A SOLID-BODY ELECTRIC GUITAR, LES PAUL 57 HISTORIC GOLD TOP

Details

GIBSON INCORPORATED, NASHVILLE, 2009
A SOLID-BODY ELECTRIC GUITAR, LES PAUL 57 HISTORIC GOLD TOP
Inlaid at the headstock Gibson and silk screened Les Paul MODEL and Gibson logos, ink stamped on the reverse 7 9820, with hardshell case bearing a label inscribed LES PAUL GOLD 2009 HOME; accompanied by the original Certificate of Authenticity, warranty tag and Gibson Gold Warranty booklet from Gibson Custom Shop, copies of email correspondence between The ToneQuest Report and David Gilmour Music Ltd, a copy of the original sales invoice from The ToneQuest Report and a handwritten note by guitar technician Phil Taylor on Astoria headed stationery detailing several modifications to the guitar
Length of back 17 ¼ in. (43.8 cm.)

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Lot Essay

On the instruction of David Gilmour’s longtime guitar technician Phil Taylor, David Wilson of guitar magazine The ToneQuest Report purchased this Les Paul 57 Gold Top directly from Gibson Custom Shop in late 2009, with a view to optimizing the standard model in line with Gilmour’s preferences. Wilson oversaw considerable modifications to the guitar including the replacement of the standard Burstbucker pickups with a J.M. Rolph ’58 PAF Humbucker, replacement of the standard tuners for Grover Rotomatics and modification of the wiring to preserve the treble when the volume is cut. On receipt of the guitar in January 2010, Taylor commissioned additional alterations to further optimize the feel and tone of the instrument, later making additional refinements in February 2011. According to Taylor, Gilmour really liked the modified guitar, which was unusual as humbuckers would not generally be his preference, and went on to use it during a recording session at his West Sussex studio in July 2013, playing through a 1958 Fender Tweed Deluxe and then a Tweed Champ amplifier. Gilmour’s 2013 solo recording sessions developed into his first solo project in almost a decade, the 2015 album Rattle That Lock.

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