Used 2004 Gibson Custom, Art & Historic Les Paul Special

So Very Special

Here at Wildwood, we love the simple joys of life: a hot cup of coffee in the morning, sunshine, a cool spring breeze, that sort of thing. But, we have a special place in our collective hearts for one simple pleasure above all others: a slab of mahogany with two P-90s capable of unleashing pure rock and roll anarchy. Needless to say, we were delighted by this 2004 Les Paul Special from the Gibson Custom Shop's Art & Historic series.

Playing one of these lean, mean rock and roll machines is the musical equivalent of doing a burnout in a '67 Camaro. It's so fun that it should probably be illegal, and it gets your adrenaline pounding! Despite the Custom, Art & Historic LP Special's preponderance of muscle, it's a surprisingly versatile beast capable of excelling in many genres. So, let's dive deeper and examine the source of its many sonic delights.

P-90s and Mahogany: A Love Story

The magic starts with the aforementioned mahogany body working in tandem with P-90 pickups. Electric guitars with mahogany bodies tend to have a naturally round, warm, midrange-forward tone. You can hear this quite clearly when you play one of these Custom Shop Les Paul Specials unplugged, because each one has a one-piece body made of solid lightweight mahogany. This helps them achieve huge resonance even when strummed acoustically.

When you do amplify, the powerful chemistry between wood and wire is immediately apparent. Gibson's P-90s have powerful, throaty midrange response that matches mahogany's resonance perfectly. They also add in plenty of lush overtones and some warm-yet-muscular bass response. And for P-90 connoisseurs, it doesn't get much better than the custom P-90s that grace the Custom, Art & Historic Les Paul Special's mahogany body.

Can We Take it to the Bridge?

Now, I (Trevor, Wildwood's resident Guitar Scribe) am a bridge pickup junkie, so take this with a grain of salt. But if I had to pick one pickup to use for the rest of my life, it would be a Les Paul Special's bridge P-90.

This bridge P-90 is so touch-sensitive that you can coax a variety of different sounds out of it using just your hands. Play softly, and the mids will sound warm and open with glassy highs. Hit hard, and the midrange develops a lethally focused snarl as chiming overtones burst out of the high end. No matter what, the low end remains tight, though it has enough muscle to make striking the low E immensely satisfying.

It's the sort of tone that works anywhere. Through a dirty amp it's got the right combination of sparkle and punch for any variety of rock and roll, it's got enough Iommic power for riff-laden metal, and enough bad attitude for all things punky and garage-y. Through a clean amp, it has enough chime and jangle to please an indie rocker, enough sizzle and sustain to delight a blues player, and enough snappiness and twang to handle business in the country world.

Protect Ya Neck

Although the bridge pickup is magnificent, you won't be able to live without the neck P-90 once you give it a try. It showcases the same touch sensitivity as the bridge, but the highs sound glassier and more transparent, while the midrange bulks up and the lows become deeper.

As a result, the neck pickup sounds fantastically clear even when you slather it in gain. Its broad, powerful midrange resonance lends thick power-chord riffage more beef than all the Arby's in the world combined. But, when you turn down the gain, you get a pitch-perfect mellow, warm tone perfect for jazzy adventures (to say nothing of the bluesy shenanigans the smoother, warmer tone will inspire you to get into!).

And taking a solo in the neck position is an absolute joy. The P-90 is as touch-sensitive as the bridge, so you can alter the instrument's timbre easily with your right- and left-hand technique. The guitar sustains forever, too, thanks to the wraparound tailpiece. And, single notes have incredible fullness and weight. All together, these factors make for a remarkably expressive, endlessly inspiring playing experience in the neck position.

Simplify, Simplify

We are proud to showcase this 04 LP Special. We invite you to embrace the simple pleasures of life by taking one for spin and experiencing its singular brand of sonic magic. Once you do, we have no doubt it will bring you a lifetime of joy and inspiration throughout your fretboard journeys.

Condition Report

This LP Special is in fantastic shape! It shows light wear from normal use, and it shows extremely light fretwear (virtually zero, in fact!) There are just a few small cosmetic flaws to report: some light key marks on the treble-side near the waist, some faint red stain in a couple of places (by the heel joint and back edge, for example), and a tiny chip on the butt of the guitar. A previous owner was kind enough to install a bone nut and boost this guitar's tone and sustain as well. It comes with its original hardshell case and a certificate of authenticity, too!