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Products Electric Guitars Les Paul Gibson Custom
Hot-Mod 1955 Les Paul Goldtop Wraptail Hot-Mod 1955 Les Paul Goldtop Wraptail
A Wraptail Goldtop with Humbucker Power to Boot
Echoing a blueprint that never left the Gibson factory in the 1950s, but was found on several modified 1954-’55 Goldtops, the Custom Shop’s new exclusive limited-edition Hot-Mod 1955 Les Paul Goldtop Wraptail embodies a powerful alternative format for the world’s most desirable electric guitar, one born out of players’ desires to capture an elusive set of features on one instrument. Gibson’s Les Paul Standard of 1958-’60 with sunburst finish and PAF humbuckers might take the lion’s share of the glory, but countless no-nonsense rock and rollers will profess their love for the earlier Goldtop from a few years earlier, with a rock-solid “wraptail” (aka wrapover) bridge. Over the years, many who wanted the fat, creamy, noise-free tone of the new humbuckers in place of the single-coil P-90s with which these guitars were originally equipped sent their early to mid-’50s Les Paul Goldtops back to the Gibson factory for this straightforward upgrade—hence the “Hot-Mod”.

While simultaneously displaying several of Gibson’s innovations of the era, the Custom Hot-Mod 1955 Les Paul Goldtop Wraptail represents a turning point in guitar technology and design, a gateway from the old hardware and components of the pre-rock and roll years to the new designs that would continue to rage well into the 21st century. Looking toward the future, its solid mahogany back and maple top addressed rockers’ needs for tonal depth, clarity, sustain and richness while squelching the feedback that was problematic in acoustic-electrics. Benefiting from the past, its carved-arched top, perfectly back-angled set neck with long-tenon joint, and bound body and fingerboard offered elements of longstanding Gibson tradition and quality that discerning players were still demanding in their instruments. Add to this a pair of humbucking pickups and a newly unearthed neck profile, and you’ve got a rare and powerful Les Paul.

Simple, yet extremely solid and effective, the wraparound TonePros bridge on the Custom Hot-Mod 1955 Les Paul Goldtop Wraptail —with locking studs mounted in long steel anchors—offers an extremely efficient resonant coupling between strings and body and helps thicken and warm up the overall tonal brew. Representing the mod factor, Gibson’s BurstBucker pickups are acclaimed as the most accurate PAF reproductions the company has ever made. A BurstBucker 1 in the neck position offers vocal warmth with plenty of definition, while a slightly hotter BurstBucker 2 in the bridge provides more growl and midrange punch for solo work. Both are made with unpolished Alnico II magnets just like the originals, and slightly mismatched coils for that bite and edge that great original PAFs are known for. And to give this model an exclusive new playing feel, Gibson has upped the ante with a quarter-sawn mahogany neck carved to the new “Soft Shoulder” ’55 neck profile, created by the Custom Shop’s luthiers after detailed study of a particularly “magic feeling” neck on an original ’55 Les Paul. With a similar front-to-back depth as standard rounded mid-’50s necks, it differs in its gently sloping sides, a feature that makes it sit incredibly comfortably in the hand. The detailed reproduction of this profile makes the Gibson Custom Shop 1955 Les Paul Goldtop Wraptail a pure joy to play. This exclusive guitar comes with a Gibson Custom hardshell case and a “Year of 1955 Innovation” certificate. Check it out now at selected online dealers.

Technical Specifications
Body Mahogany
Top Maple
Neck Mahogany
Neck Joint Set in
Profile Soft Shoulder '55 neck profile
Scale Length 24-3/4"
Fretboard Species Rosewood
Frets 22
Nut Width 1-11/16"
Tuners Kluson tuners
Bridge/Tailpiece TonePros "Wraptail" one-piece wrapover bridge/tailpiece with long steel anchors and long-locking studs
 
Tone Controls Two Volume, Two Tone
Toggle Switch 3-way Pickup Selector
Neck Pickup Burstbucker 1 Neck Humbucker
Bridge Pickup Burstbucker 2 Bridge Humbucker
Hardware Nickel
Finish Antique Gold
Finish Nitrocellulose Finish
Other Includes Hardshell Case and Year of 1955 Innovation Certificate