Gibson Les Paul R8 Custom Shop

The 1958 & 59 Gibson Les Pauls are regarded by many to be the pinnacle of all Les Pauls. What in particular makes them so special? Well, they’re so special that the R8 is one of the best-selling high-end guitars Gibson has ever made.

Les Paul

Designed and refined by Les Paul himself, the Les Paul is undoubtedly a masterpiece. With PAF humbucking pickups, the R8 worked great for Jazz as intended. When the rockers used the high output to push their amps hard then legends were born. This particular Gibson Les Paul R8 has the infamous Gibson Custom Buckers pickups.

R8 Set Up

1958 Gibson Les Pauls had famously small frets, making the playing experience smooth and allowing the fingerboard to affect the tone. This, combined with a baseball-bat-like neck, produced a unique feel. Actually, 1958 neck shapes are somewhat considered Gibson’s best.

Authentic

The attention to detail matched with the records and tools of the original factories means something. Although most guitars from Gibson are now CnC’d, the machines are programmed with the relevant information. The woods in this 2013 model were all correctly matched to the originals. Since many wood species are now protected, many materials are now substituted in the guitar world. This is about as close as you can get without selling an organ!