1956 Les Paul Junior Vintage Sunburst

There’s no raunchier guitar on Earth than an original 1950s Les Paul™ Junior. A stripped-down design with no-frills attitude to spare, these guitars may have been conceived as student models but seasoned professionals have long been hip to their considerable charms. The secret is in the onboard controls: wide open, that single Dogear P-90 can snarl like a junkyard dog, but roll the volume back and it will jangle and chime like a flat-top acoustic. And, if you think a guitar without a neck pickup won’t sound fat enough, try rolling back the Junior’s tone control for a generous helping of thick cream. Offered as part of Gibson’s world-first Certified Vintage program, this 1956 Junior is a killer example in a heavily checked and battle-scarred sunburst, with original electronics. Complete with its original “Alligator” case (as well as a modern Custom Shop hardshell case), this is both an accessible vintage piece for collectors and an uncompromising rock ’n’ roll machine with many decades of gigging and recording potential ahead of it.