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1959 Gibson Les Paul Junior, Serial Number 97729

This 1959 Gibson Les Paul™ Junior is an all-original example of one of the great no-frills solidbody guitars of the 1950s. By this point, the Junior had evolved into its familiar double-cutaway form, but the formula remained wonderfully simple: a solid mahogany body and neck, Brazilian rosewood fretboard, one P-90, and a wraparound tailpiece. There isn't much here that doesn't need to be, and when all of those pieces come together as well as they do on this guitar, it's easy to understand why the Junior has remained a favorite for decades.

The original Cherry finish has faded quite a bit over the years but retains some of its color and has never made the transition toward the darker brown often seen on these guitars. There are very light nicks, dings, and playwear throughout, along with a small amount of cable burn on the back, but overall it has been carefully used. The headstock is particularly nice, with clean edges and corners and both original gold silkscreens beautifully preserved.

A small “2” stamp is present on the back of the headstock above the serial number, indicating that Gibson originally sold the guitar as a factory second. We have not identified any corresponding cosmetic flaw on the exterior of the guitar. There is a small area of chip-out inside the control cavity near the output jack route that may have been the reason for the designation, but there is no way to know with certainty today. The chip-out is entirely internal and does not affect the structural integrity of the guitar in any way.

The mahogany neck has a substantial Chunky C profile measuring .90" at the 1st fret and 1.01" at the 12th. It's a big neck, but not an unreasonable one, and feels extremely comfortable in hand. The dark Brazilian rosewood fretboard remains in excellent shape, as do the original frets and original nylon nut. The original Kluson® Deluxe single line, three-on-a-plate tuners retain particularly clean white buttons with no significant shrinkage and function well.

The original dogear P-90 measures a stout 10.45k ohms and is paired with the original Centralab® potentiometers, Sprague Bumblebee capacitor, and Switchcraft® output jack. The pots carry 134852 date codes from the 52nd week of 1958. The controls are wonderfully dynamic, and the pickup has everything we want from a great Junior: big, immediate, and aggressive when pushed, but with plenty of range available from the volume and tone controls.

At 7.25 pounds, the two-piece mahogany body is lively and resonant, and the whole guitar has that hard-to-quantify feeling of being particularly well put together. The original aluminum wraparound tailpiece shows only light tarnishing, and the original tortoiseshell celluloid pickguard, black plastics, knobs, and hardware remain in place. It's a strong-playing, great-sounding 1959 Junior that has made it more than 65 years without losing the pieces that make these guitars so much fun in the first place.

The guitar includes its original alligator-pattern chipboard case as well as a new Lifton™ Historic Gator Skin Les Paul Junior hardshell case.

This instrument has received a professional setup and thorough inspection from Gibson Certified Vintage and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, Letter of Appraisal, new Limited Lifetime Warranty, and exclusive Gibson Certified Vintage accessories including a leather guitar strap, matching leather luggage tag, and vintage-style Gibson pick container.

Weight: 7.25 lb.
Neck depth: 1st fret: .90", 12th fret: 1.01"