I always wanted a single cut Les Paul Special after seeing footage of Bob Marley playing his well worn Special. The Specials always looked cool to me as I liked the simple slab body (no contour) design which reminded me of my beloved Telecaster and I thought the pickguard was rather unique. Les Paul Specials have mostly been overlooked in the vintage market and it was not until the late 90’s that Gibson reintroduced the Les Paul Special. This guitar is one of the early ones issued by Gibson, not to be confused with the later cheaper versions that were offered.

Differences between the lower and high end Les Paul Special reissues include; a) neck binding, the lower end models do NOT have neck binding, b) tuners, Grover tuners were used on the higher end reissues and c) “Gibson” logo on the headstock. The cheaper version used a decal “Gibson” logo in contrast to a MOP logo on the higher end version. Because these differences are small and mostly cosmetic, the higher priced reissues did not hold their value and have depreciated considerably after the introduction of the cheaper model.

The two-pickup Les Paul Special was introduced in 1955 as an intermediate model, positioned between the low-cost Les Paul Junior and the Les Paul Model. Originally available only in a single cutaway, TV-style limed mahogany finish, the Special was changed in 1959 to a double cutaway model and a cherry red finish was added. The reissues do offer two major improvements over the original design; today’s Les Paul Special retains the vintage look of soapbarpickups but produces modern humbucking power from its dual P-100s and the original stud tail piece is replaced with a tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece.

The only changes I made to this guitar were to replace the knobs for a set that my friend had taken off a REAL 1960’s Les Paul, replace the toggle switch tip and add strap lock buttons. The slim taper neck, mahogany body and nickel hardware allow this reissue to stand proud next to the original. The only regret I have regarding this guitar is the color. In hindsight, I wished I had waited and purchased the same guitar but in the cool TV-yellow finish. But I am impatient and it gave me a great excuse to buy my double cut Les Paul Special, which you guessed it, has the TV yellow finish!