From that classic Gibson year, a 1959 Les Paul Junior.

Born from a desire to provide a no-frills yet well constructed alternative to the company’s other offerings, the Les Paul Junior proved popular with professional as well as students who appreciated primal nature of the instrument. Introduced towards the end of 1958, the Double Cut design added better upper fret access to the neck and the cherry finish gave the guitar a fresh look for the coming decade.

Classic pairing of mahogany and cherry finish in a killer package. The top has faded a little and there are a fair few bumps and scraps all over the body. The finish has checked beautifully, giving this guitar a classic look.

This example was owned by Darrell Bath, Darrell Bath, a British guitarist who notably worked with UK Subs, toured with Die Toten Hosen, The Crybabys with Honest John Plain and joined The Dogs D’amour playing on top 30 album ‘More Unchartered Heights of Disgrace’. He worked for Ian Hunter recording “Dirty Laundry” and “Artful Dodger” and worked with artists like Ed Tudor Pole and Nikki Sudden, as well as releasing his own solo stuff ‘Sabre Jet’ and “Love and Hurt”. He unfortunately passed away in September of 2021 and the guitar came to us from his family. This guitar was a constant companion during this time and as such bears the marks of the road.

The neck has that classic ‘59 neck profile that seems to sit in the ‘goldilocks zone’ of not too big or not too small; always just right. There is some decent wear across the back of the neck, but nothing that gets in the way of playing.

The headstock has been broken and repaired. The fretboard is worn but not heavily and the recent refret means they have plenty of life left in them. Tuners look to be correct but have been rebuttoned. There was also some minor finish issues on the headstock face from a previous repair that have also been corrected. This does not affect the finish, decal or the serial number.

The tortoiseshell pickguard and pickup cover are in great shape. The knobs are replacements and the tailpiece, though correct, has been modified slightly over time. The tuners are aged repros. You will also notice that the bridge post ha been moved on more than one occasion. This has been repaired correctly and is now stable and intonates properly.

Electrically everything is correct. The solder joints look to have been reheat possibly. The pickup looks to have escaped any issues and is a stunning proposition

What can we say about these guitars that you won’t already know. Incredibly versatile for an instrument with so few options. The controls are very interactive, coaxing out a wide palette of tones. These guitars are incredibly popular for a reason.

Looking for a foot on the vintage guitar ladder, a great sounding guitar or both, you can’t go far wrong with this Les Paul Junior.