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THE LES PAUL SPECIALThe Les Paul Special was introduced by Gibson in 1955 in an effort to fill a price point void in their catalogue. The original standard Les Paul Model, which the brand was built on, sold for $235 at the time. The more luxurious Les Paul Custom was priced at $360, while the single pickup budget priced Les Paul Junior sold at $110. Realizing that guitars at the lower end of the value range sold at higher volumes, while trying to compete with the less expensive Fender Telecaster, a two pickup version of the Les Paul Junior was introduced. The Special will always be associated with the “limed mahogany” finish unique to Gibson. Though referred to later as “TV Yellow,” the finish was a translucent blonde color, not too unlike a Fender finish, though of better quality. Like all Les Pauls, it had a solid-body with a single cutaway, until late 1959 when the body style changed to a double cutaway.

GIBSON INCORPORATED, KALAMAZOO, 1960

A SOLID-BODY ELECTRIC GUITAR, LES PAUL SPECIAL, TV

Details

GIBSON INCORPORATED, KALAMAZOO, 1960
A SOLID-BODY ELECTRIC GUITAR, LES PAUL SPECIAL, TV
Inlaid at the headstock Gibson and ink stamped on the reverse 0 9972, with “TV Yellow” finish, with later hardshell case bearing a label inscribed GIBSON LES PAUL TV YELLOW #0 9972 and SERIAL NO. DG1063; accompanied by the original packing slip addressed to David Gilmour c/o Raindrop Productions, 555 Madison Ave, NY, NY 10022, dated 25th June, and the original retailer’s hang tag
Length of back 14 in. (35.6 cm.)

Special notice

Please note lots marked with a square will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) on the last day of the sale. Lots are not available for collection at Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services until after the third business day following the sale. All lots will be stored free of charge for 30 days from the auction date at Christie’s Rockefeller Center or Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn). Operation hours for collection from either location are from 9.30 am to 5.00 pm, Monday-Friday. After 30 days from the auction date property may be moved at Christie’s discretion. Please contact Post-Sale Services to confirm the location of your property prior to collection. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn). Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information. Lots made of or including (regardless of the percentage) endangered and other protected species of wildlife are marked with the symbol ~ in the catalogue. This material includes, among other things, ivory, tortoiseshell, crocodile skin, rhinoceros horn, whalebone certain species of coral, and Brazilian rosewood. You should check the relevant customs laws and regulations before bidding on any lot containing wildlife material if you plan to import the lot into another country. Several countries refuse to allow you to import property containing these materials, and some other countries require a licence from the relevant regulatory agencies in the countries of exportation as well as importation. In some cases, the lot can only be shipped with an independent scientific confirmation of species and/or age, and you will need to obtain these at your own cost.

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Lot Essay

David Gilmour purchased this guitar in California on 25th June 1984 while on tour in support of his 1984 solo album About Face and kept it primarily for studio use. Gilmour had acquired the guitar as a replacement for his first Les Paul Special, which was purchased from a Seattle pawn shop in early October 1970 during the North American leg of the Atom Heart Mother World Tour, and was later stolen from Gilmour’s home studio in 1976. A frequent collaborator with both David Gilmour and Roger Waters, Chester Kamen used this guitar when performing with Gilmour as second guitarist during the last two legs of the Rattle That Lock Tour from June to September 2016.

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