Since the mid 1960’s, I was Les' guitar builder & repair man, soundman/engineer, Producer & Emcee at all the shows at Fat Tuesdays & both Iridium Clubs in NYC for over 26 years. I was his trusted confidant, co-inventor, sounding board, fixer, and close personal friend for almost five decades… right up until the time of his passing. Les was my hero, my mentor, my great friend…and our lives were inextricably intertwined with all things guitar, music, sound, electronics, performance, and experimentation. Les counted on me to fix his guitars when he tore them apart in a mad dash towards some sort of experiment. I helped him design pickups, electronics, performance systems, his stage shows, and consulted with him regarding his business with Gibson. It is with great pleasure that I now offer this fantastic one-of-a-kind collection. Just imagine all of this amazing historical memorabilia all in one place, in a lovely glass case or a wall hanging lighted shadowbox. There is nothing out there like this collection, and this is a very special and unique opportunity to own a piece of The Les Paul Legacy.

LES PAUL’S 50th ANNIVERSARY GIBSON CUSTOM SHOP LES PAUL WHITE CUSTOM - COLLECTORS PACKAGE
In 2002 The Gibson Guitar Company presented Mr. Les Paul with a very special 50th Anniversary present at the Iridium Club in New York City. In 1952 Gibson and Les Paul started their relationship and offered the world the very first Gibson Les Paul Electric Guitar. As a very special “Thank You” gift that commemorated 50 years of working together, The Gibson Custom Shop made a very special and beautiful 2002 White Les Paul Custom just for Les to celebrate and mark the occasion. There was a big ceremony, a presentation on stage, a party, and a whole lot of “well-knowns” and guitar luminaries filled The Iridium Club to commemorate the auspicious event. Suffice it to say that Les was very moved, and absolutely loved the new Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul White Custom that was made just for him.

A little later on, Les did the now famous photo shoot with Gene Martin… and those photos have become incredibly notorious, acclaimed, renowned, and certainly very iconic. He used this 2002 White Custom 50th Anniversary gift for all of those photos (See the famous photos above). Probably the most famous and notable being the one where Les is sticking out his tongue… who hasn’t seen that picture, right?

Then, as a further demonstration of how much Les Paul loved and revered his new 50th Anniversary White Custom, he posed with it for the cover of his one and only Autobiography “Les Paul in His Own Words”. This guitar graced both the cover and the last page as well. Just think of it, from all the literally hundreds of guitars that Les Paul owned, he chose this one… his Personal 2002 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul White Custom 50th Anniversary Guitar to use and show the world what he and Gibson had done together. He was very, very proud of this guitar and what he had done over the span of his career… and this guitar represented that pride and that accomplishment.

Unlike so many of the other guitars that Les had lying around all over his very large Mahwah, New Jersey Estate, Les actually used and played this guitar quite often. Les had a “thing” for having his frets slightly hang over the binding on the neck… with no binding over the frets. So he had the Gibson Custom Shop make a custom alteration after the fact for him, special. Les would only bother doing this for guitars he would actually use and play… all of the other guitars that he didn’t play would remain “stock”. Check out all the picks scratches on the pickguard, by the way.  
 

This guitar is part of an amazing Collection and Package that includes:

Suffice it to say that there’s no other collection quite like this, or as complete and comprehensive as this anywhere around today. This Les Paul Collection represents the very best of Mr. Les Paul, The Gibson Company, and what they did together for all of those years. Mr. Les Paul and his Gibson Les Paul electric guitar have certainly made an indelible contribution to music, and to history all around the world, into perpetuity. This very special collection commemorates Mr. Les Paul’s life, and the impact of that contribution like no other… and is probably the most unique, extraordinary, and complete collection of its kind available anywhere.

10% OF THE PROCEEDS OF THIS SALE WILL BE DONATED TO THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY IN LES PAUL AND TOM DOYLE’S NAME