SOLD! - 1957 Gibson Les Paul Standard Goldtop - "Goldtop Believers"

"This guitar is featured on page 125 in the book "Goldtop Believers" by Vic Dapra and David Plues."
 
This very rare and original 1957 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop just oozes mojo... It sounds amazing and plays phenomenal. It has an inspiring and addictive sound and it plays so easy and so smooth. You'll love it!
 
1957 Was a transitional year for the Les Paul model. Up until then, Les Pauls always featured P90 pickups. From 1957 on, PAF Humbuckers would be the standard for the Les Paul, until the model was discontinued in 1960. 
 
In 1957, probably only about 200 were made with P90 pickups. Many of these guitars, if they survived at all, were at some point in their lives equipped with PAF humbuckers and had the pickup cavities enlarged to accommodate them. That is why nowadays, you do not often find a fully original late '50s Les Paul with P90's, let alone a '57!!
 
This guitar has been played, played and then played again in a professional studio for decades and on stage and subsequently aged in a stunning way. The gold finish has cracked, checked, opened up and greened  with a denser grid of cracks at the edges. As is often the case with aged Goldtops, in the most heavily worn spots there is a beautiful green discoloration along the edges where the gold lacquer has come off, leaving a very cool pattern of dark green worming traces popping out on top. The buckle rash is on the top and sides of the body so whoever rocked this one, it was hanging way low like Jimmy Page in the 70's ;-)
 
The Les Paul logo on the headstock is faded but still clearly visible and the serial number “7 xxxx” on the back can still be read very well. The rosewood fretboard has a striking dark color and has worn quite heavily from playing but it is still in great condition. A recent pro refret gives it the smoothness for years and years of subtle arpeggio's to come. And weighing 4.1Kg it hits that perfect weight ratio for a vintage Les Paul. The pickups are powerful and gritty with deep warm bass and rich vintage tone. The kind of tone that stays in your soul forever...
 
All hardware, Tune-O-Matic bridge, Stop Tailpiece, Pot's, Bumble Bee capacitors, tuners, plastics, P90's, finish, case etc are original. No cracks, no breaks, no repairs. The 3-piece maple top seams show through the gold finish but nothing cracked. The neck is dead straight and the intonation is spot on. It for sure is a professional played instrument that can be played for decades to come!
 
All of the above make that this truly is a one of a kind instrument and a fantastic buy for anyone looking for a unique and super inspiring vintage Les Paul.
 
It's a real treasure. Pure magic...