Les Paul Model (Goldtop) 1957
The Les Paul Model (or the Goldtop, as it is more popularly known) underwent a simple but significant change in the middle of 1957: it switched from P-90 pickups to the now-classic double-coil humbuckers.
The Les Paul Model (also known as the Standard some years) was one of Gibson's best-selling models of guitar. Not only did it represent - then as now - the epitome of design in the burgeoning world of the electric guitar, but its human namesake was enjoying numerous hits with his partner Mary Ford, so that the Les Paul name was prominent with the general public, and not just 1950's guitar-heads.
The 1957 goldtop Les Paul Model featured a carved 3-piece maple top with a mahogany back and neck (although a few were manufactured with an all-mahogany body) and gold top finish; two double-coil humbucking pickups; trapeze bridge/tailpiece combination; rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlays; pearl logo on the head; silkscreened 'Les Paul' signature and 'model' on peghead; Kluson tuners; and nickel-plated hardware.
Bluesman Freddie King (one of the 'three Kings') made excellent use of this model, causing a young Eric Clapton to purchase his first Les Paul.
Value: A genuine 1957 Les Paul model in Excellent condition with original hardware can command between $80,000.00 and $100,000.00. ***Note:*** This is for the humbucking-pickup version (shown below). The model with P-90 pickups is worth between $25,000.00 and $35,000.00.
