1968 Gibson Les Paul Custom, Black - Early Long Tenon model
Regular price
- Unit price
- / per
At a Glance:
Model: Les Paul Custom
Finish: Black
Body: Single-piece Mahogany
Neck: Single-piece Mahogany, long neck tenon, no volute
Tuners: Correct factory Pat Pend Grovers
Bridge: Correct Patent No. bridge with changed saddles; (five nylon saddles included)
Pickups: Correct, unopened Patent Number humbuckers
Electronics: Legible codes dating to week 45 of 1967
Frets: Refretted
Finish: Neck refinished; no breaks or repairs. (Photos of stripped neck included)
Changes: Jack plate, pickup selector switch and pot cavity cover changed; original jack plate and switch retained.
Pickup readings: Bridge 7.29k | Neck 7.12k
Nut Width: 42.6mm
Neck depth: 1st Fret 22.4mm | 12th Fret 25.8mm
We are not box shifters, we take your packing and shipping very seriously..!
We have to. You're considering spending a lot of money with us and you would obviously like your valuable musical instrument to arrive at your door, without drama, fuss or damage.
We have many years (stretching way back in to the last century) of packing and shipping fragile musical items all over the world - in fact the number of sometimes priceless, vintage instruments we have shipped is in the thousands.
When you buy a vintage or second hand item from us, it will be hand packed by one or more of our specialist, in house staff and then shipped in our own custom made cardboard boxes (If applicable).
We normally ship via our preferred carriers UPS, DPD, Parcelforce and Royal Mail for smaller items such as straps and leads. Tracking numbers are always provided.
Shipping prices vary by item and by location, please see the individual products for details but as a guide, prices for a guitar is usually:
UK - £50
Mainland Europe - £75
USA - £200
Rest of World (rates can vary a lot depending on country) - £250
How can I pay?
All our base prices are in £GBP Sterling and exclude delivery.
Payments can be made by bank transfer (up to any amount) or credit/debit card through our website (up to £10,000.) Due to fraud risks we do not take payment by phone. We accept and use many online payment services that work by way of bank transfer and recommend Wise.com who will in generally offer far better exchange rates than banks.
Do your prices include VAT?
All prices include UK VAT but most used or vintage guitars are sold under the UK marginal scheme for secondhand goods which means you will not get an invoice with the VAT amount shown separately, neither will you be able to claim this VAT element back if you are VAT registered, and the VAT element cannot be deducted for export sales.
For new items such as some guitars, pedals, straps, cables etc 20% UK VAT is included and if you are in an export country, which since Brexit now includes Europe and of course the US, this 20% VAT will automatically be deducted at checkout for you. You may have to pay local taxes and duties when your goods arrive in your home country, we advise you to check with your local customs office to be sure.
Can I reserve or put an item on hold?
Yes you can. Items can be put on hold for a deposit payment of 10%. This will hold the item for up to 30 days but this deposit payment is non refundable in the event of the buyer failing to complete the sale.
A further 10% payment at the end of the initial 30 day period will extend this period for another 30 days and subject to individual approval, this arrangement can be extended at our discretion. ATB Guitars holds title to the goods until paid for in full and if the buyer should change his/her mind for any reason, a restocking fee equivalent to to 15% of the total purchase price will be deducted from any refund given.
Do you have a mailing list?
The best way to get on our mailing list is to submit the form at the bottom of every page on our website. Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ATBguitars as most new items are posted there as soon as we buy them and before they go on the website. If you are searching for a specific guitar then send us an email and we will attempt to alert you once one has been found.
1968 Gibson Les Paul Custom, Black - Early Long Tenon model
Regular price
- Unit price
- / per
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1968 Gibson Les Paul Custom, Black - Early Long Tenon model
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Description
An exceptional early 1968 Gibson Les Paul Custom, finished in Black carrying all of the desirable, early first-year production features.
This is a very cool example from the earliest period of Les Paul Custom production after the model returned in August of 1968. These first incarnation features include: single-piece Mahogany body, single-piece Mahogany neck, long neck tenon, clover-shaped cavity route, no volute, no “Made in USA” stamp, dotted “i”/ open “b” and “o” logo, factory Patent Pending Grovers, ’67-dated pots and a 516XXX serial number. Together these features separate the earliest/first incarnation examples from later '68 production, making this a particularly early, rare and collectible example.
The guitar presents well overall. The neck has been refinished, but importantly there are no breaks or repairs, and photographs of the neck stripped are included. There is a slight washer imprint to the face of the headstock from a previously installed set of repro tuners, but importantly no extra holes were drilled, and the correct Grovers have been re-instated.
The neck itself is a real highlight. Unlike later examples, it has a lovely chunky rounded C profile, offering plenty of support in the hand while still feeling very playable. It has been refretted, and overall it plays great.
Hardware is largely correct, including the factory Patent Pending gold Grover tuners and correct Patent No. bridge. The saddles have been changed, though five nylon saddles are included. The jack plate has also been changed, with the original retained, and the pickup selector switch has been replaced, again with the original included. The pot cavity cover is non-original.
Electrically, the guitar retains its correct Patent Number humbuckers, which appear unopened/solder intact. The pots all appear correct, with the legible codes reading 137 6745, dating to week 45 of 1967.
Tonally, the Patent Number humbuckers are superb. They are chimey, open and harmonically rich, with a lovely balance between clarity and warmth. There is plenty of depth and weight to the sound, but it still has the air and articulation you hope for from a good humbucker Les Paul.
All in all, this is a very desirable early Les Paul Custom from the model’s first year back in production. With its long tenon, single-piece body and neck, chunky profile, factory Pat Pending Grovers, ’67 pots, no volute and no “Made in USA” stamp, it has all the right early features and makes for a seriously compelling find. A superb vintage Les Paul offering excellent collectibility and rarity.
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At a Glance:
Model: Les Paul Custom
Finish: Black
Body: Single-piece Mahogany
Neck: Single-piece Mahogany, long neck tenon, no volute
Tuners: Correct factory Pat Pend Grovers
Bridge: Correct Patent No. bridge with changed saddles; (five nylon saddles included)
Pickups: Correct, unopened Patent Number humbuckers
Electronics: Legible codes dating to week 45 of 1967
Frets: Refretted
Finish: Neck refinished; no breaks or repairs. (Photos of stripped neck included)
Changes: Jack plate, pickup selector switch and pot cavity cover changed; original jack plate and switch retained.
Pickup readings: Bridge 7.29k | Neck 7.12k
Nut Width: 42.6mm
Neck depth: 1st Fret 22.4mm | 12th Fret 25.8mm
We are not box shifters, we take your packing and shipping very seriously..!
We have to. You're considering spending a lot of money with us and you would obviously like your valuable musical instrument to arrive at your door, without drama, fuss or damage.
We have many years (stretching way back in to the last century) of packing and shipping fragile musical items all over the world - in fact the number of sometimes priceless, vintage instruments we have shipped is in the thousands.
When you buy a vintage or second hand item from us, it will be hand packed by one or more of our specialist, in house staff and then shipped in our own custom made cardboard boxes (If applicable).
We normally ship via our preferred carriers UPS, DPD, Parcelforce and Royal Mail for smaller items such as straps and leads. Tracking numbers are always provided.
Shipping prices vary by item and by location, please see the individual products for details but as a guide, prices for a guitar is usually:
UK - £50
Mainland Europe - £75
USA - £200
Rest of World (rates can vary a lot depending on country) - £250
How can I pay?
All our base prices are in £GBP Sterling and exclude delivery.
Payments can be made by bank transfer (up to any amount) or credit/debit card through our website (up to £10,000.) Due to fraud risks we do not take payment by phone. We accept and use many online payment services that work by way of bank transfer and recommend Wise.com who will in generally offer far better exchange rates than banks.
Do your prices include VAT?
All prices include UK VAT but most used or vintage guitars are sold under the UK marginal scheme for secondhand goods which means you will not get an invoice with the VAT amount shown separately, neither will you be able to claim this VAT element back if you are VAT registered, and the VAT element cannot be deducted for export sales.
For new items such as some guitars, pedals, straps, cables etc 20% UK VAT is included and if you are in an export country, which since Brexit now includes Europe and of course the US, this 20% VAT will automatically be deducted at checkout for you. You may have to pay local taxes and duties when your goods arrive in your home country, we advise you to check with your local customs office to be sure.
Can I reserve or put an item on hold?
Yes you can. Items can be put on hold for a deposit payment of 10%. This will hold the item for up to 30 days but this deposit payment is non refundable in the event of the buyer failing to complete the sale.
A further 10% payment at the end of the initial 30 day period will extend this period for another 30 days and subject to individual approval, this arrangement can be extended at our discretion. ATB Guitars holds title to the goods until paid for in full and if the buyer should change his/her mind for any reason, a restocking fee equivalent to to 15% of the total purchase price will be deducted from any refund given.
Do you have a mailing list?
The best way to get on our mailing list is to submit the form at the bottom of every page on our website. Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ATBguitars as most new items are posted there as soon as we buy them and before they go on the website. If you are searching for a specific guitar then send us an email and we will attempt to alert you once one has been found.