Music

Here we have the 1968 Gibson Les Paul Custom, known as "The Reborn." I acquired this guitar in San Francisco, California. Its history is a mystery, as it was in a non-functional state, stripped of part of its hardware. While some pieces were original, only a few remained. After a lot of hard work, it has been restored with all the correct and original missing parts from the 1960s. It has a legendary tone, with all the original electronics. The potentiometers date back to week 28 of 1968 and it features the original Sprague capacitors from the late '60s. It has pickups with a patent number Pre T Top; one is very similar to a PAF with a purple wire in the neck position, and the other, very rare, has one coil with a red wire and the other coil with a purple wire installed in the bridge position, all original. This shows signs of the transition of windings in the factories, with a high resistance of 8.4 ohms. The bridge tailpiece is made of very lightweight aluminum, original from 1968, and the Tune-O-Matic has nylon saddles, also original. The pickguard is original, with high rings for the humbucker reminiscent of Gibson from the '50s.This guitar is a work of art from Gibson's golden era. Playing it will leave you breathless. These guitars are extremely rare, with only 100 units made in 1968. I have literature that discusses this, as many people have different opinions; I’m attaching a photo of the book The Modern Era Of Les Paul Legacy 1968-2009. The first three serial numbers vary, starting with 800 and 500, and it is well documented that only the Standards and Customs up to number 530 in the first three digits of the six-digit serial number are considered models from 1968. This is one of those 100, with a serial number starting with 529XXX. Restoring it required a lot of work, research, and financial effort due to the scarcity of materials. I also received help from some books and knowledgeable people on Reverb, groups, and forums. That’s why we decided to name this very rare and special guitar.I have owned many guitars and played all kinds: R9 and R8 reissues, Murphy Labs. I have had Les Paul Customs and played models from 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1980, 1988, and many more. I have owned Gibson Les Paul Standards, always searching for that powerful and mythical tone, which I found in this 1968 Les Paul Custom. None of my previous guitars compare to this one in tone. For a reason, it is so legendary; currently reissued and so rare, it is called the first reissue, due to having all the characteristics similar to the legendary 1959, only differentiated by color and the ebony fingerboard. I believe that only a 1959 surpasses the sound of this guitar, which has left many people, young and old, breathless after trying it.It has a very comfortable medium C neck and very comfortable frets, which are not original, but it retains the original nicks despite having a re-fret . I believe this is my most special guitar and my personal guitar, and I won’t sell it easily because I know it’s not easy to find something like this every day, and I’m not sure if I’ll be lucky enough to find an original 1968 again. It is a true treasure, despite being player grade.Now, after sharing the story and details, I’ll talk about the following aesthetic details: The guitar has never had repairs on the neck. Unfortunately, it suffered a modification in the tone cavity, but it is reversible and does not affect anything structurally. I am planning to take it to the Gibson Murphy Lab for restoration in this area; I believe the next owner could do this. In 20 years, that repair won’t matter. The guitar has an overspray for aesthetic purposes on the neck and on the back of the headstock, due to some Grover tuners being installed at some point, but the serial number is clearly visible with light reflection on the headstock.At some point, the guitar had a Bigsby Tremolo Bridge System installed, but I only know this from some marks. In the humbucker cavities, as well as in the tone and selector cavities, there was a pearlescent paint overspray; this can only be seen when the parts are disassembled, and it’s not a major issue. At some point, it had a hole for a selector, which was filled and repaired; I know this because it’s visible under black light.Everything else is excellent. The finish is original, and the hard case is a 535 from the '60s, very hard to find. It looks beautiful alongside the guitar.I can ship to:United StatesWithin CanadaUnited KingdomJapanDuties are to be covered by the buyer, as well as shipping costs. I will include a hardcase gibson model chainsaw 1980 for Les Paul Guitars ,to ensure it travels safely, and I will send the old hard case in another box; this would be my recommendation unless the buyer decides otherwise. I can also deliver it in person.Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Specifically, this guitar is player grade and is meant for a true musician like me who wants to enjoy the true tone and play with this black beauty. It is not for stamp collectors, or if you are, understand that despite having quite a few details, this is part of its history, and it won’t be easy to see this guitar again.

The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar that was first sold by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952. With its distinctive tone and solid construction, it has become an iconic model in the music world.