Les Paul Standard Black with Gold Hardware Ivory Colored Bindings and Pickguard

[Robertjonholden]

I purchased this Les Paul Standard used. It is black with gold hardware and ivory colored bindings and pick guard. I have tried to find information about this model with no success. I was told by the local retailer, that Standards were never manufactured with gold hardware. I did find reference to a limited run called "custom colors". Is this one of those or maybe a custom shop guitar? The person I purchased the guitar from, informed me after buying it that it used to be owned by Slash. I didn't put much stock in that info. but now I am starting to wonder. The serial # 91770421 and Made In USA is stamped in the back of the head stock. Any information about this model will be greatly appreciated.

[cjsinla]

I purchased this Les Paul Standard used. It is black with gold hardware and ivory colored bindings and pick guard. I have tried to find information about this model with no success. I was told by the local retailer, that Standards were never manufactured with gold hardware. I did find reference to a limited run called "custom colors". Is this one of those or maybe a custom shop guitar? The person I purchased the guitar from, informed me after buying it that it used to be owned by Slash. I didn't put much stock in that info. but now I am starting to wonder. The serial # 91770421 and Made In USA is stamped in the back of the head stock. Any information about this model will be greatly appreciated.

 

You need to post some pics. It's probably not custom shop with that serial number.

[charlie brown]

Photos, or it didn't happen/doesn't exisit!

 

Seriously, it could be a "limited run," "special edition," or one

of the "exclusive" editions, for certain chain store retailers, that

Gibson puts out, now and again...without necessarily being "Custom Shop."

 

CB

[pippy]

There have been some Standard-type guitars which came with gold hardware. In the early '90s there were even some 1960 Classics so equipped.

 

The guitar is also 23 years old so things might also have been swapped around although that's perhaps less likely.

 

The C.S. usually have a waterslide/decal on the rear of the headstock-neck area and often the serial number starts 'CS'. I'm not 100% sure about whether this was the situation in 1990, though.

 

As far as Slash goes; he might have or he might not.

Even if someone found a picture of him holding a guitar which looks 100% identical to yours, without 'Provenance' - a letter, written by himself (or perhaps his guitar tech), confirming that guitar 91770421 was his - it remains just a story, I'm afraid.

 

I can sympathise, BTW. I'm in a similar situation as regards one of my own guitars' previous owners which, unfortunately, can now never be confirmed.

 

P.

[cjsinla]

I purchased this Les Paul Standard used. It is black with gold hardware and ivory colored bindings and pick guard. I have tried to find information about this model with no success. I was told by the local retailer, that Standards were never manufactured with gold hardware. I did find reference to a limited run called "custom colors". Is this one of those or maybe a custom shop guitar? The person I purchased the guitar from, informed me after buying it that it used to be owned by Slash. I didn't put much stock in that info. but now I am starting to wonder. The serial # 91770421 and Made In USA is stamped in the back of the head stock. Any information about this model will be greatly appreciated.

 

 

BTW - how did you have to pay for Slash's guitar?

[L5Larry]

I received a PM from the OP requesting my IMHO, so here goes.

 

Good info above. I think what it boils down to is:

 

The serial number is the standard "Gibson USA" format. If this was a "Custom Shop" guitar it would be identified as such by a special serial number, Custom Shop logo, or both.

 

I lean toward the "special run" theory. Even as far back as the early 70's Gibson dealers have been able to order a "batch" of special run guitars with modified specs. These guitars are just another production order to Gibson, and are not documented by them (or the dealer) as anything special. The "GC Exclusive" is not a new concept, it's just now used as a advertising/marketing tool.

[Robertjonholden]

I have tried to up load a photo. I am using an IPad. The photo files are too large for this site unfortunately. I will try emailing to myself, open on a PC and shrink the file and post. Thanks everyone for our insight. I do find it helpful.

 

[Guest Farnsbarns]

Put it on photo bucket, flikr or any other photo hosting and then use the image button (little icon like a photo of a tree) to embed it.

[jimmy lee]

hello all. i also have one of these, serial #91630451, and this is the first i've heard/seen of another. found this page: http://www.guitardaterproject.org/gibson.aspx . dated it to June 12, 1990, 151st guitar made in Nashville that day. i bought it at Sam Ash on route 110 in Huntington, NY in, i believe, August 1990. gold hardware, cream pickguard, cream rings, double cream coils. i've had it since. have had lots of different PUPs in it (SD '59 in the neck, PRS Deep Dish 2 & SD Custom Custom in the bridge), now having settled on SD Antiquities in both positions, as well as upgraded electronics. no longer possess the pickguard, the rings or the original PUPs. a few months after i acquired it i tracked two cuts on Freedy Johnston's album "Can You Fly" with it: "Sincere" & "We Will Shine". on "Sincere" it's the main hooky, riffy part, on "We Will Shine" the only electric. don't remember if i'd swapped out the PUPs by then or not. pretty sure i was straight into some form of Blackface at Water Music in Hoboken, NJ. as i wrote above, this is the first i've heard of another one. it's the guitar i've had the longest and i remain very fond of it. it's a fine instrument and i'm happy to know someone else is enjoying it's sibling. now, i'm gonna go play it! pax...

[jimmy lee]

also just remembered that there are two clips on YouTube from about 16 months ago where i'm playing it. improvs with one of my very favorite partners in crime, the estimable m

Miss Mazz Swift, filmed at Hoboken Recorders by Jolil Ula. this was with the SD '59 in the neck and the SD Custom Custom in the bridge, as well as prior to the electronics upgrade:

 

 

 

pax

[Robertjonholden]

Thank you very much for your post.

Nice to have found her sibling. They are beautiful. The violin that Miss Swift is playing is definately unique. Interestingly enough, I did receive a response from Gibson regarding my inquiry. Here is the response....

Hello,

 

 

 

Thanks for writing!! The serial number is consistent with a 1990 LP Standard in Ebony with Gold Hardware and a Rosewood fretboard. This was a limited run for 1990.

 

 

 

 

 

Best regards,

 

Vince

 

 

 

Vincent Wynne

 

Gibson Customer Service.

 

 

 

 

I guess it was munfactured in the Nashville plant. All good info to have. I now know it was manufactured with the gold hardware. Something I had been told by the local/national dealer that had never been done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

quote name='jimmy lee' timestamp='1366819096' post='1366071']

also just remembered that there are two clips on YouTube from about 16 months ago where i'm playing it. improvs with one of my very favorite partners in crime, the estimable m

Miss Mazz Swift, filmed at Hoboken Recorders by Jolil Ula. this was with the SD '59 in the neck and the SD Custom Custom in the bridge, as well as prior to the electronics upgrade:

 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt8vQPTNtHY

 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8_XdRMIpVoo

 

pax

[jimmy lee]

just popped your serial number into that guitar dater i wrote about. here's what came back:

 

Your guitar was made at the

Nashville Plant, TN, USA

June 26th, 1990

Production Number: 121

 

so, exactly 2 weeks younger than mine. enjoy it...

pax,

JL

[jimmy lee]

also just found this:

 

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/88227-1990-gibson-les-paul-standard-with-gold

 

while the statement that it was a custom order seems inaccurate, this was what the guitar looked like, stock, when i purchased it.

 

pax,

jimmy

[jimmy lee]

as i purchased mine in new 1990, pre-Musicians Friend as far as i am aware, and at a Sam Ash, it might be that they did runs of them periodically. all i can say is i've not seen another in person, and this is the first i have heard of others. have a sense they are not terribly common...

[crazytrain513]

I'm pretty sure one of Jimmy Page's Standards has gold hardware. Not helping much but there's always a chance! Plus, Gibson has been known to be fairly inconsistent so you may have gotten a special one.

[halfdriven]

Mine is a 93 Standard. Came stock with gold hardware.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/24q57v2ffoixyck/UEQsgQTDpP

[Skipf32]

I purchased this Les Paul Standard used. It is black with gold hardware and ivory colored bindings and pick guard. I have tried to find information about this model with no success. I was told by the local retailer, that Standards were never manufactured with gold hardware. I did find reference to a limited run called "custom colors". Is this one of those or maybe a custom shop guitar? The person I purchased the guitar from, informed me after buying it that it used to be owned by Slash. I didn't put much stock in that info. but now I am starting to wonder. The serial # 91770421 and Made In USA is stamped in the back of the head stock. Any information about this model will be greatly appreciated.

 

 

I first saw a Standard with Gold Hardware in the mid '70's. Ebony, always haunted me. I hate customs, they are too heavy, and the binding is, or seems sharper and less comfortable than a standard... not to mention, a standard is less pretentious. I finally found one, a '94. There is no mistaking that is all original. Non invasive surgery proves it. The story as I understand it, is that certain retailers ordered a lot of guitars, not great numbers, just a group all the same. Gibson responded as any manufacturer would and made a not so special run. I mean they had the guitars, the hardware was interchangeable so... I saw the note about Sam Ash. That makes sense, but I also remember a big, now defunct, music retailer called Grinnell's. If you remember these guys, you are really dating yourself, most of us recall there namesake pianos in our grade school music classes.

 

Growing up in Michigan, we didn't have Sam's and very few large retailers. The only place that had new Les Pauls in the area was Grinnell's. I barely remember, 1974,5? But it is the only place I could have seen one. I used to live at the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo when I was a kid, and in all the racks and racks of guitars, Les Pauls, I never saw one there.

 

I don't know how much of this is fact anymore, or just Gibson legend as conveyed by a lifer. I have 3 standards, 2001 Honey 5+ bought new, 2013 Premium 4+ bought new and now

the 1994 I got for a song, cuz a friend at GC need quick cash...

 

Rock Hard!

[1guitargod123]

Hi there, i bought a guitar off ebay two weeks ago.its a Black 1990 Gibson les paul standard, with gold hardware, cream ivory twin humbucking pick ups with cream ivory rings ,and cream ivory pick gaurds,91770389 ,called up gibson to verify the serial #.and they had no info on it,like it never happened,so brought it to guitar center fort/worth texas,3 or 4 salesman looked it over, and all said ,yep true gibson les paul standard..gold hardware throught them off,,but they said yepp that its all original ..nice guitar..they said in the 1990's Sam Ash,and Guitar Center would special order theses guitars right out the gibson factory,they had special colors,gold hardware,custom shop look,with them really not being custom shop.BUT LIMITED RUNS,,sometimes called guitar center exclusives,speical orders..well when it came to putting the gibson guitar specks in there data base, it just never happened...?? this guitar build on june 26th 1990 in tenn,plant,89th production.....THIS GUITAR CAME OUT OF THE NY AREA. when i bought it on ebay..looks like we could start a club on these very rare guitars,,,,have a great day people,,,rock on...

[1guitargod123]

I purchased this Les Paul Standard used. It is black with gold hardware and ivory colored bindings and pick guard. I have tried to find information about this model with no success. I was told by the local retailer, that Standards were never manufactured with gold hardware. I did find reference to a limited run called "custom colors". Is this one of those or maybe a custom shop guitar? The person I purchased the guitar from, informed me after buying it that it used to be owned by Slash. I didn't put much stock in that info. but now I am starting to wonder. The serial # 91770421 and Made In USA is stamped in the back of the head stock. Any information about this model will be greatly appreciated.

[1guitargod123]

ndarndarrd

pic showing lefty not a lefty just pic was takin in a mirrow..right handed,1990 gibson les paul standard blk with gold hardware..limited run

[1guitargod123]

Photos, or it didn't happen/doesn't exisit!

 

Seriously, it could be a "limited run," "special edition," or one

of the "exclusive" editions, for certain chain store retailers, that

Gibson puts out, now and again...without necessarily being "Custom Shop."

 

CB

u got that right, limited run, custom shop style without the custom shop name .Guitar Center exlusives,,,or sam ash exlusiv ejust one problem. gibson fails to input the info in there data base 01-302 production that day but 089 in a blank slate in the data base..??

[GibsonKramer]

NECRO THREAD! (and pics!)

 

Hey look! They've got another sister!

 

Just bought her today.

 

She was born on June 26, 1990

Production Number: 117

 

And everything is original. Even the nut (with the original overspray to lol)

 

 

 

 

Can see the rub marks here, from where the guy hung it. Only real sign of wear.

 

 

just popped your serial number into that guitar dater i wrote about. here's what came back:

 

Your guitar was made at the

Nashville Plant, TN, USA

June 26th, 1990

Production Number: 121

 

so, exactly 2 weeks younger than mine. enjoy it...

pax,

JL

 

Hey, I have your Quadruplet!

[GibsonKramer]

I am desperately trying to find information on this run of Standards.

 

The only ones I can verify were all made in June of 1990.

 

Any of these guys still around, or anyone know the history behind Gibson trimming out a Standard with gold and double cream humbuckers ?

[rct]

It is no help I'm sure, but late 90's Sam Ash had Black Top/Light Back and Red Top/Light Back standards made for them, called them 58 Specials or something, after a couple that were believed to have existed back then and that were documented in one of the many Les Paul books. One of the Black Tops that I almost bought had double cremes in it. I don't know where this idea that only Dimarzio could do double creme or double white came from, but it just isn't true, both Gibson and Duncan have always done them.

 

At the same time I was in there looking at this sweet Red Top/Light Back with gold hardware but gold covered pickups, something they definitely did not do in 1958 that anyone has documented, I came across TWO Les Paul Classics, made for Sam Ash, Ebony top, Ebony back, all gold hardware including full size big key Gold Grovers at the pointy end, and double white or double cream early '57 Classics.

 

So that was four really odd guitars for Sam Ash in the store at one time. Try to find anything out about any of them and you'll be in the same spot, they just don't really keep all that great track of them I guess.

 

Good luck with it. If it's a great guitar don't worry about the relative rarity of it, just use it and enjoy it!

 

rct

[stein]

It depends on what one considers "rare".

 

For a particular color/hardware/whatever combo not really normal, it may be rare. But Gibson is ALWAYS making stuff a little or a lot out of the standard burst/chrome scheme.

 

In other words, it isn't unusual at all to find something rare.