{"product_id":"wwcongb41010-2021-ww-spec-54-les-paul-custom-ml-heavy-aged","title":"2021 Murphy Lab Wildwood Spec 1954 Les Paul Custom -  Heavy Aged","description":"\u003ch2\u003eCondition of Instrument\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThis 2021 Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab 1954 Reissue Les Paul Custom is in excellent condition, showing only very light signs of use with no additional wear beyond the intentional aging applied by the Murphy Lab. This is a beautifully preserved example that showcases the exceptional character and craftsmanship of the Murphy Lab. Includes the original hardshell case and Murphy Lab certificate of authenticity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Marvels of the Murphy Lab\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are 7.764 billion people on this beautiful ball of water and dirt that we call home, and hardly any of them know Gibson guitars better than Tom Murphy. Tom is a legend in the world of guitars, and instruments bearing his name have acquired a deservedly sterling reputation due to their outstanding tone, jaw-dropping looks, and stunning vintage accuracy. But, he wasn't always a rockstar of lutherie. In fact, he worked as a professional touring musician for many years, and during that time he became intimately acquainted with vintage guitars: how they sound, how they feel, and how they look. After deciding to stop touring, Tom got a job as a finish specialist at Gibson and eventually became a project manager in charge of the first reissues of the 1959 Les Paul standard. For a while, Tom also gained valuable experience working as a luthier to the stars, and his client list included luminaries like Jimmy Page, Dickey Betts, Joe Perry, Billy Gibbons, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, and Gary Rossington (fun fact: he brought Peter Frampton's iconic Les Paul Custom back from the dead after it had been resting in pieces in the debris of a crashed cargo plane for three decades!). Now, things have come full circle, and our friends at Gibson have handed Tom the keys to a brand-new institution of sonic savagery within the Gibson Custom Shop: the Murphy Lab. Tom and his team of skilled craftspeople have one mission, and one mission only: to create the most ridiculously awesome recreations of vintage Gibson guitars that the world has ever seen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eStep Into the Lab\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMurphy Lab is aptly named because it is basically the musical equivalent of what happens when you give a mad scientist a laboratory fully-stocked with warp drives and flux capacitors. With a plethora of resources behind them, Tom and his team have been able to create guitars that are essentially carbon copies of vintage Gibsons. They look, feel, and sound so close to the originals that it's downright scary. How do Tom and his team achieve such unparalleled vintage accuracy? Well, first off, Tom has discovered a brand-new formula for nitrocellulose lacquer to use on aged guitars that mimics the properties of 1950s and '60s finishes to a T. Thanks to this thinner finish, aged Murphy Lab guitars look like authentic vintage pieces. They don't just look the part--they are the real McCoy! Of course, the heart of the Murphy Lab is the aging process. Part of what made Tom a legend was his ability to replicate the natural wear and tear found on distressed vintage instruments by hand-aging brand-new instruments. With his practiced eye and skilled hands, Tom artfully mimicked the finish and feel of old guitars, and he has imparted his skills to the talented team at the Murphy Lab. Though Tom may not age each and every guitar himself, he has done a bang-up job of teaching his team the Way of Murphy, and they do a marvelous job of replicating his masterful work. As a result, each guitar looks like it came out of a time machine and feels like your favorite worn-in pair of blue jeans.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eColossal Custom Tone\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen 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!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eA Mahogany Monster\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eA Staple Singer\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Custom That Started it All\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe 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!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Used","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54577889771795,"sku":"WWCONGB41010","price":8299.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0799\/5824\/5651\/files\/wwcongb41010_lg1.jpg?v=1787325555","url":"https:\/\/wildwoodguitars.com\/products\/wwcongb41010-2021-ww-spec-54-les-paul-custom-ml-heavy-aged","provider":"Wildwood Guitars","version":"1.0","type":"link"}