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Gibson ‘The Paul’ Les Paul Natural 1978 Vintage Electric Guitar
Here for sale we have a Gibson ‘The Paul’ Les Paul in Natural finish. ‘The Paul’ was a guitar made for a limited time, between 1978-1982, and was introduced by Gibson as a less expensive line which would appeal to a wider audience than the Standard, Deluxe or Custom. Fast forward 45 years and ‘The Paul’ is now a more affordable access point into the vintage market, boasting a set of the revered ‘T’ top humbuckers and all the vintage mojo one looks for in an older instrument.
 
This 1978 example of ‘The Paul’ was crafted in the USA and features a set neck construction comprising a 5 piece Walnut body, 3 piece Walnut neck and 22 fret Ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlays. Other key features of this guitar include Grover machine heads, Tune-o-matic tailpiece and Gibson ‘T top’ humbuckers, date stamped to 1978, wired to the typical 3 watch toggle switch and individual volume and tone controls.
 
The 3-piece Walnut neck is a joy to play, with a ‘60s style profile which is best described as a medium ‘D’ shape. This profile is not as thick as many other Gibson, yet still feels substantial underhand. The gloss finish on the rear of the neck allows you to glide up and down the neck effortlessly, with the traditional 12” fingerboard radius providing the perfect balance between comfortable chording and an ability to perform bending and vibrato techniques. The Ebony fingerboard provides a luxuriously smooth feeling underhand.
 
The original set of Gibson ‘T-Top’ humbuckers are equipped in this guitar, these pickups have a reasonably low output and offer an authentic ‘PAF’ tone which is sought after by many. Clean tones and slightly overdriven tones sound fantastic, with an airiness which is a breath of fresh air in a world full of hot pickups designed for maximum gain. The neck pickup has a lovely warmth to it whilst the bridge is slightly hotter whilst retaining clarity and avoiding sounding too thin. The pickups are wired to the classic volume and tone configuration.
 
Please be aware that for international buyers import fees are not included in our postage and packaging cost, this only covers the cost of the guitar being sent to you. Import fees will be charged by Customs upon the guitar's arrival in the recipient country. Due to Brexit, this also applies to EU buyers. We advise checking the total import cost with Customs as this is not information we are able to accurately provide.

Gibson ‘The Paul’ Les Paul Natural 1978 Vintage Electric Guitar

SKU: 1210226184980
£1,205.00Price

  • Brand- Gibson

    Model- 'The Paul'

    Finish- Natural

    Year- 1978

    Made In- USA

    Body- Walnut

    Neck- Walnut

    Neck Profile- 'D'

    Fingerboard- Ebony

    Fingerboard Radius- 12"

    Frets- 22

    Scale Length- 24.75"

    Nut Width- 1.64"

    Pickups- 2 x Gibson ‘T-Top’ Humbuckers

    Controls- 3-way pickup selector, Neck Volume, Neck Tone, Bridge Volume, Bridge Tone

  • Our ID: 1210226184980

    Weight: 8.45lbs  

    Serial: 72368566

     

    Aesthetic Condition:

    Headstock: Overall very good condition, the top corners of the headstock demonstrate notable indentation, piercing the finish and chipping the wood slightly. This continues across the top edges. Further lighter indentation can be identified less frequently throughout the perimeter of the headstock. Light scratching and fading of the finish is apparent to all aspects of the headstock, visible only under close inspection.

    Neck: Overall very good condition, the fingerboard demonstrates some playwear in the early register, apparent under close inspection. Light indentations and scratching are apparent throughout the register, visible only under close inspection. The rear of the neck demonstrates clouding of the finish. Light indentation and scratching is apparent throughout the register, difficult to discern beneath the thumb.

    Body: Overall good condition, all aspects of the body demonstrate consistent scratching, indentation and chipping of the finish. This is most apparent to the rear face and the bottom edges, where consistent markings have revealed the wood beneath. Some finish touch up has been performed to the bottom edge. Two screw holes are apparent to the front face from the previous pickguard. Uneven fading of the finish is apparent throughout. We advise carefully inspecting the photographs for a fuller understanding of the cosmetic condition of this instrument.

     

    Condition of Frets:

    The frets demonstrate moderate signs of use, with notable flattening of the crowns throughout the register. This does not affect playability.  Due to the height of the frets fitted to these 1970s Gibson guitars, there is only a small amount of material remaining for future fret work.

     

    Current Set Up:

    Truss Rod: Fully functional. Truss rod tool (5/16" socket) not included.

    Hardware: Fully functional. Bridge and stoptail have been replaced, originals not included. Tuners are stiff but function correctly and hold tune.

    Structural: No concerns or issues to note.

    Height of the string from the 12th Fret-1.25mm - Bass 1.75mm

    Please be aware that the action on a guitar may move slightly in transit and this measurement is the current height.

    Strings on Guitar - 10-46

     

    Electrics: Fully functional. The switch has been replaced, original included.

     

    Case & Accessories

    TKL hard case

    The case demonstrates light signs of use.

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