Gibson Guitars has its world headquarters today in Gibson, USA but the company was first built in Nashville.  It was built especially for the production of Les Paul guitars and, in 1980, the legendary guitarist B.B. King joined them bringing his Lucille model with him.  Then, in 1982, Chet Atkins also joined them with his concept of a solid body acoustic guitar.

Now today, Gibson represents not only the future of electric guitars but the history of them also and some of them have become classic designs such as ES-175, ES-335, Flying V, Explorer, Firebird, SG and Les Paul.  This company had a 40 year tradition of quality and innovation before beginning its work on their first electric guitar and it had to be the very best.

Gibson Guitars introduced the Les Paul Model in 1952 and it grew into a family of four models – Junior, Special, Standard and Custom – and they have all become Gibson classics.  Their top models had a tune-o-matic bridge which is still standard on the Gibson electric guitar and then, in 1958, McCarty came out with two radical new ideas:  a semi-hollowbody electric and a group of solidbodies.  The Es-335 was instantly successful as it combined the archtop styling with solidbody construction.

In 1935, Gibson came out with the distinctive hexagonal pickup on a lap steel model which was installed on an F-hole archtop guitar and was dubbed the ES-150 (Electric Spanish).  The ES-150 is still known as the Charlie Christian model because he thought it was the best and that it had its own unique voice.  Then, in the 1960’s, Gibson came out with two more solid body lines – the double-cutaway SG model of ‘61and the reverse-body Firebird of ’63.

Following is a list of guitarists and bands who use the Les Paul model so have fun looking through it.

Johnny A

Jan Akkerman

Duane Allman (The Allman Brothers Band)

Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day)

Chet Atkins

Martin Barre (Jethro Tull)

Jeff Beck (The Yardbirds/solo)

Chuck Berry

Dickey Betts (The Allman Brothers Band)

Marc Bolan (T.Rex)

Mick Box (Uriah Heep)

Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown

Jack Bruce (Cream/solo)

Buckethead (real name: Brian Carroll)

Sam Bush

Larry Carlton

Charlie Christian

John Cipollina (Quicksilver Messenger Service)

Eric Clapton

Dennis Coffey (veteran Motown session guitarist)

Allen Collins (Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Rossington-Collins Band, Allen Collins Band)

Stompin’ Tom Connors

Sheryl Crow

Dave Davies (The Kinks)

Reverend Gary Davis

Buck Dharma (Blue Öyster Cult)

Al Di Meola

Bob Dylan

Duane Eddy

Elliot Easton (The Cars)

The Edge

(U2)

John Entwistle (The Who)

The Everly Brothers

Tal Farlow

Don Felder (Eagles)

John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival and a solo artist)

Peter Frampton (Humble Pie and a solo artist)

Ace Frehley (Kiss)

Hank Garland

Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)

David Gilmour

Freddie Green (Grant Green Peter Green )

Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures, Nirvana)

Arlo Guthrie

Woody Guthrie

Steve Hackett (Genesis, GTR)

Kirk Hammett (Metallica)

Emmylou Harris

George Harrison (The Beatles)

Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule)

Justin Hayward (The Moody Blues)

Jimi Hendrix (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)

James Hetfield (Metallica)

Brent Hinds (Mastodon)

Steve Howe (Yes, Asia, GTR)

Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)

Matthias Jabs (Scorpions)

Joan Jett

Eric Johnson

Robert Johnson

Brian Jones (The Rolling Stones)

Mick Jones (Foreigner)

Mick Jones (The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite, Carbon/Silicon)

Steve Jones (Sex Pistols)

Jorma Kaukonen

Barney Kessel

Albert King

B. B. King

Freddie King

Paul Kossoff (Free)

Lenny Kravitz

Robby Krieger (The Doors)

Andrew Latimer (Camel)

Albert Lee

Alvin Lee (Ten Years After)

John Lennon (The Beatles)

Alex Lifeson (Rush)

Lonnie Mack

Frank Marino

Bob Marley (Bob Marley and The Wailers)

Jeff Martin (The Tea Party/solo)

Pat Martino

Daron Malakian (System of a Down)

Tak Matsumoto (B’z/solo)

Paul McCartney (The Beatles)

John McLaughlin

Ralph McTell

Pat Metheny

Bill Monroe

Gary Moore (Thin Lizzy, Skid Row,  solo)

Scotty Moore (Elvis Presley’s original lead guitarist)

Wes Montgomery

Jimmy Nolen (The J.B.’s)

Ted Nugent

Mike Oldfield

Roy Orbison

Jimmy Page (The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, solo)

Joe Pass

Les Paul

Joe Perry (Aerosmith)

Carl Perkins

Andy Powell (Wishbone Ash)

John Prine

Mick Ralphs (Bad Company, Mott the Hoople)

Randy Rhoads (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne)

Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)

Lee Ritenour

Howard Roberts

Brian Robertson (Thin Lizzy, Motörhead)

Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes)

Mick Ronson (David Bowie)

Gary Rossington (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Carlos Santana

Michael Schenker (Scorpions, UFO, Michael Schenker Group)

Rudolph Schenker (Scorpions)

Tom Scholz (Boston)

Neal Schon (Journey)

Gene Simmons (Kiss)

Earl Scruggs (one of the original Bill Monroe Blue Grass Boys)

Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe/Sixx A.M.)

Slash (Guns N’ Roses, Slash’s Snakepit, Velvet Revolver, Slash’s Blues Ball)

Johnny Smith

Bill Spooner (The Tubes)

Paul Stanley (Kiss)

Hubert Sumlin

John Sykes (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Blue Murder)

Mick Taylor (The Rolling Stones, solo)

Rosetta Tharpe

George Thorogood Johnny Thunders

Pete Townshend (The Who, solo)

Eddie Van Halen

Joe Walsh (James Gang, Eagles)

Muddy Waters

Carl Wilson (The Beach Boys)

Johnny Winter

Ronnie Wood (Faces/The Rolling Stones)

Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne/Black Label Society)

Angus Young (AC/DC)

Neil Young

Frank Zappa

There are a number of features that distinguish Gibson Guitars aside from the shaping and body design.  The strings of Les Paul guitars are mounted on top of the guitar body and the bodies have a variety of colors such as Wine Red, Ebony, Classic White, Fire Burst and Alpine White.  They also have a variety of finishes and decorative levels, numerous hardware options and a very new array of electric pick-up options.

Now, following is a list of models and it is quite long but so worth reading through.  Have fun as you do.

Gibson Custom

Jimmy Page “Number Two” Les Paul

Epiphone

Les Paul Standard

Gibson USA

Les Paul Studio

Gibson USA

2008 Les Paul Standard

Gibson USA

Slash Appetite Les Paul

Gibson USA

Les Paul Studio Faded

Gibson Custom

50^th Anniversary 1959 Les Paul Standard

Gibson Custom

50^th Anniversary 1060 Les Paul Standard

Gibson USA

Sammy Hagar Red Rocker Les Paul

Gibson USA

Les Paul Tribute 1952

Gibson Custom

50^th anniversary 1960 Les Paul Custom ‘Black Beauty’

Gibson USA

Les Paul studio 60’s

Gibson Custom

1958 Les Paul Plain Top VOS

Gibson Custom

Les Paul Custom

Gibson USA

Les Paul Traditional Pro

Gibson USA

Les Paul Studio Silverburst

Gibson USA

Les Paul Studio Mahogany

Gibson Custom

Billy Gibbons ‘Pearly Gates’ Les Paul Standard

Gibson Custom

Les Paul Axcess Standard

Gibson USA

Les Paul Doublecut Classic Japan Exclusive

Gibson USA

Les Paul Jr Doublecut Japan Exclusive

Gibson USA

Zakk Wylde Les Paul BFG

Epiphone

Les Paul Custom

Epiphone

Les Paul Standard Ultra

Gibson USA

Les Paul Florentine with Bigsby

Gibson USA

Buckethead Signature Les Paul

Gibson USA

Les Paul Jr Special Japan Exclusive

Gibson USA

Les Paul Studio Mahogany Japan Exclusive

Gibson USA

Les Paul Piezo

Gibson USA

Les Paul Traditional

Gibson Custom

Michael Bloomfield 1959 Les Paul Standard

Gibson Custom

Jeff Beck 1954 Les Paul Oxblood

Epiphone

Les Paul Standard Plain-Top

Epiphone

Les Paul Standard Plus-Top

Epiphone

Ltd Ed Les Paul Custom Silverburst

Epiphone

Ltd Ed Les Paul Custom Chrome

Gibson USA

Les Paul Studio Raw Power

Gibson USA

Robot Les Paul Jr. Special

Gibson Custom

1957 Les Paul Goldtop VOS

Gibson USA

Les Paul Jr.

Gibson Custom

Peter Frampton Les Paul

Gibson USA

Les Paul Studio Swamp Ash

Epiphone

Prophecy Les Paul Custom GX

Gibson Custom

1959 Les Paul Standard VOS

Epiphone

Ltd Ed Twisted Sister Les Paul Standard

Gibson USA

Les Paul Supreme

Epiphone

Les Paul Standard Ultra-II

Gibson Custom

Joe Perry Boneyard Les Paul

Gibson USA

Gary Moore BFG

Epiphone

Les Paul Black Beauty

Gibson Custom

1956 Les Paul Goldtop Vos

Epiphone

Les Paul Studio

Gibson Custom

Zakk Wylde Les Paul Bullseye

Gibson Custom

1954 Les Paul Custom VOS

Gibson USA

Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Jr.

Epiphone

Prophecy Les Paul Custom EX

Gibson Custom

1954 Les Paul Goldtop Gloss

Gibson Custom

1957 Les Paul Goldtop Darkback VOS

Epiphone

Les Paul “Slash” Signature Goldtop

Gibson Custom

Joe Bonamassa Les Paul

Epiphone

Les Paul Custom Zakk Wylde “Bullseye”

Gibson Custom

1957 LP Custom 2 Pickup VOS

Gibson Custom

1957 Les Paul Custom 3 Pickup VOS

Epiphone

Les Paul Custom Zakk Wylde “Camo”

Epiphone

Les Paul 100

Epiphone

Les Paul Special II

Epiphone

Les Paul PeeWee RaveRig

Gibson Custom

1959 Les Paul Reissue Gloss

Gibson Custom

1957 Les Paul Jr. Single Cut VOS

Gibson Custom

1960 Les Paul Standard VOS

Gibson Custom

Mick Jones Les Paul Custom

Gibson Custom

1960 Les Paul Special Single Cut VOS

Gibson Custom

1958 Les Paul Jr. Double Cut VOS

Gibson Custom

1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut VOS

Gibson Custom

Steve Jones Les Paul Custom

Gibson Custom

Slash Les Paul

Gibson Custom

Warren Haynes Les Paul Standard

Now – take your time, relax and think it over and then search for used Gibson guitars for sale.