1988 Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty Vintage Guitar Ebony w/ Bill Lawrence, Case

Up for sale, a 1988 Les Paul Custom Black Beauty in perfect working order, complete with the original “chainsaw” molded hardshell case. With an Ebony gloss nitro lacquer finish, this Les Paul Custom comes from an increasingly heralded era of Gibson production, making the most of the classic combination of a solid, non-weight relieved mahogany body, carved three-piece maple top, one-piece mahogany neck and genuine ebony fretboard.Weighing 9lbs 4oz, this Les Paul dishes out plenty of natural sustain and acoustic authority with ample warmth and glassy articulation. At the heart of this Les Paul Custom are a pair of Bill Lawrence-designed Super Humbuckers, known colloquially as Gibson's "circuit board" pickups. These short-lived medium output pickups handle gain extremely well, delivering a detailed array of tones that can be bright and growly or thick and punchy with the flip of a switch. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, this Les Paul Custom is dialed in with 10-46 strings, low action and solid intonation.The mahogany neck has a moderately slender C-shaped profile carve with well-rounded shoulders, gaining a hair more heft and roundness in the upper registers, measuring .820” deep at the 1st fret and .970” at the 12th. The ebony fretboard features pearl block inlay, with fret-edge binding on the stock medium fretwire. The frets have ample meat and well-rounded crowns, showing only light wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-9, playing cleanly up the 24 3/4“ scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod. The nut measures 1 11/16” in width. The headstock has all the hallmarks of a Custom, with split diamond inlay, multi-ply binding, and a Les Paul Custom-embossed truss rod cover. The original metal button Gibson-branded tuning machines turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch, with consistent surface patina. The stamped serial number of the back of the headstock dates production to 1988.All of the electronics function as intended, with the “circuit board” humbuckers wired to the stock harness with CTS pots that date to the 18th week of ‘88. The gold-plated Nashville bridge and stopbar both exhibit oxidation and patina, with wear through the plating on the bass-side edge of the bridge. Plastics comprise a quartet of modern black speed knobs, and the original pickup rings, switch surround and four-ply black pickguard.The gloss Ebony nitro lacquer finish is 100% original, with no touch-up or overspray, framed by ambered multi-ply body binding. Cosmetic wear includes buckle rash across the bass side of the back, and a handful of minor dings and finish scuffs on the body as a whole, also largely relegated to the back. The neck profile retains its smooth gloss, save for two areas of shallow rack rash behind frets 8 and 10.The original Gibson-branded “chainsaw” molded hardshell case with blue plush interior is included.