1952 Gibson
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Goldtop Les Paul
BY SETH HANSEN
After;Gibson;initially;rejected;his;solidbody guitar;prototype,;“The;Log,”;a;few;years
earlier,;Les;Paul;was;brought;on;in;1951;to
collaborate;on;a;new;guitar;design;that;would
mark;the;company’s;entry;into;the;burgeoning
solidbody;market.;As;we;all;know;now,;that
guitar;would;go;on;to;revolutionize;the;world
of;music;and;leave;an;indelible;impression
on guitarists from that point onward. Aside
from;his;endorsement;and;name,;Paul’s;actual
contributions;to;the;new;Les;Paul;model;have
been;disputed.;He;maintained;that;he;had;the
final;say;on;the;guitar’s;design,;but;Gibson’s
president;at;the;time,;Ted;McCarty,;said
the;design;was;already;finalized;when;they
approached;the;multi-tracking;pioneer;for;an
endorsement. Although we may never know
which;version;of;the;story;is;true—or;whether
it’s;a;combination;of;both—both;sides;agree
that;Paul;requested;a;gold;finish;for;the;guitar
to;maximize;its;flashiness;and;highlight;its
quality.;It;was;this;cosmetic;decision;that
brought;about;the;nickname;for;the;now-
legendary;first;Les;Paul;model:;the;goldtop.
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