Gibson.com: Gibson Les Paul Double Cut Classic Exclusive

Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive

From the time of its release in 1998, the Les Paul DC Standard has satisfied the countless players who had long demanded a contemporary-styled, double-cutaway Les Paul that also retained the long tradition of Gibson’s most legendary solidbody electric. Now the Les Paul Doublecut Classic is available as an exclusive with special appointments. Since its arrival in 1952, the Les Paul’s marriage of maple and mahogany has set the standard for thick, warm, meaty tone, and the addition of humbucking pickups to the template in 1958 established the model as an all-time classic, and a favorite of rock and blues players in particular. The Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive carries on that tradition, while updating it with double-cutaway styling for unparalleled upper-fret access, and a chambered mahogany body for added tonal nuance. Available in three finishes: Ebony, Bullion Gold and Classic White with dark back and neck.

Body

	Species Each Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive is crafted from a two-piece maple top attached with ultra-strong Franklin Titebond 50 glue to a chambered mahogany body. This wood combination, one of the most legendary pairs in the history of the solid and semi-solid electric guitar, yields a “best of both worlds” tonal splendor, while also producing a classic look and a sturdy instrument.
	Design The Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive begins with the timeless lines of the original Les Paul Standard, with a gently arched carved top and rounded lower bout, but adds a second, symmetrical cutaway on the bass side of the neck/body joint for improved upper-fret access. Once the finishing process is complete the top rim of the guitar is scraped by hand to reveal exquisite antique binding on the classic white with dark back and bullion gold finishes, and a pure white binding on the ebony finish. The body’s back is routed with a number of chambers which serve to both reduce overall weight, and to enhance the guitar’s resonance.
	Average Weight The average weight of a Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive body is 4.95 lbs, which is in the normal range for a Gibson guitar.
	Tonal Characteristics The Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive’s body woods present a combination of good clarity, definition and treble bite from the maple, and excellent depth and richness from the mahogany, all of which are elements that are found in the classic Les Paul Standard tone. The chambering adds a further dimension, increasing the complexity of this guitar’s tone, while also increasing its acoustic volume and sustain.

Finish

	Color The Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive is finished in either Ebony, Bullion Gold or Classic White with a dark back and neck.
	Surface Texture A smooth, high-gloss finish with 90 sheen gives the Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive a high-class appearance, while the neck’s finish is flattened to a satin sheen to produce a smooth, comfortable playing feel.
	Process The Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive is hand-finished in nitrocellulose in a process that is carefully monitored to ensure minimum build-up, in an effort to produce a finish that breathes with the guitar and enhances natural resonance. Unlike many other manufacturers, who settle for a polyurethane finish, Gibson opts for a nitrocellulose finish that will encourage the natural vibration of the instrument for a purer tone. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous and actually gets thinner over time.

Neck and Headstock

	Species The neck of the Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive is constructed from one solid piece of Grade-C mahogany, cut using the superior “quarter sawn” orientation for improved strength and resonance, and glued to the body at a 5-degree angle (pitch). Mahogany is the most traditional wood for Gibson electric guitar necks, and offers an excellent sonic and visual partner to the solid mahogany body.
	Truss Rod Gibson’s traditional truss rod, found in most all of our guitars, is highly responsive to the individual adjustments you’ll want to make to personalize and optimize string action and sustain.
	Profile The neck on the Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive is carved to Gibson’s slim-taper ’60s profile, which offers a fast, comfortable playing feel. This is one of Gibson’s more popular neck shapes, and is used on several of the company’s high-end guitars.
	Joint Angle 5.0° (+/- 15 seconds)
	Headstock Angle The Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive headstock is carefully angled at Gibson’s traditional 17 degrees, which increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain.
	Logo The Gibson logo — one of the most globally recognized logos of all time — is inlaid in mother of pearl across the top of the headstock face of the Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive, with “Les Paul Model” silkscreened in gold along the center of the headstock.
	Tonal Characteristics The angled, classical-style peg head and mahogany neck work together to provide exceptional tonal richness and resonance from the neck, with a good string definition and sustain.
	Average Weight The average weight of the neck is .98 lbs.

Neck Fit

	Joint Gibson uses what is known as the Mortise & Tenon joint to bind neck to body so that the two pieces form one solid unit. This time-tested technique has been used for millennia in all the great woodworking arts — from shipbuilding to cabinetry — to create one solid wood unit from two separate sections, and has been proven to yield a stronger neck and body than if the instrument was made from a single piece of wood.
	Adhesive The adhesive used to join neck and body is Franklin Titebond 50, one of the strongest glues on the market today.
	Tolerance When fitting the neck and body together, we take advantage of our precise measuring equipment so that all angles, pitches and alignments maintain a tolerance within .005 of an inch. Not only does this help to keep your guitar in tune but it also maintains proper string alignment relative to the fingerboard.
	Joint Angle Tolerance 0.0° (+/- 15 seconds)

Fingerboard

	Species The Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive carries a rosewood fingerboard, the traditional fingerboard of the original Les Paul Standard. Rosewood is both hardwearing and sonically superlative, adding sweetness and depth to the guitar’s overall sound.
	Radius The 12-inch radius of the Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive fingerboard provides smooth note bending capabilities and eliminates “dead” or “choked out” notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses.
	Frets The Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive sports 22 jumbo frets, all immaculately dressed and polished.
	Inlays The Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive fingerboard carries acrylic trapezoid position-marker inlays, echoing the traditional look of the original Les Paul Standard.
	Tonal Characteristics Rosewood fingerboards are known for their rich, round tone.

Nut

Material
The nut on the Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive is made from Corian, which is mainly composed of acrylic polymer. This popular synthetic alternative to bone offers a very durable material, delivers enhanced sustain, and holds the tolerances of the precision cuts made in the slotting process. It is installed into the top surface of the neck, butting up to the end of the fingerboard to ensure proper tone and sustain transfer, and its nut slots are cut with Gibson’s PLEK system to ensure precise fit, break angle, and string spacing.

Width
The width of the nut on the Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive is approximately 1.695”, the traditional nut width of Gibson electric guitars.

Pickups

	Model The Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive is equipped with Gibson BurstBucker Pro™ classic-styled humbuckers pickups with the contemporary "open coil" (coverless) look on the classic white and ebony finishes while the bullion gold finish features zebra pickups (one cream and one black coil) underneath the chrome covers. The Gibson BurstBucker Pro™ pickups are wound with a little more power than vintage-styled PAF humbuckers for added versatility for contemporary playing styles.
	Magnet Material Gibson’s BurstBucker Pro™ pickups use Alnico V bar magnets for a warm, rich tone that is still sharp and punchy.
	Tonal Characteristics Gibson’s BurstBucker Pro™ pickups provide tone and performance suitable for a wide range of musical styles, but are particularly suited to rock and blues-rock. Both the bridge and neck pickup yield plenty of depth, warmth, and richness, and can dial in great clean tones when required, but will also push amps and effects a little harder when desired. BurstBucker Pro™ pickups are wax potted so that they can withstand loud volume pressures without annoying feedback.

Electronics

	Volume Controls The Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive uses a single Volume control for both pickups, which consists of a quality 300k linear potentiometer for a smooth, natural volume roll-off.
	Tone Controls A single Tone control also governs both picups. The pot has ohm readings of 500k, are non-linear, and each carries a .0223mF tone capacitor which allows a smooth transition from bright to warm.
	Toggle Switch The Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive features one three-way toggle switch made of stainless steel with black plastic tip, which acts as the instrument’s pickup selector. In the down position, only the bridge pickup is active. In the middle position, both pickups are active. In the up position, only the neck pickup is active.
	Output Jack The guitar features a 1⁄4” output jack made by Switchcraft. Its super heavy duty construction holds your guitar cable securely in place.

Hardware

	Tuning Keys The headstock of the Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive is equipped with vintage-style tuners with pearloid tulip buttons. These tuners provide a classic look in line with the model’s lineage, and smooth, robust performance.
	Bridge In 1954, Gibson revolutionized guitar hardware when it debuted the Tune-o-matic bridge, setting a standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered. Included on the Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive, the Tune-o-matic provides a firm seating for the strings, allowing the player to adjust and fine-tune the intonation and string height in a matter of minutes. It also yields excellent coupling between strings and body, maximizing resonance, tone, and sustain. This bridge is made from Zamak then plated with chrome, and each one weighs approximately .118 lbs.
	Tailpiece Every Tune-o-matic bridge is combined with a separate “stopbar” tailpiece, which is essentially a modified version of the earlier wraparound bridge that’s designed to further enhance the connection between the strings and the body. The Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive’s stopbar tailpiece is made from Zamac then plated with chrom, and each one weighs approximately .24 lbs.
	Strap Buttons The guitar’s aluminum strap buttons are the same style and design that Gibson has used since the early 1950s.

Plastics

	Truss Rod Cover As with most Gibson guitars, the truss rod cover on the Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive is made from black and white vinyl plastic, and is shaped like an antique bell.
	Control Knobs The control knobs on the Les Paul Doublecut Classic Exclusive are Gibson’s black top-hat knobs on the classic white with dark black and ebony finishes, and Gibson's gold top-hat knobs on the bullion gold finish.
	Trim Rings The classic white with dark back and bullion gold finishes feature cream trim rings while the ebony finish features black trim rings.