Gibson Les Paul
The problem with having a great reputation in your field is that you are forced to protect your reputation while you embrace change
Leo Fender had knocked one out of the park with the development of the Telecaster but then again, he had little to risk. His company was an upstart and few within the industry even knew of his existence before the Tele. Gibson, on the other hand, had to make a solid body that would fit in with their existing product line. What they built was a solid body with an arched top.
Les Paul had approached Gibson with the concept of a solid body a few years before so he seemed like a logical choice as an artist endorser. He was doing well on the charts and had plenty of fame to bring to the table and he had an established interest in the solid body guitar. He had been playing Epiphone guitars which were extensively modified and always wanted to improve upon his instruments. While the first prototype had the name Ranger by the time the product was ready for market Les Paul had lent it his name . . . for a small fee.
Over the years the Les Paul guitar has changed. It started with
P-90 single
coil pickups and then adopted humbucking pickups. The gold top
finish was followed by the black Les Paul Custom but my favorites are
the sunburst standards of the late '50s. In the '70s these guitars
were used by a high proportion of bands, prized for their sustain and
the raw power of their sound. Among Blues players the P-90
equipped Junior and Special models are very popular for their unique
sound and character. It is one of the most imitated guitars of all
time and over time it has become more popular than the artist that it's
named after. To this day there are a lot of people that know of
the Les Paul guitar without realizing that it is named for a very
popular entertainer from the '40s and '50s.
With all of this going on in Kalamazoo, Michigan you can be certain that other guitar makers were taking note and preparing to meet the Les Paul head-on in the marketplace.
