1974 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, Cherry Sunburst

Cool player grade ’74 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe finished in classic Cherry Sunburst. Spec includes a small volute and “Made in USA” stamp, three-piece mahogany neck construction, just prior to Gibson’s switch to maple. Body is of the “sandwich” construction as expected, topped with a three-piece maple cap.

Under blacklight the finish fluoresces uniformly, with no evidence of overspray, touch-ups or structural repairs, and the guitar remains free from any breaks. Hardware is chrome throughout, with a Gibson ABR bridge and a repro MIJ stop tailpiece. The jack plate has been replaced with a metal version with slightly larger footprint.

Electronics are in good order and correct for the period. Both pickups are patent-number Gibson mini-humbuckers, with the bridge pickup retaining it’s Pat. No sticker and the neck pickup the Pat stamp variety. The pickups measure 5.93k at the bridge and 6.07k at the neck. In the control cavity, CTS pots are present with legible codes dating to the 48th week of 1973.

The rosewood fingerboard is pleasingly dark in colour. The guitar has been refretted and shows some honest playwear and light fingerboard indentation around the first position, but remains comfortable and very playable. Amber bonnet knobs and cream plastics complete the look and overall it’s a great looking player’s Les Paul.

With its crisp, snarling mini-humbucker tone, classic looks and period-defining features, this is an excellent player’s vintage Les Paul for less than Custom Shop money!