Up for sale, a 1986 Gibson Les Paul Custom in excellent condition and in perfect working order. This Black Beauty is a modestly played and truly stunning example of this classic model, and this guitar is everything a great LP Custom should be, with a gloss black nitro finish on the maple top, a pair of Tim Shaw PAF humbuckers, and the power and sustain that only comes with a top of the line Gibson! Incredibly light (especially considering the added weight of the Bigsby) at only 9lbs 14oz, this guitar has all the tonal heft and sustain you’d expect and balances well on a strap. There’s a very dynamic quality to the tone and it responds instantly to changes in pick attack too. It’s the commanding and detailed vintage Les Paul sound heard on countless recordings. Arguably the most tonally impactful aspect of this Custom is the pair of era-correct Tim Shaw humbuckers, which were used for only a few short years in the’80s. Designed with unoriented, rough cast Alnico V magnets, plastic spacers, and poly coated wire, the Shaw design achieves the harmonic complexity, power, and tonal clarity of the original PAF. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar, this Custom has been strung with 11-50 strings and boasts low action. The neck has a f. Airly slender C shape at the nut, and the profile grows notably in depth and shoulder as you travel up the fretboard, filling out with good chunk. The ebony fretboard has pearl block inlays and the original wide/flat fretwire that Gibson favored in this era. These frets have a good height and crown with only. Light, uniform wear on frets 1-3, extending beneath the A string until fret 7. The neck is straight, the truss rod is responsive, and the guitar plays flawlessly with no buzzing or dead spots. The nut is original and measures 1 11/16 in width. The headstock sports all the hallmarks of a Les Paul Custom, with the split diamond inlay, “Custom” truss rod cover, multi-ply headstock binding, and a set of Grover Rotomatic tuning machines. The guitar originally had Schaller tuners, and when the Grovers were substituted, the Schaller mounting holes were filled and the back of the headstock lightly oversprayed with black nitro. The serial number is still fully intact, and there was presumably also small text reading “sec” above the serial which has been obscured. This would reference a factory 2nd for some small cosmetic finish flaw that would be indiscernible after 30+ years. On the body, all of the electronics work as they should, with a pair of Tim Shaw Gibson humbuckers. These pickups have the correct ink stamps over the patent number baseplates and the pickups read in the mid 7k ohm range. Two of the pots are original, while the others are factory spec replacements. The quad of reflector cap knobs are original along with the Nashville bridge, while the Bigsby is a later addition. The Bigsby was professionally installed and works very smoothly for quick dives and warbles. Cosmetically, this guitar is both a real looker and a great playing instrument. The nitro lacquer finish is 100% original aside from the light overspray on the back of the headstock and the guitar is structurally sound with zero repairs or cracks. The multi-ply body binding has modest yellowing and the body shows light vertical lacquer checking. The neck profile is flawless and wear is limited to s. Ome minor dings and finish scuffs on the guitar as a while, but overall this is a surprisingly well kept Les Paul Custom and tonally a total beast. The original Gibson “Chainsaw” case is included. Check out our shop “Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar, ” and please let us know if we can answer any questions! International orders will be declared as merchandise, and the value of merchandise will be declared as the amount paid. We cannot declare anything as a gift or for a lesser value. The item “1986 Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty with Bigsby, Tim Shaw PAFs & Case” is in sale since Friday, August 24, 2018. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Electric Guitars”. The seller is “mmguitarbar” and is located in Seattle, Washington. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Body Color: Ebony
- String Configuration: 6 String
- Model: Les Paul Custom
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- Right-/ Left-Handed: Right-Handed
- Model Year: 1986
- MPN: Does Not Apply
- Brand: Gibson
- Body Type: Solid