You might be curious about the materials used on the Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar. The solid mahogany body, Rosewood fretboard, Nitrocellulose lacquer finish, and Laminated maple neck are a few of the features of this classic guitar. If you are interested in purchasing one, read on to learn more. It is worth mentioning that this guitar is highly collectible. It may even become a legend one day.
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Materials Used on the Gibson Les Paul Standard Guitar
Solid mahogany body
The Gibson Les Paul Standard was the first solid mahogany guitar. Unlike many other Gibson guitars, the Les Paul Standard has no chambering, and its solid mahogany body is reassuringly heavy. The wood used for the body is solid mahogany, which is more durable than plywood. Gibson stopped making this guitar in 1977, but the solid mahogany construction is still quite popular today.
The Les Paul Standard has a solid mahogany body and is equipped with Burstbucker Pro pickups. It also features a rounded maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard. The Les Paul Standard is available in several finish options, from antique to vintage. However, if you’re looking for a classic Les Paul with some modern features, a Gibson Les Paul Studio is the way to go.
The Gibson Les Paul Standard is a great guitar for beginners. Its rounded C profile and contoured heel provide unrestricted access to all the frets. The solid mahogany body provides a warm, rich tone that will appeal to beginners as well as advanced players. A solid mahogany body is also great for playing blues and jazz. A Gibson Les Paul Custom has the same features as the standard model, but it has a sturdier and more durable body.
If you want a Les Paul Standard with a vintage look and feel, you should get a 1960s model. Its body was made of a thin layer of maple and two layers of Honduran mahogany. Gibson added a neck volute to improve the overall stability of the guitar. A 1970 Les Paul Deluxe has no dot over the “i” in Gibson. The back of the headstock has the “Made in USA” stamp.
Rosewood fretboard
A Gibson Les Paul with a rosewood fretboard sounds great! There are several reasons for this, including the sound quality, and the aesthetics. The rosewood fretboard is attractive, but it can also be very expensive. Many guitars with rosewood fretboards are expensive, but there are also several alternatives. You can get a guitar with a laminated rosewood fretboard for under $800, or go with a solid Brazilian rosewood fretboard.
Another reason to choose a rosewood fretboard is the color. Rosewood is a deep, rich brown, and contrasts beautifully with lighter body colors. Gibson uses only the highest quality rosewood for their Les Paul guitars, so you’ll be able to tell the difference instantly. You can choose a rosewood guitar with a light brown or chocolate color, or one with hints of orange or gold. Either way, you’ll be sure to find a guitar with this distinctive look.
A rosewood guitar’s tone is more mellow than a maple one. It’s a more balanced tone, but you might not notice it at first. The rosewood tone is usually described as warm, so if you’re using new strings, it may tone down the brightness. A rosewood guitar usually has a thinner rosewood fretboard than a maple one. This rosewood guitar sounds much better with a higher-quality instrument.
Nitrocellulose lacquer finish
Many guitar players may be unfamiliar with the nitrocellulose lacquer finish on Gibson Les Paul Standard guitars. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Gibson began using nitrocellulose lacquer to create their premium time-honored instruments. This process requires multiple layers of lacquer to achieve the look and feel that many players desire. The result is a guitar that has unmatched tone, sustain, and looks.
The main advantage of nitrocellulose is that it takes dyes and pigments easily, and dries to a mirror finish. This makes it a popular finish for instruments, as it protects without inhibiting resonance. Moreover, the nitro finish is easy to maintain, with drop-fill repairs and sanding between layers. It’s also more labor-intensive than other finishes because it contains hazardous chemicals and is highly flammable.
The history of nitrocellulose lacquer can be traced back to 1921 when Edmund Flaherty created the material. In this process, nitrocellulose is dissolved in a solvent, typically a mixture of naphtha, xylene, toluene, and acetone. Sometimes, plasticizing materials are added to the lacquer to increase its durability.
The nitrocellulose lacquer finish on the Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar is an excellent example of the high-quality material that makes it a classic instrument. This type of finish is also resistant to scratches, so it will last for decades. This is particularly important for vintage instruments. While most guitars are clear-coated, the nitrocellulose finish is often yellow. The same goes for nitrocellulose-coated Les Pauls, except smart woods.
Laminated maple neck
In 1952, the Gibson Les Paul was born with a one-piece mahogany neck. By contrast, the guitar’s more expensive counterparts had a laminated maple neck. While a historical corrective measure, the maple neck on the Les Paul standard sounds better than the mahogany one. However, not everyone is satisfied with this switch and may prefer a mahogany neck.
For several years, the Les Paul was made with a one-piece mahogany neck. However, as the demand for the instrument increased, Gibson decided to switch to three-piece maple necks. As these necks are more stable than laminates, they still offer good tone. Gibson also removed the volutes from all models except for the Citation, as a sort of artistic statement. In the end, the company listened to the feedback from players and changed its models.
Compared to a single-piece wood neck, a laminated maple neck is more stable and warp-resistant. A laminated neck is similar to a butcher’s block or one-piece tabletop: the fibers and grain of separate pieces run in opposite directions, reinforcing each other. It is also possible to make a neck of thin wood. The laminated neck on a Gibson Les Paul Standard is thinner than one made of one solid piece of wood.
Mahogany neck
The Mahogany neck on a Gibson Les Paul Standard is made from the same material as the top of the guitar. The difference is the grain of the maple wood is at a 90-degree angle to that of the mahogany. This is known as crossbanding. It was originally done to use thinner mahogany, but by 1977, this method was being phased out. The Gibson Les Paul Standard has a Mahogany neck, which makes it look and feel like a classic.
The neck on the Gibson Les Paul is made of Mahogany. The body is made of two layers of Honduran mahogany. The neck was made of a combination of mahogany and maple. In 1969, a neck volute was added to reinforce the neck. In 1970, the Gibson Deluxe models began incorporating the “Made in USA” stamp on the back of the headstock.
The Les Paul Standard necks varied from year to year. The 1958 model exhibited a thicker neck with narrower frets. In 1959 and 1960, the neck was thinner and the frets were higher. Gibson began using a new dye formulation in 1960 to make Les Pauls resistant to fading. However, this new color is orange and less translucent than the previous ones. This is why Gibson made the Les Paul Standard neck thinner in the early 1960s.
Maple neck
A maple neck on a Gibson Les Paul Standard is a classic choice, and there are plenty of reasons to love it. It’s one of the most durable guitars on the market, and it’s the best choice for musicians who are passionate about playing acoustic music. It’s also a great choice for beginners who want a guitar that’s different from other Gibsons. There are several great reasons to buy a maple-necked Les Paul – read on to find out more about this legendary instrument.
One obvious benefit is that a maple fretboard gives your guitar a more distinctive tone. The maple is also extremely durable, so you’ll need to replace the fretboard less frequently than you’d have to replace a rosewood or ebony neck. Additionally, maple is the most environmentally friendly rosewood of all Gibson guitars, so you can feel good about your purchase. But it’s not all about the wood.
Another reason to choose a maple neck on a Gibson Les Paul Standard is that it’s more comfortable. It also sounds better than any other guitar. Maple is also better at absorbing feedback, and you’ll be able to play it longer without fretting yourself. And it doesn’t cost as much, either. And if you’re into tone, maple will give you a rich tone that will keep you playing for years.
What Materials Was the Gibson Les Paul Made From?
The Les Paul is one of the world’s most iconic guitar models. It had a major impact on rock music’s sound and continues to be one of Gibson’s best-selling instruments today.
In 1952, Gibson introduced their classic Les Paul model with a single-cutaway solid mahogany body and carved maple top, as well as two P-90 single-coil pickups (humbuckers were not yet invented). These early models featured an incredibly thin neck profile due to crossbanding technology introduced in the 1950s.
These early models featured maple necks with an ebony fingerboard, as well as gold-finished bodies. Other features of these instruments included multi-ply binding, square inlays on the ebony fingerboard and a trapeze tailpiece with stop bar conversion — an innovation created by Ted McCarty.
Some of these guitars even featured a silk-screened “Les Paul Model” logo on the headstock.
Another unique aspect of these early Les Pauls was the presence of a volume and tone knob – an innovation for its day. This enabled Les Paul to control how much output came out of his guitar, something he needed to sound as good as possible.
One of the key features of these early guitars was dual microphones, an innovation from single-microphone Les Pauls. This allowed guitarists to independently control the volume and tone of each microphone as well as quickly switch between them.
These historic Les Pauls have been prized by collectors worldwide since their debut in 1950, with some fetching tens of thousands of dollars.
Today, you can find a wide range of reissues and custom shop models that faithfully recreate the look and feel of these original Les Paul guitars. While they all capture the spirit of those classic guitars, these modern versions boast modern electronics as well as other upgrades for today’s players.
Some of these reissues feature a chambered body, an advanced technology that makes guitar bodies thinner and lighter. These Les Pauls are some of the lightest you’ll ever see, making them perfect for anyone searching for an affordable classic Les Paul.
Recent reissues, such as the 2013 “Tribute” series, draw inspiration from these earlier records while also adding modern enhancements for an unparalleled Les Paul experience.
These newer re-issues are all produced at the same factory and offer a variety of finishes and pickups, making them some of the most accessible and versatile Gibson re-issues ever released. As a result, they’ve become highly sought-after on the used market; perfect if you want to get your hands on an old-school relic from Gibson’s archives at a great price!
What Wood Does Les Paul Use?
Les Paul guitars are constructed using mahogany and maple, along with Burstbucker pickups. The quality of the wood used in their instruments plays an integral role in producing their instruments’ clarity, sound, and depth.
Mahogany – Mahogany, the main body material for Les Paul guitars, is primarily harvested in Africa and Central America. It’s renowned for its warm, rich sound with well-balanced lows, strong highs, and appealing but unpronounced mids.
Maple – Gibson guitar neck material, Maple is a dense and hard wood that produces an articulate, focused tone. Additionally, Maple absorbs feedback while being comfortable playing.
Ash – Swamp ash is a common and desirable body material in classic 1950s Fenders, though ash from higher portions of trees can also be used. Swamp ash has a lighter and resonant sound with firm lows accompanied by pleasant highs, an easily scooped midrange, and good sustain.
Standard – Gibson introduced the Les Paul Standard in 1958, offering most of the specifications of Goldtop models but rebranded as a “standard” model and priced lower than Custom. With its cherry red sunburst finish and intended for older jazz musicians, this version had been designed with older audiences in mind.
Junior – Introduced in 1954 as a more budget-friendly alternative to the Standard and Custom models, the Junior was designed with beginning or student guitarists in mind. It featured one P-90 pickup, simple volume, and tone controls, as well as an unbound rosewood fingerboard featuring dot-shape position markers.
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