1995 Gibson Les Paul Studio Ebony w/ Gold Hardware

While Les Paul remains deeply influential as a guitar player, perhaps his greatest legacy will be his contribution to the evolution of electric guitars. By 1951, Les Paul was a respected guitar player, and he was known as a bit of an innovator, too. He had experimented with the solid-body electric guitar concept for years, so Gibson president Ted McCarty approached him that year to discuss a collaboration. The result was the Gibson Les Paul Model, which remains one of the most influential and forward-thinking electric designs ever conceived. Since the 1950s, it has been the flagship of Gibson's electric lineup. Gibson introduced the Les Paul Studio in 1983 as a more cost-effective, stripped-down iteration of the model. It has no binding whatsoever, and its body is made of Alder. This cost-driven wood choice makes most Studios very different from a regular Les Paul, but in the mid-'90s, there were a select number of Studios made with a traditional Mahogany body and a Maple top. This ite