SOLD! - 1956 “Darkback“ Gibson Les Paul Goldtop P90 ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic

All original super rare 1956 "Darkback" Gibson Les Paul Goldtop in great condition and a nice 3.77Kg lightweight guitar. No cracks, no breaks, no repairs, no modifications, no refins.

This stunner drips with mojo and is all original except for a professional refret. It is the desired and very rare “Darkback” version with that nice contrast of a dark stained mahogany back and the beautiful gold top with has unique features like the black backplates and the yellow ink serial number. It’s got a super nice and smooth neck that just fits your hand like a glove. The tuners on there are high end repro's but the originals are in the case. The P90 covers are period correct replacements as the originals were once painted black. The paint on these was removed and the original covers are in the case as well. The P90's, pots, capacitors, stoptail, Tune-O-Matic bridge, pickguard, backplates, knobs, jackplate, trussrodcover etc are all original to this guitar! When not played, it rests in the original Gibson 4-latch brown case with pink plush lining which is in great condition.

And then, the sound. This is, without a doubt, one of the best goldtops we ever played! Not just saying... It sounds rich, warm and very very powerful. The neck pickup has a beautiful fat growl but still sound open with overtones and harmonics. The bridge pickup is loud and gritty with a lot of punch and clarity. If you strum it, all strings and every single note resonates throughout the guitar. Paired with a proper tube amp this thing sings like angels in a rock-choir!

ADDITIONAL BONUS: The guitar has a full known history!!

American guitarist Mike Hickey (who played guitar with artists as far ranging as soul icons Daryl Hall & John Oates, to British metal legends Venom and Carcass - and who's current job is Joe Bonamassa’s guitar tech!) first saw this very Goldtop in Athol, Massachusetts in the early '80s when it belonged to the uncle of his high school guitar buddy. The uncle would pull it out when he was drinking and play bad country on it :-) He told Mike he bought the guitar in 1962 at a place called Fran's Guitar Studio in North Adams, Massachusetts. Around 1996 or 1997 a friend told Mike that the guitar was up for sale and Mike went to the guy's house and knocked on the door. The uncle remembered, brought out the guitar and sold it to him on the spot. 

Mike had the guitar refretted by Tucker Barrett in Brattleboro, Vermont shortly after he bought it and added 2 extra thumbwheels to stabilize the bridge. He kept the guitar until 2005 and sold it through Rumbleseat Music in Ithaca, NY, to finance his band and new recording gear. Up to that point Mike had used the guitar at many gigs and on lots of recordings. Mike was planning on modifying it with humbuckers but decided he could not break those solder joints as the guitar was still so original! 

At Rumbleseat the guitar was bought by a famous Swedish Rock Star (name known) who brought it to Sweden to play it with his band on the rise to fame. The guitar was later purchased by guitar enthusiast Thomas (last name known), who had it refretted by the legendary and late Swedish luthier Arne Arvidsson. Eventually, Thomas reached out to Fredrik Heghammar to ask for his help in selling this guitar. Fredrik however, once engaged with this old beauty, found he couldn't resist the connection and decided to keep it for himself! An now it is time to pass it on to the next custodian who will for sure enjoy it for many decades to come!!

The 1956 Gibson Les Paul Standard: Almost the pinnacle of the Les Paul ;-)

While only four years into the run of the Les Paul model, the tweaks Gibson made to the 1956 Les Paul Goldtop make for a vastly different player experience than that of any earlier version. My opinion is that the '56 Goldtop is as great of an electric guitar as the far more expensive Bursts. With its timeless design, iconic sound, and rich history, this instrument remains a treasure among collectors and musicians alike.

The 1956 Gibson Les Paul Standard is typically known for being the year that Gibson upgraded the model from the more crude wrap tail bridge to the vastly improved Tune-O-Matic bridge and stoptail. This bridge features individually saddles that allow for fine intonation adjustment of each string to achieve accurate intonation all across the fretboard. This bridge was actually introduced on the Les Paul Custom at its introduction in early 1954 and the Les Paul Standard was upgraded to include this bridge in late 1955. Still, most collectors will identify a goldtop Les Paul with P90 pickups and a Tune-O-Matic bridge as a '56 since that's the only full year in this configuration, fading the model out early '57. 

All 1956 Gibson Les Paul Standards have P90 pickups, a ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge and stop tailpiece, and the Gold finish on the top, but there are variations of the finish on the back and sides. Most 1956 Les Paul Standards have natural stained Mahogany back and sides, but very few were made with dark stain Mahogany (darkback) or with all gold finished backs and sides. These are the ones to have and hold!