Vintage 1978 Gibson Les Paul custom 25/50 anniversary natural
A 1979 Les Paul 25/50 Limited Edition guitar in excellent condition and in good working order. Only the second “anniversary” model ever offered by Gibson, the 25/50 has a number of unique features including the gold/chome hardware combination, factory coil tap, Super 400 split block inlay (on an ebony board), abalone side dots, factory brass nut, and of course the gorgeous 25/50 headstock inlay. Created to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Les Paul model and the 50th anniversary of Les Paul’s recording career, the 25/50 was initially shipped in 1978, although many (like the one seen here) didn’t leave the factory until 1979! This is an extremely powerful sounding Les Paul, with near endless sustain, great clarity and the kind of fundamental punch that you only get with a 70’s Les Paul that has some weight to it.
This popular Kalamazoo production run totaled 1,106 guitars in 1978 and 2,305 in 1979 (a total of 3,411). Figured maple was the norm for all 25/50s models. Some were outstanding… Our guitar is the 38th 25/50 that was built…
“25th Anniversary Les Paul: limited edition to mark 25th anniversary of model, 50th anniversary of Les Paul’s career, carved maple top, 2 humbucking pickups, coil-tap switch, black barrel knobs, tune-o-matic bridge, TP-6 tailpiece, bound fingerboard and peghead, slashed-block inlay, brass nut, 25 over 50 inlaid on peghead, metal keystone tuner buttons, gold-plated hardware, cherry sunburst, black, wine red or natural finish, regular serial number and limited edition number on back of peghead, at least 1842 produced. Available by special order (some with 1978 number): 1979” (Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars, p. 220).
“The 25/50 model was issued to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Les Paul model (a year late, since 1977 was actually the 25th year), and the 50th anniversary of Les Paul’s career in the music business. The 25/50 model is a distinctive model in the Les Paul lineage for many reasons, including the unique and intricate pearl and abalone “25/50″ headstock inlay design, creative use of silver and gold hardware combinations (e.g., the tuners are gold with silver buttons), abalone side dot marker inlays, beautiful flamed maple top, five piece flamed maple neck, split block parallelogram inlays (one of only two Les Paul production models to sport these inlays), large control cavity, gold truss rod cover inscribed with ‘Les Paul Anniversary’, brass nut, and a coil tap mini-switch (one of the few production Les Pauls with a coil tap until the Jimmy Page Les Paul was introduced). In addition to the above unique features, the 25/50 had multi-ply binding on the front and back of the body and the front of the headstock, a volute, Nashville bridge with TP-6 fine tuning tailpiece, black speed knobs, Schaller style ‘Gibson’ tuners, and Series VII pickups.”
The Les Paul 25/50 was available in tobacco sunburst, natural, wine red, and black. The original price was around $1,200…