Gibson Guitars unveil the Robby Krieger 1954 Les Paul Custom, limited run replicas of Robby’s workhorse guitar.
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The artist allowed Gibson Custom luthiers to have unrestricted access to the original guitar, allowing them to recreate the guitar down to the smallest details.
Only a total of 300 of this guitars are planned for production, with the first 50 being the most premium, Robby himself will be playing these instruments and approving each one with his signature. Another 100 hand-aged replicas will be made, while the final 150 models will come treated to Gibson Custom’s artificial again process called VOS.
The company shared the background story of the original guitar, “Robby Krieger’s 1954 Les Paul Custom became a constant writing companion, workhorse, performing partner, muse, and musical soul mate all rolled into one right from the time he acquired it used in 1968. Nicknamed “L.A. Woman” after its use on that classic track by The Doors, it contributed to many unforgettable hits, and remains in Robby’s possession to this day, a tried and true companion to a career that has continually evolved and inspired over decades.“
Now official replicas of the “L.A. Woman” is going to be made available to the privileged few. The Robby Krieger 1954 Les Paul Custom is meant to reproduce the feel, tone and looks of the original for collectors and experienced players to appreciate. The company was able to achieve this via extensive hands-on examination, digital scanning, photography, actual measurements and more. Gibson assures that this replica looks, plays and sounds as close as humanly possible to the original.
The guitar has a one-piece mahogany body that features an arched top and carved into the conventional Les Paul single cutaway shape. It is then glued with a solid mahogany neck that features an ebony fingerboard. Both the body and neck are wrapped by vintage style multi-ply bindings.
It has a Classic Fact Gibson Single-Coil P-90 in the bridge position while the neck humbucker is a Seymour Duncan built SM1N mini-humbucker. This pickup combination matches the ones found on Robby’s original guitar, giving it the same artist-approved sound.
Other notable details include the closely matched dish carve and neck profile carve, the aged pearl block fretboard inlays and period correct vintage multi-ply binding. For the 1st 150 samples that feature hand aging, Gibson Custom mimicked every ding, scuff and check line found in Robby’s guitar.
Since there is no official demo video yet, check out this interview with Robby where his original Les Paul Custom was also featured:
As expected, the limited run Robby Krieger 1954 Les Paul Custom comes with a premium price tag that starts at $6,665. For more information, head over to Gibson.
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Looking for a great amp to pair this guitar with? Check out our Top 10 Guitar Amps List!