Gibson introduced the Les Paul Junior in 1954 as a single-pickup budget version of the popular Les Paul model guitar. In 1955, they rolled out the Special, basically the same guitar as the Junior, but in a two-pickup configuration. Originally retaining the single-cutaway shape of the Standard, the body lacked the contoured maple cap, fretboard inlays, and other fancy appointments of the more expensive version. In 1957, while the Junior and Special were still being loaded with P90's, the Standard became equipped with Gibson's new "humbucking" pickups, and history was made...

In mid-1958 the single-cutaway body style of the Junior and Special gave way to the double-cutaway version (as mine is), while the Standard and Custom retained the original single-cutaway body.

In 1961, Gibson switched to the "SG" body style for ALL the Les Paul models, and this thick, flat-topped, double cutaway Les Paul Special/Junior body style went out of production for thirty years or so.

When I purchased this Les Paul Special (used, on eBay) I was told it was a 1990-produced "1960 reissue."  I've had the pups out of the axe and the pups are definitely P90's, not P100's like the newer "Lite" models had, and it has the bound fingerboard like the old Specials did (the new Lites did not have bound fingerboards). It came with a really swell tan hardshell case with fuzzy purple felt lining and dust cover. I don't think this model was produced as a "Historic" reissue, which is OK by me, because the original models did NOT have a tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece - just the old non-adjustable bridge/tailpiece combo bar... I DO know it plays and sounds just like a Les Paul with screamin' P90's should!

While the NAME "Les Paul Special" has come to be applied to a wide variety of entry-level (for Gibson!) models, the all-mahogany flat-topped axes (like this one) loaded with P90s are the only ones that I consider REAL Les Paul Specials (and Juniors). The rest of them are just, well... "marketing."

AUGUST, 2002 - Although this axe has NEVER been on the list of axes I might consider modding, I did replace the tuners with a set of Grover Rotomatics, which I believe improve the tune-abilty, tone and sustain...

NOTE: There's a lot of confusion about what a "JUNIOR" is and isn't, and what a "SPECIAL" is and isn't. ORIGINALLY, the "Junior/Special" model name was an indicator of how many pickups the guitar had - ONE for Juniors, TWO for Specials. It was NOT an indicator of BODY STYLE (single-cutaway vs. double-cutaway), as some people have come to think. According to my research, the single-cut Juniors and Specials STOPPED PRODUCTION in 1958 when the double-cut body was introduced, but the names remained in use indicating the pup configuration - just as they always had. Calling all single-cutaways "Juniors" and all double-cutaways "Specials" from this original production period is NOT correct - the number of pickups is the indicator, NOT the body style. The problem was compounded in the '90s when the Gibson lineup included a Les Paul Junior Lite model. In another example of classic Gibson goofiness, this new "Junior" model had two pickups - go figure! Now that that model has gone, they seem to have straightened it out - ONE pup is a Junior, TWO pups is a Special... You tell, 'em, "Deaf Eddie sez so!"