GIBSON LES PAUL JUNIOR, 1958

100% original guitar, the simplest and baddest of the Les Pauls. I was adding "the cheapest" but that was a long, long time ago. Introduced as "entry-level" Les Paul, the Junior offered to the young guitarist the classic Gibson quality at an affordable price, with a simple but solid construction and single-pickup circuitry.

The single-cutaway slab body is made of one piece of mahogany, and the flat top has a beautiful sunburst shading, which has lightly faded through the years (see the picture without the pickguard). 1958 is the last year of the single-cutaway version, the most sought-after by collectors and players alike. The neck, firmly glued to the body, is one-piece of mahogany and has a dark brazilian fretboard with dot inlays. It's fantastic, a thick but comfortable '58 neck. The headstock front has the silkscreened Gibson logo and model's name, and is equipped with the original Kluson Deluxe single-line tuners, with original oval plastic buttons.

The top has a thick black-plastic pickguard with only three screws, original and with no breaks, original volume and tone knobs and the single P-90 pickup with plastic dog-ear cover. This original pickup is powerful and aggressive, and gives the guitar its unmistakable r&r voice! The bridge is the wrap-around bridge/tailpiece combination, with the strings wrapped over the aluminum bar, which is bolt to the top, and factory-angled for intonation, but a  finer adjustment can be achieved via two hex screws on its sides. This simple but effective device adds sustain and character to the guitar's sound.
The back shows a nicely grained-mahogany and the pots cavity shows original pots and the "bumble-bee" capacitor made by Sprague.

This Junior has lots of beautiful checking, some body-edge wear and a few heavier marks on the back. However it is in overall excellent conditions, well-kept, very solid and all original, with an exceptional sound and a dream neck, and that special street-warrior look that adds so much to the Junior's appeal.  

Its only flaw is the brand new and perfectly fitting SKB hardshell case. Of course we were hoping to find its old "gator-case" but... that's ok anyway!