Gibson 1954 Les Paul Electric Guitar

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Classic '54 tone with the wraparound tailpiece. In 1954 Gibson introduced the wraparound tailpiece on the Les Paul. It was a simple enough idea, but the effect was astounding. In earlier (and many later) designs the string vibration was stopped at the bridge, which had only downward pressure transferring the string vibration. Utilizing similar physics to the strings pulling on the soundboard of an acoustic guitar, the wraparound tailpiece doubles as a bridge and allows the freely vibrating strings to apply a lot of direct leverage sideways to the arched maple top. Combined with the total integrity of the set neck joint, this extra vibration produces far greater resonance, involving the wood much more intimately in the production of tone.

When you play this guitar acoustically, you can actually feel the resonance. Unplugged, it manifests as an unusually bright and loud tone, with a full middle. When run through the powerful '57 Classic PAF reissue humbuckers, the extra resonan...

Gibson 1954 Les Paul Electric Guitar