When I think of the ultimate Rock & Roll guitar, I think of the Gibson Les Paul Junior. A one-piece body and a one-piece neck with one pickup; because you know how to rock. And what could be more Rock & Roll than Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers? That's right, none more rock.. The most outrageous version the Les Paul Junior is the "TV model" which was finished in "Lime mahogany" which is to say, a straw-hue tint with clear coat, which yellowed with age and exposure to oxygen and nicotine. These guitars display their "mojo" most prominently. It's easy to see the age, depending on how yellow the finish is. Johnny Thunders is arguably the most associated name with these guitars and he was certainly outrageous. Let's get on with it.
This vintage Gibson Les Paul Junior was made at the end of the 1959 calendar year at the original Gibson factory in Kalamazoo Michigan, U.S.A. It has a '59-style neck profile with the wide nut. If you are looking for pristine original closet hideout condition-this ain't it. If you are looking for a mostly original vintage Gibson Les Paul Junior that plays sounds and looks amazing, this is the ONE!
This guitar was refinished in the late 1980's, and has yellowed considerably. The finish looks absolutely killer with a perfect soft vintage shine and checking all over-front and back. There is typical handling evidence along with chips and patina everywhere-see photos. There are some hard to see filled holes in the top behind the bridge as well as one between the knobs. They are hard to notice in person, and whomever did the work did a good job-see photos. The neck joint has line cracks in the finish but the neck joint is solid and stable and the guitar stays in tune well. The body is the standard double cutaway Honduran Mahogany One-piece slab design and the neck is also a Honduran Mahogany One-piece unit, set into the body like all other Gibsons from this time period. One potentiometer dates to the 47th week of 1959 and the other one looks to be the 3rd or 5th week of 1960. The original bumble capacitor is present. The original P-90 pickup is in place and it is a verified double-black wire late 1950's style unit. The pickguard is the original tortoise shell see-through piece and it is crack free and beautiful. The lightweight wraparound bridge is nice and fits well. The neck angle is excellent ant there are no issues with it. Original knobs are present and in good condition. The strap pins are replacement pieces from the 1980's. The body has nice edges and looks and feels just perfect!
The neck itself is a classic '59 profile: not too angular and thick like a '58, but bigger than a typical '60. It has the wide nut which measures 1 11/16" wide. The neck depth measures .879" deep at the 1st fret and .955" deep at the 12th fret. Could it be any better? The neck is straight and smooth. The tuners are the original Kluson strip type. They function as designed. The headstock and logo are original and display Awesome with tons of checking and perfect patina-see photos. The action is set low for a fast and easy playing experience. The current string height is .010" at the 1st fret and .055" at the 12th fret. You can easily raise the string height with the bridge, if you like a higher action. The guitar plays really easily up and down the fingerboard. The Brazilian rosewood fingerboard is smooth and clean and has a soft feel. There are no dead spots anywhere and you can really pull some great bends with this guitar.
The original P-90 pickup sounds exactly as you would expect: it absolutely screams bloody murder when paired with any quality tube amplifier. It has an excellent signal too: measuring 9.94 ohms. The controls funtion smoothly and quietly.
This guitar is a lot of fun to play. It is extremely comfortable and easy access the higher notes with ease-no wonder so many lead players choose this design. The guitar is super lightweight-it only weighs 6.99 lbs. You can play all night and forget all about neck fatigue-this baby has you covered. You're going to want to play it all night long too-once you pick it up, you won't want to put it back down...it's that kind of guitar. Comes with an SKB hard case for protection. Johnny Thunders not included, Heartbreaker band sold separately.
