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In 1954, Gibson rolled out it's "fretless wonder" Les Paul "Black Beauty". It had deluxe binding, full block MOP fretboard inlays, the brand new Seth Lover designed Alnico V "staple" pickup, and gold hardware. It also had a stop tailpiece and a tune-a-matic bridge.
In 1955, Seth Lover finished his PAF, which was introduced in the LP in 1957. The staple pickup was retired and never made much of a comeback. This was largely due to the expensive of building it, which included six spring adjustable magnets to dial in the string balance. The pickup was designed to compete with the Gretsch Dynasonic, which was a hot single coil with greater mids than the P90.
In 2015, Heritage started to build a limited run of the H-157 based on the 1954 Gibson LP Custom. A total of 40 were made. The guitar has the same type of hardware, a solid mahogany body, Seymour Duncan's pickups based on the original Gibsons, the deluxe binding, and most other features. The necks were carved like a typical mid-50 LP, which is plump.
There are some differences. The frets are not tiny "fretless" ones, which IMO is a good change. The pickguard is ebony, a nice touch.
The guitars were built using the same machines and techniques as the original and in the same building. None of the builders were around Gibson in 1954 but several were later in the 1950s.
My guitar is a little less than 9.5 lbs, which was not unusually light in the 1950s.
I've been a fan of the LP since I was a kid. What really excited me was Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Peter Green and especially Michael Bloomfield. While the bursts get most of the praise, I've been dazzled by the white, black and goldtop versions.
I considered getting a Gibson reissue but didn't for a few reasons. They are expensive and are no more authentic all around than the Heritage version. Heritage doesn't claim these are reissues. Their limited edition is an informal tribute.
The staple pickup is important to me because it does clean very well, a bit richer than the P90 without shrillness. It's excellent for jazz.
I pick up the guitar this weekend and will provide a report later.
Here is a video of the pickup.
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06-30-2017 04:12 PM
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How the pickup is built. Hope this isn't boring.
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Pics of the guitar.
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Wow, Marty, that's magnificent, and you've outdone me tenfold: I bought an Epiphone Black Beauty just over a couple of weeks ago. And while I love my cheap little runaround, you have the real deal! I did contemplate purchasing the staples pickup after Neatomic suggested it, but I found a Gibson Classic 57 pickup on a bookshelf in my house, so I'll be using that. The staple pickup has a unique sound, and I'd love to know what you think of it.
To be honest, I'm in two minds about the ebony pick guard, as it doesn't look black enough for a Black Beauty, I'd have to see it in front of me before making a decision on that.
But I'm hugely impressed that you bought this guitar, I'm sure you'll love it!
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Good for you, Marty. I had my eye on that one as well, but couldn't justify another LP style guitar. The one at Green Oak is one of the lightest ones built by Heritage. I've read that most are over 10lbs.
As always, you do an excellent job giving the back story to this model as well as the special pickups. Looking forward to your review.
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congrats..so nice!!...the staple alnico v's are great pups..kudos to seymour duncan..he makes them in a humbucker sized mount as well!! and the "modernized" fretwork should be great as well!
thats the jim hall guitar..on the earliest chico hamilton records..he traded it to howard roberts for his es 175
cheers
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A few years ago I struggled with the brown streaking seen in some ebony. It looked like bad wood to me. Then I had a guitar built for me by Chuck Thornton. He changed my thinking and pointed out the beauty of the mixture of black and brown intertwining.
I researched it and found that a tremendous amount of ebony is wasted because it isn't consistently jet black. As a consequence, ebony was becoming scarcer. Deforesting (harvesting) involved long trips deep into the forest with many trees cut down and abandoned in the process just to find the good stuff.
The color of the wood does not affect anything except its visual presentation. So some luthiers simply stain the ebony consistently black. Others spoke out, advocating for the acceptance of variegated ebony.
Sustainable Ebony | Taylor Guitars
So here's some images of my guitar that Chuck built. He make the headstock veneer, the fretboard, the tailpiece and the pickguard our of the same billet of ebony.
But for a Black Beauty, it took me an additional couple of years to accept the appearance of brown and black ebony. It was not love at first sight, for sure. But it has grown on me.
I do draw the line on the finish. If they put brown swirls on the top, no way.
Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
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It's a long story how I came by the photos but here's a shot at guitars from that run still in the paint booth.
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Oh, I have no problem with brown ebony, as it can look very beautiful, as your Chuck Thornton guitar atests - what a stunner!
At least you have a pick guard - mine came without one.
No negatives from me, Marty. It looks great, and I'm sure it will sound and play great too.
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Great score and as Tim says great back story...
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Congratulations, Marty! I've had my eye on one of those special H-157s since they were released, and have only resisted the temptation because they are so difficult to find in Europe. From the clips I've heard, I really like the sound of the Alnico pickup, and also really like the 'elegance' of the black and gold finish (in both the original LP Custom and the Heritage 'homage'). Personally, I like the ebony pickguard on yours just fine!
Enjoy, and please report back with a report on the sound and feel of the guitar after you've had the chance to play it awhile.
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Absolutely stunning looking guitar- the 'Black Beauty' LP is such a classy looking guitar.
Les Paul wanted an instrument that would look good with the tuxedo you'd wear to your gig back in the day. I always though it was funny though that his personal guitars were completely hacked up in most instances!
I have never played a guitar with a staple pickup, however I have a Jim Hall album where he uses the Les Paul and the sound is great.
Would be interesting to compare the Heritage guitar with the Gibson version.
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Great Heritage guitar
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Got the guitar. Some of the pics the seller posted were a different instrument. Mine has jet black ebony on the board. The pickguard is variegated. The neck is fairly fat but not uncomfortable.
I'll do a NGD soon.
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AND I remember reading an interview where he stated that he liked the way the black guitar showed off his white fingers flying around. Originally Posted by entresz
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