Gibson Les Paul Guitar Navy Blue Poster

When we think of the solid-body electric guitar explosion, we inevitably think of the early to mid-1950s. But Les Paul’s story goes back even further than that. In 1945, Les Paul, already a respected guitar innovator, presented Gibson with the idea of a solid-body Spanish guitar.

A piece of pine ran through the middle of the instrument – slightly deeper and wider than the fretboard – and hollow sides or “wings” were added to give it shape. Les dubbed his prototype “The Log” – not exactly an awe-inspiring name, but perfectly fitting for what was essentially a bolted-together plank of pine.

Even though Les recognized that the future of electric guitar manufacturing was solid-bodies, Gibson initially didn’t share his enthusiasm. They scoffed at the concept and rejected the prototype.

But by 1951, the guitar market was a very different place. Fender’s newly-named “Telecaster” was making a minor storm in the guitar-playing world, proving that Les Paul’s solid-body vision wasn’t quite as out there as Gibson first thought. Unsurprisingly, that same year, Ted McCarty and his team began work on what would eventually become the Les Paul model.

Gibson wanted a well-made, expensive instrument that lived up to their reputation as a manufacturer of high-end instruments – a clone of the Tele was not it. In late 1951, they approached Les Paul with a prototype of their new instrument and an inquiry; they wanted to print Les’s name on the headstock to boost sales.

That original guitar bore many of the characteristics we now associate with the Les Paul; its distinctive shape, mahogany body, and the iconic “Gold Top” color scheme (chosen to reflect the guitar’s status as a high-end instrument). However, there were some differences too. The pickups were P90s, and the trapeze tailpiece resembled that used on Gibson’s hollow bodies of the time.

On the 1952 models, the tailpiece was actually applied incorrectly, which greatly displeased Les Paul. The strings were wound underneath rather than over the top, as they should have been. This made right-hand string damping impossible.

The following year, after Les Paul’s protestations, the tailpiece was rectified. While this greatly improved the playing experience, intonation issues persisted. Consequently, Gibson abandoned the trapeze altogether in 1954, and the now-iconic tune-o-matic bridge was born.

The story of the classic sunburst Les Paul might have ended there, were it not for the impact of one guitar legend. In 1964, Keith Richards bought his 1959 Sunburst instrument, becoming the first guitarist on the British scene to use the instrument. His peers soon followed suit. Eric Clapton switched to a Les Paul in 1965, inspired by Freddie King. By the late 1960s, Peter Green, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page were spearheading the resurgence of the Les Paul.

The most popular guitar model and arguably the most popular electric guitar in the world at that time was a model that was no longer in production. In response to mounting pressure from the guitar-playing public, Gibson re-released the Les Paul in 1968 – its legendary status was finally confirmed. It has remained in production ever since.

This frame has soft lines, is tested and approved for children's rooms and is available in many sizes. The plastic front protection is safe and gives a good look to the print.

Features

You can easily hang the frame with nails or screws and decorate your walls with pictures.

It can be hung horizontally or vertically to fit the available space.

The plastic front protection makes the use of the frame safer.

What's in the box?

1 framed print

Frame: Particleboard, Paper foil

Front protection: Polystyrene

Print: Ultra Premium Photo Paper

Packaging