Since the mid 1960’s, I was Les' guitar builder & repair
man, soundman/engineer, Producer & Emcee at all the shows at
Fat Tuesdays & both Iridium Clubs in NYC for over 26 years.
I was his trusted confidant, co-inventor, sounding board,
fixer, and close personal friend for almost five decades…
right up until the time of his passing. Les was my hero, my
mentor, my great friend…and our lives were inextricably
intertwined with all things guitar, music, sound,
electronics, performance, and experimentation. Les counted
on me to fix his guitars when he tore them apart in a mad
dash towards some sort of experiment. I helped him design
pickups, electronics, performance systems, his stage shows,
and consulted with him regarding his business with Gibson.
It is with great pleasure that I now offer this fantastic
one-of-a-kind collection. Just imagine all of this amazing
historical memorabilia all in one place, in a lovely glass
case or a wall hanging lighted shadowbox. There is nothing
out there like this collection, and this is a very special
and unique opportunity to own a piece of The Les Paul
Legacy.
LES PAUL’S 50th
ANNIVERSARY GIBSON CUSTOM SHOP LES PAUL WHITE CUSTOM -
COLLECTORS PACKAGE
In 2002 The Gibson Guitar Company presented Mr. Les Paul
with a very special 50th Anniversary present at the Iridium
Club in New York City. In 1952 Gibson and Les Paul started
their relationship and offered the world the very first
Gibson Les Paul Electric Guitar. As a very special “Thank
You” gift that commemorated 50 years of working together,
The Gibson Custom Shop made a very special and beautiful
2002 White Les Paul Custom just for Les to celebrate and
mark the occasion. There was a big ceremony, a presentation
on stage, a party, and a whole lot of “well-knowns” and
guitar luminaries filled The Iridium Club to commemorate the
auspicious event. Suffice it to say that Les was very moved,
and absolutely loved the new Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul
White Custom that was made just for him.
A little later on, Les did the now famous photo shoot with
Gene Martin… and those photos have become incredibly
notorious, acclaimed, renowned, and certainly very iconic.
He used this 2002 White Custom 50th Anniversary gift for all
of those photos (See the famous photos above). Probably the
most famous and notable being the one where Les is sticking
out his tongue… who hasn’t seen that picture, right?
Then,
as a further demonstration of how much Les Paul loved and
revered his new 50th Anniversary White Custom, he posed with
it for the cover of his one and only Autobiography
“Les Paul in His Own Words”. This guitar graced both
the cover and the last page as well. Just think of it, from
all the literally hundreds of guitars that Les Paul owned,
he chose this one… his Personal 2002 Gibson Custom Shop
Les Paul White Custom 50th Anniversary Guitar to use and
show the world what he and Gibson had done together. He was
very, very proud of this guitar and what he had done over
the span of his career… and this guitar represented
that pride and that accomplishment.
Unlike so many of
the other guitars that Les had lying around all over his
very large Mahwah, New Jersey Estate, Les actually used and
played this guitar quite often. Les had a “thing” for having
his frets slightly hang over the binding on the neck… with
no binding over the frets. So he had the Gibson Custom Shop
make a custom alteration after the fact for him, special.
Les would only bother doing this for guitars he would
actually use and play… all of the other guitars that he
didn’t play would remain “stock”. Check out all the picks
scratches on the pickguard, by the way.
This
guitar is part of an amazing Collection and Package that
includes:
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The 2002
50th Anniversary Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul White
Custom |
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The
Original guitar case marked up by Les with his notes |
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The
Original photo used for the Autobiography – Signed
by Les Paul |
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A Black
Custom Pickguard signed/autographed by Les Paul |
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Les
Paul’s very own “Author’s Proof” Copy of his
Autobiography featuring this guitar on the cover |
Suffice it to say
that there’s no other collection quite like this, or as
complete and comprehensive as this anywhere around today.
This Les Paul Collection represents the very best of Mr. Les
Paul, The Gibson Company, and what they did together for all
of those years. Mr. Les Paul and his Gibson Les Paul
electric guitar have certainly made an indelible
contribution to music, and to history all around the world,
into perpetuity. This very special collection commemorates
Mr. Les Paul’s life, and the impact of that contribution
like no other… and is probably the most unique,
extraordinary, and complete collection of its kind available
anywhere.
10% OF THE PROCEEDS OF THIS SALE WILL BE DONATED TO THE
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY IN LES PAUL AND TOM DOYLE’S NAME |