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Gibson Custom Les Paul Custom - Ebony with Ebony Fingerboard

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body, Maple Top, Mahogany Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Ebony
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Gibson Custom Les Paul Custom - Ebony with Ebony Fingerboard
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The One, the Only Les Paul Custom

With its sonic punch, fluid playability, and classic “tuxedo” appointments, the Les Paul Custom is equal parts elegance and brute strength. Fitted with a matched 490/498 humbucker set that takes you from mellow jazz tones to full shred with a pinky twist, this majestic beast is ultra-responsive to your touch. Its fast-action neck, smooth-as-silk ebony fingerboard, and medium jumbo frets facilitate the speedy, dexterous fretwork we’ve heard across prog, fusion, and hard rock genres from guitar virtuosos like Robert Fripp, Al Di Meola, and Zakk Wylde. Gibson’s Custom Shop luthiers selected premium mahogany for the body and capped it with a 2-piece carved maple top — a classic recipe for rich, sustaining, articulate tone that’ll slice right through the mix.

A tradition of effortless playability

The Gibson Les Paul Custom is well known for its playability; many guitarists use the word “effortless” to describe it. Soon after its 1954 introduction, players (and Gibson literature) started referring to it as the “Fretless Wonder.” It wasn’t fretless, of course, but Gibson had fitted the Custom with flat, low-profile frets, which allowed your fingers to fly over the fingerboard. Today’s LP Custom is equipped with medium jumbo frets more suited to contemporary playing styles, but ultra-playability remains a hallmark of this iconic solidbody electric guitar.

A classic tonewood recipe for sustain and articulation

Although the original Les Paul Custom had an all-mahogany body, today’s Custom features a mahogany body with a carved 2-piece maple top. This combination serves up the density needed for massive sustain and precise note articulation. The result is a highly playable instrument that looks and sounds incredible. Gold hardware provides a crowning finishing touch for the Les Paul Custom.

Matched humbucker set delivers a universe of tone

This Les Paul Custom is spec’d with a matched pair of 490/498 humbuckers. Naturally, these pickups really shine when pumping out the classic fat, snarling tone that is the Les Paul’s stock-in-trade. They are delightfully responsive, though — simply roll back the volume, and they clean up beautifully. Sweetwater guitarists love this pickup combo, and so will you. Whether you’re delivering your musical message with mellow jazz tones, bone-rattling crunch, or a blistering liquid inferno — the Les Paul Custom rewards your touch with world-class responsiveness.

Gibson voiced the pickups on the Les Paul Custom for tonal characteristics similar to their ’57 Classics, but with a slight increase in the upper mids for a more contemporary humbucker sound. The neck-position 490R gives you the tonal characteristics of an original PAF, albeit with a slight upper-mid bump, which delivers clarity and definition that complement the wonderfully warm sound of this pickup: great for tasty, chimey rhythm work. Gibson’s 498T alnico humbucker is the ideal bridge pickup if your playing requires an emphasis on mids and highs. A high-output version of the 490T, this pickup combines a slightly hotter Alnico V magnet with a specially wound coil combination. The result is increased crunch and sustain — a potent sonic elixir for heavier music styles. Each pickup’s pole pieces are aligned to match the string spacing at the neck and bridge, respectively.

Nitro finish, for the look and feel of a classic

This Les Paul Custom wears a gorgeous nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Nitro finishes — standard back in the day — are significantly thinner than today’s polyurethane finishes, allowing the guitar to “breathe.” Nitro finishes not only look amazing, but they also enhance the instrument’s tonal qualities. This guitar has the look and feel of a lovingly cared-for classic — one that will only improve with age.

Gibson Custom Les Paul Custom Solidbody Electric Guitar Features:

  • An iconic solidbody electric from one of the world’s renowned guitar makers
  • Mahogany body, carved 2-piece maple top; nitrocellulose lacquer finish
  • Mahogany neck; nitrocellulose lacquer finish
  • Ebony fingerboard, 12" radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, mother-of-pearl block inlays
  • Bridge pickup: 498T humbucker
  • Neck pickup: 490R humbucker
  • 3-way pickup selector
  • Bridge and neck volume controls
  • Bridge and neck tone controls
  • Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
  • 1.69" Corian nut; Grover kidney tuners

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape Les Paul Custom
  • Body Material Mahogany
  • Top Material 2-piece Plain Maple
  • Body Finish Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer
  • Color Ebony
  • Neck
  • Neck Material Mahogany
  • Neck Joint Set Neck
  • Radius 12"
  • Fingerboard Material Ebony
  • Fingerboard Inlay Mother-of-Pearl Blocks
  • Number of Frets 22, Medium Jumbo
  • Scale Length 24.75"
  • Nut Width 1.6875"
  • Nut Material Corian
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Tune-O-Matic with Stopbar
  • Tuners Grover Kidney
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Gibson 490R Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup Gibson 498T Humbucker
  • Controls 2 x volume, 2 x tone
  • Switching 3-way toggle pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings Gibson, .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Hardshell Case
  • Manufacturer Part Number: LPC-EBGH1E

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Yep … it’s what I was looking for

Nailed it! It has all of the sounds I'm looking for. Sounds amazing on the clean channel. All the warmth and buttery good stuff. The heavy tones are really what I'm so pleased with. It can gallop with the heaviest riffs and has great note clarity. I get all the tones I want from my triple rec. The tight choppy thrash riffs and it handles all of the gain I can throw at it. I get those super good clean tones from the same triple rec all with this one axe. Amp in pic to see my set up. This LP is worth every penny and I'm selling that PRS you see on the wall. It can't give me what the Les Paul Custom can
Rated 5/5

Killer Guitar

First and foremost, Mark Johnson my sales engineer was all over this purchase.I've bought several guitars and Mark is always outstanding and on top of his game. He works like a fine tuned machine. The guitar plays super nice. Sounds good and has exceptional sustain. It has that gibson feel.The finish is pristine. Arrived in 2 days, super fast. I don't have any complaints.
Rated 5/5

A Complete Beast!

This is my 4th Les Paul. I just can't get enough of these guitars...This LP Custom in particular is something else. Playability is superior than the other models and the combination of the Ebony fretboard with the 490/498 pickups produces a hotter, snappier sound, just killer. I purchased a demo product and it came in with a small blemish not shown in the pics. As soon as I reported the issue Sweetwater Support sent me another guitar immediately; however, I decided to keep the first one because it had a thinner, more confortable neck. In any case, Sweetwater just proved once again that for them customer comes first: A big shout out to John Vaughan, my Sweetwater Sales Engineer that went above and beyond to make sure that I get the best Demo available as quickly as possible. If you are on the fence on whether you should buy this guitar or not please do it, there will be no doubt in your mind once you hear it roar!
Music background: I've been playing guitar for 40 years
Rated 5/5

Amazing Power

I've owned several LP guitars over the years. The LP Custom growls like it could eat them all. Couldn't be happier! With my Gibson Custom R9 I now have grace and power. Thanks for all your help Jimmy Hart!
Rated 5/5

Wow !!

I have owned an early 90's GLPC, a standard and a few studios, all of them have been great guitars, but none of them had the tone that this 2023 has. The custom shop is really putting out great work nowadays!! Mine weighs 10 pounds and everything about it is superb, I did have to adjust the pickup height and put some good strings on it but man does it play and sound fantastic !! As for the price, it's a lot for the non professional but to me it is worth it.
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