MikeSlub
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They are cool geetars! :dude:
Excerpt from my article on Anniversary LPs on the Les Paul Forum Home Site:
20th Anniversary Custom (1974)
According to Tony Bacon's book, it occurred to Gibson in 1974 that it was 20 years since the first Les Paul Custom had appeared (who knows why it didn't occur to them to celebrate 20 years for the Les Paul Model in 1972?), so they celebrated by issuing a Custom with a Twentieth Anniversary inlay at the 15th fret, in place of the normal blank position marker. This was Gibson's first anniversary model, and it proved to be very successful. It is clear that this guitar established a marketing trend for other anniversary models to follow.
The 20th anniversary Les Paul Custom is typical of an early 70's Norlin model. It has a pancake (3 piece) body, gold hardware, volute, witch hat knobs, ABR-1 bridge, ebony fretboard, 3-piece mahogany neck, thin binding in the cutaway, 6 digit serial number, and "Made in USA" stamp on the back of the headstock. The 20th anniversary pictured is cherry sunburst and weighs 9 lbs., 14 oz. The 20th anniversary models were made in Kalamazoo.
There are varying accounts of how many 20th anniversary model Les Paul Customs were manufactured. According to Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars, all Les Paul Customs in 1974 have Twentieth Anniversary engraved in block letters on the 15th fret inlay, but then the guide goes on to say black or white finish. Gibson shipping totals show 60 Twentieth Anniversary models produced in ebony or white in 1975, but make no reference to this model specifically in 1974, a year in which over 7,500 Les Paul Customs were manufactured. In fact, 20th anniversary model Customs have also been seen in cherry sunburst (see photo) and wine red, albeit in limited numbers. But, according to shipping records, there were also 572 Les Paul Customs made in 1974 in tobacco sunburst, and some of these has been spotted with the 20th anniversary inlay. Based on the number of 20th anniversary models documented by guitar collectors, it would seem that a very large number, perhaps the majority, of Les Paul Customs manufactured in 1974 (at least several thousand) had the 20th anniversary engraving on the 15th fret inlay.
Here's mine:
Excerpt from my article on Anniversary LPs on the Les Paul Forum Home Site:
20th Anniversary Custom (1974)
According to Tony Bacon's book, it occurred to Gibson in 1974 that it was 20 years since the first Les Paul Custom had appeared (who knows why it didn't occur to them to celebrate 20 years for the Les Paul Model in 1972?), so they celebrated by issuing a Custom with a Twentieth Anniversary inlay at the 15th fret, in place of the normal blank position marker. This was Gibson's first anniversary model, and it proved to be very successful. It is clear that this guitar established a marketing trend for other anniversary models to follow.
The 20th anniversary Les Paul Custom is typical of an early 70's Norlin model. It has a pancake (3 piece) body, gold hardware, volute, witch hat knobs, ABR-1 bridge, ebony fretboard, 3-piece mahogany neck, thin binding in the cutaway, 6 digit serial number, and "Made in USA" stamp on the back of the headstock. The 20th anniversary pictured is cherry sunburst and weighs 9 lbs., 14 oz. The 20th anniversary models were made in Kalamazoo.
There are varying accounts of how many 20th anniversary model Les Paul Customs were manufactured. According to Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars, all Les Paul Customs in 1974 have Twentieth Anniversary engraved in block letters on the 15th fret inlay, but then the guide goes on to say black or white finish. Gibson shipping totals show 60 Twentieth Anniversary models produced in ebony or white in 1975, but make no reference to this model specifically in 1974, a year in which over 7,500 Les Paul Customs were manufactured. In fact, 20th anniversary model Customs have also been seen in cherry sunburst (see photo) and wine red, albeit in limited numbers. But, according to shipping records, there were also 572 Les Paul Customs made in 1974 in tobacco sunburst, and some of these has been spotted with the 20th anniversary inlay. Based on the number of 20th anniversary models documented by guitar collectors, it would seem that a very large number, perhaps the majority, of Les Paul Customs manufactured in 1974 (at least several thousand) had the 20th anniversary engraving on the 15th fret inlay.
Here's mine:
hotos
