Gibson Custom Shop Wildwood Spec 1954 Les Paul Custom – VOS, Bigsby

Colossal Custom Tone

When the first Les Paul Custom was born in 1954, the mountains shook and the heavens trembled at its awesome might and power. I might be embellishing here, but only slightly. The reason the Les Paul Custom shook up the musical world when it arrived is its alluring combination of raw muscle and elegant, stately styling. In a way, it's like the six-string equivalent of James Bond: sure, it might look fancy, but don't blink, because it's deadly and it has a license to kill.

To pay homage to those original black beauties, we asked our friends at the Gibson Custom Shop to build us some Wildwood Spec 1954 Les Paul Customs. We spent hours on the phone with them obsessing over aesthetic details like the tint of the binding, the tuners, and the plastics. Now that the results of our nerdery have arrived, we are delighted to share them with you!

A Mahogany Monster

The Wildwood Spec 1954 Les Paul Custom's cornerstone is its one-piece solid mahogany body. As a tonewood, mahogany exhibits exceptional warmth, midrange punching power, and roundness. All of those qualities are on full display here because our friends at the Custom Shop take great care to use only the finest, most resonant woods.

A Staple Singer

But, the wood can't speak without killer pickups, so Gibson outfitted these beasts with an Alnico 5 staple pickup in the neck position and a Custom P-90 in the bridge. With this combination, you could easily set cities aflame with rock and roll. The Staple pickup is especially cool because you don't see it very often and it sounds marvelous. Essentially, it's an overwound P-90 with a slightly brighter voice than normal. It produces rich, creamy lows to go with vocal midrange and chiming bell-like trebles. It's also quite touch-sensitive, and it sounds clear enough to strum big six-string chords with. It gives you a sizzling lead sound and a beautiful thick, crunchy rhythm sound. And, the P-90 in the bridge is delightful, with warm, woody low end, touch-sensitive midrange that can sing, punch or bite depending on your mood, and lush, chiming high-end.

The Custom That Started it All

We are proud to present the Wildwood Spec 1954 Les Paul Custom. We believe it is a fitting tribute to the Custom that started it all, and that its unique pickup combination gives it a voice unlike any other Custom out there. We know that its resonance, good looks, and playability will inspire you every time you reach for it. So, we invite you to take one for a spin and experience true colossal Custom tone!