Gibson's so-called "fretless wonder" got a bit more futuristic with the arrival of the silverburst finish in 1978. This example is in very good shape, with minimal wear and the greening that often occurs on vintage models.
Within this general rising tide of Les Paul Custom popularity and value, today's focal model, the silverburst Les Paul Custom, has seen an even more pronounced jump. These guitars were produced by Gibson starting in 1978 in very limited numbers and underwent a few spec changes before being discontinued in the mid-'80s. Sale prices on this specific group of guitars surged 28 percent in 2020 over 2019, with a 52 percent increase in prices since 2017. Just a few years ago, original silverburst Customs were selling comfortably in the $3,000 to $5,000 range. Today, we're seeing the best examples go for more than double that.
The basic configuration of the single-cutaway Les Paul has remained no nonsense for more than 60 years, with two pickups, four dials, a 3-way toggle, and a Tune-o-matic bridge at its core.
While there are always a variety of drivers behind such a jump in the pricing of a vintage collectible guitar, an artist or stylistic association is certainly part of the equation. Customs claim a certain reputation as metal guitars—think Metallica, Mastodon, and Zakk Wylde—and while plenty of classic-rock titans have employed them over the years, it could be that there are more metal and hard-rock fans getting into the vintage market than in previous periods, driving up prices. For this group, a dapper Les Paul Custom makes a lot more sense as a guitar splurge than something like a sunburst or goldtop Standard.
With no belt rash or other notable dings or scrapes on the back of its mahogany body, this guitar was handled with care. Note the well-defined back binding and lack of chipping along the edges, too.
This column's featured guitar is an original 1979 in very good vintage condition, listed on Reverb by Nationwide Guitars of Cumberland, Maryland, at $8,999 as we go to press. It sports the specs typical of its year and model: a 3-piece maple top with a mahogany body, a medium C-shape maple neck, an ebony fretboard with white binding, a bone nut, mother-of-peal block inlays, a Tune-o-matic bridge, a pair of humbuckers, a 3-way pickup selector, and a black version of the usual Les Paul dual volume and tone controls. Note that the finish shows some greening, which is typical of vintage silverbursts.
True to its roots, this Custom sports a larger headstock, which identifies it as a product of the era when Gibson was owned by the Norlin Corporation.
In the case of this month's silverburst, we can confidently point to the 2020 launch of a Custom Shop reissue of Adam Jones of Tool's trusty '79 as the culprit. This sort of high-profile reissue often has the effect of spurring collector interest in its vintage counterpart, and this can be even more of a factor when the new reissues are sold at prices that are similar to or higher than the originals, which is the case with this model. The Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS was also teased for a long while before going into production, creating more sustained silverburst hype, and this publicity was only amplified by news of a batch of these guitars being stolen this past November. While our guitar has some of the aforementioned finish greening in its center silver section, it's retained its original silverburst glow better than many of its brethren, which is appealing to collectors and players alike.
RatingsPros:A sweet-to-savage range of tones from a relatively noise-free P-90. Comfortable. Cons: Some minor intonation issues. Street: $1,599 Gibson Lukas Nelson '56 Les Paul Junior gibson.com
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Whether you’re rehabbing a Les Paul Deluxe or an Epiphone Sheraton, or simply working on a different model or project that calls for mini humbuckers, we’ve rounded up 10 contemporary options to wire up, drop in, and rock out.
DIMARZIO
PG-13Originally developed for Paul Gilbert to deliver the sonic versatility he needs, this pickup was designed to combine the noiseless operation of a ’bucker with the focus and clarity of a single-coil.
$99 street
dimarzio.com
LACE
Drop & Gain Mini HumbuckerIntended for drop-D tunings and high-gain rock, these humbuckers have two discreet coil functions: one to drive output and the other for punch, crunch, sustain, and fast articulation.
$115 street
lacemusic.com
DRAGONFIRE
Mini BuckerThese vintage-wound pickups use alnico-5 magnets to achieve rounded and dynamic rhythm and lead performance for everything from blues to classic rock.
$45 street
dragonfireguitars.com
LOLLAR
Mini HumbuckerCompared with a vintage mini, these pickups are reported to be fatter and hotter without extreme microphonics, and, next to a full-size humbucker, brighter and tighter.
$175 street
lollarpickups.com
RIO GRANDE
Baby BBQ DawgbuckerFeaturing oversized polepieces and available in a number of different finishes, these double-wax-potted pickups were dreamed up to offer more power and presence than their vintage predecessors.
$170 street
riograndepickups.com
SEYMOUR DUNCAN
Seymourized Mini HumbuckerThese handmade neck minis were designed to provide more midrange and clarity for clean tones that are clear and snappy, and distorted tones with a pleasant mid-based growl.
$109 street
seymourduncan.com
CURTIS NOVAK
Mini-HumDesigned to deliver distinctive, harmonically rich tone with no shrillness, these old-school humbuckers are handwound to vintage specs, but can be custom wound upon request.
$160 street
curtisnovak.com
EMG
Mini Hum M-50For those in the active camp, this alnico-5 mini was designed to provide plenty of inductance and a beefy sound—great for driving a Marshall, but also good for playing slide through a Deluxe.
$99 street
emgpickups.com
KLEIN
Mini HumbuckerWound to vintage specs, these mini humbuckers are reported to be brighter than their full-size counterparts, with more depth and presence, and offer plenty of bite and grind when dug into.
$150 street
kleinpickups.com
GIBSON
Mini HumbuckerThis vintage replica from the company that introduced the mini humbucker in the ’60s uses alnico-2 magnets for its bright and focused output, but still retains Gibson’s well-known humbucker performance.
$155 street
gibson.com