Gibson Les Paul 1956 Goldtop Ultra Light Aged 2023

This Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul 1956 Goldtop is a Murphy Lab Ultra Light Aged reissue that captures the look and feel of a genuine mid-fifties single-cut. Loaded with a pair of P90s and finished in that unmistakable gold, it offers all the vintage bite and character you'd want in a guitar you'll actually play hard.

The 1956 Goldtop represents the final year of the P90-equipped Les Paul before the PAF humbucker arrived, and for many players it's the purest, rawest form of the model. Gibson's Murphy Lab takes the acclaimed reissue and adds hand-applied aging, with the Ultra Light treatment being the subtlest in the range: just enough wear to warm up the finish and take the edge off that box-fresh stiffness, without the heavier checking and dings of the more aggressive tiers.

This example is in excellent condition, and it's genuinely hard to tell where the Murphy Lab aging ends and the real playwear begins, which is exactly the point. The pickups have been swapped for a set of Throbak 55/56 P90s, chosen for their authentic vintage voicing, while the original Gibson Custom P90s are included in the case should you ever want to return it to stock.

Those P90s are the heart of this guitar: fat, gritty and full of midrange bark, with a clarity and cutting edge that humbuckers simply can't match. The mahogany body and maple top give a warm, resonant foundation, while the 50s Medium C neck fills the hand comfortably without ever feeling clubby. With its 12" rosewood fingerboard and 24.75" scale, it plays with that familiar, inviting Les Paul feel.

This instrument has been carefully inspected for originality, condition and playability, then set up to our Gold Standard by a luthier. We make sure it arrives in your hands exactly as it should: sounding its best, playing effortlessly and ready to be enjoyed from the very first note.