In the 1950s, Gibson produced some of the most exquisite, most highly collectible guitars ever made. Setting out on an ambitious quest to recapture the American ingenuity and craftsmanship, performance, and quality of the guitar industry's Golden Age, the Gibson Custom Shop introduced the Gibson Historic Collection in 1993.

Today, to celebrate both the 20th anniversary of the Gibson Historic Collection and to pay tribute to 2013 -- "The Year of the Les Paul" -- Gibson's Custom Shop has released the 1958 Les Paul Plaintop Vintage Original Spec (VOS) 2013.

Features:

- An aniline dye finish. A vintage woodcraft coloring material and technique, aniline dye results in superior wood grain presentation and depth of color versus that of today's pigmented dyes.
- Custombucker pickups, the most accurate reproduction of Gibson's original, highly sought-after 1950s PAF pickups.
- Historically accurate single-layer rosewood fingerboard that complements the vintage binding and color.
- A proprietary fingerboard binding that recaptures the original's look and feel across the entirety of the neck.
- A return to joinery techniques that employ natural hide (animal) glue, rather than synthetic glue, specifically PVA (polyvinyl acetate). Having craftspeople hand-apply hide glue at the neck joint prepares the guitar for a lifetime of use, care, and recuperation from damage, as hide glue can be re-heated to remove the neck without damage to surrounding wood.
- Historically accurate truss rod… read more assembly, in which Gibson removed the more modern truss rod tubing and re-engineered the guitar's truss rod, truss rod washer, and anchor to their original forms.
- Kluson deluxe machine heads that match the proper profile, quality of materials, and performance specifications of those used on the original 1950s Les Pauls.

Edwin Wilson, Historic Program Manager at Gibson, calls the 2013 line of VOS guitars "the most accurate reproductions of the original '50s Les Paul specifications that it's possible to build today." Is the 1958 Les Paul Plaintop 2013 one of the best Les Paul reissues ever? You be the judge. read less