pauls have gotten expensive, but only because they're worth it.

Rating of this Gibson product: 5

This Gibson Les Paul Custon Black Beauty Electric Guitars Review Submitted By:

Review Date: 2002-09-19