Les Paul’s 1958 Gibson Les Paul Custom Prototype Flat Top, The Black Tuxedo

Here we have the culmination of decades of experimentation and refinement of the solid body electric guitar. This guitar was meticulously designed and custom built by Gibson for none other than Les Paul. This guitar is known as one of the twin set of black flat top guitars that were built alongside two white flat tops to Les Paul's exacting specifications. Les needed guitars for recording, live performance, and experimentation that had the specific features that increased sustain, better fit his playing style, and were a platform for his custom wound pickups and and electronics. Les never left well-enough alone when it came to guitars and recording equipment. As a genius and pioneer of a multitude of recording and guitar breakthroughs, he continued to experiment on this guitar to refine pickups, electronics, neck shape, bridge materials, in his search for the best tone possible.

There are numerous unique factory elements in this instrument that Les needed:  .25" maple cap on a mahogany non carved "flat top" body, no binding on the neck, deep cavities for original pickup routes, an elongated headstock with longer taper design behind the nut, factory routed control cavity with access both front and rear, no side jack route, and a flat pickguard that covered more of the top. 

We have some incredible refinements that Les personally incorporated to better suit his needs: Low impedance alnico "Staple" pickups designed and wound by Les or Gene (his son) with double tall bobbins and unique 4 screw holes for tilt and height adjustment, reverse wound coils for each pickup mounted under the pickguard to reduce hum, hand shaped neck profile by Les and refinished on the back of the neck only, an added XLR out and volume control on the upper bout to attach a gooseneck microphone for stage performance,  large .25" bridge studs to improve energy transfer into the guitar top, hand carved by Les himself wood bridge, removal of the 22nd fret to position the neck pickup forward for improved note volume balance up the neck, re-fret with low, flat, frets hand shaped by Les using flat files and emery boards (definitely not work done by a luthier), hand shaped black pickguard added after moving the neck pickup forward as the original white one would have an unsightly gap behind the neck pickup. The back of this pickguard is signed by Les Paul.  All modifications are known to be performed by Les personally.

This guitar shows signs of extensive play wear, experimentation, and long term use. The body and cavities have original finish with minor touch ups in a couple of spots. The neck was re-shaped by Les and refinished in black acrylic paint. The guitar suffered a headstock break in the mid 1960's and was retired from use. The guitar was acquired in a trade by the current owner in approximately 1974. After many years of storage, the headstock break was repaired in approximately 1998. Les was known to reuse parts from out of service guitars, so the tuners, nut, pots, input jack, and Bigsby have all been replaced with period correct parts where available during the restoration process oveerseen by the current owner.