1973 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Gold top, Very Good, Original Hard, $3,750.00

This ’73 Les Paul Deluxe features the highly sought after Gibson “Gold Top” finish with a bound neck and body and the distinctive Gibson Mini-Humbucker pickups. In 1968 Gibson stopped making the Les Paul Standard and instead began manufacturing the Deluxe, with the only major change being the switch from full-sized humbuckers to the minis. They kept the same pickup rout, choosing instead to use white plastic pickup surrounds to keep the pickups in place. The Deluxe models were initially not very popular. However after they ended up in the hands of guitar luminaries such as Pete Townsend and Scott Gorman of Thin Lizzy they gained a well-deserved resurgence! This particular Deluxe has a serial of 115187 with potentiometers dating to 1973. The body is the typical “pancake” (thin layer of maple surrounded by two layers of mahogany) with a 3-pice mahogany neck. The patented ‘70s Gibson “volute” is on the smaller side especially when compared to Deluxes of the time period. The smaller volute is often preferred since it can be less obtrusive when playing near the nut. The mini-humbuckers sound fantastic with plenty of punch to drive a properly cranked tube amplifier. This Deluxe is on the lighter side for a ‘70s Les Paul, weighing in at 9 lbs 12 ounces (we seldom see ones under 10 lbs!). The saddles on the bridge have been swapped out for brass saddles. The frets have some wear but it still plays great. It has been set-up by our in-house tech for optimal playability. The gold finish is in decent shape for the age of the guitar and has a very nice patina to it. There is some checking and general playwear on the top and belt rash on the back. A 2 ½” by ¾” chip in the wood is on the backside of the body near the back plate; it is merely cosmetic and has no effect on the playability. There is some light greening/oxidation in the finish along the edge of the horn; compared to many other Goldtops of the era we’ve seen the amount of greening is minimal. The binding has yellowed nicely with time and blends very well visually with the gold finish. The stop tail piece and the sides of the chrome pickup covers have some very light pitting. The tuners had been changed at some point; the current tuners are period-correct; the holes from the other tuners have been filled in. This Goldtop Deluxe is a classic piece that is primed and ready to rock! Don’t miss out on an opportunity to own this fine vintage piece! Includes original hard shell case.