“This guitar now has a rich, rubbed appearance that cannot be equaled at any price … this instrument is a true beauty.” — Gibson Gazette, December 1958

Objects of distinction are seldom recognized immediately, and this was certainly the case when Gibson introduced the newly renamed Les Paul Standard in July of 1958. Having already made several modifications to the base Les Paul Model guitar over the previous two years – the Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece being the most notable changes – the new Les Paul Standard introduced in 1958 hoped to correct Gibson’s waning sales of solid body electric guitars, which had been on the decline ever since 1953 when the company shipped 2,245 instruments.