Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.

[Grog]

I just came across a guy on the Gibson Forum asking about an odd guitar. He just purchased a lot of 20 guitars from somewhere in Tennessee. It looked like an early Les Paul prototype like Rob's bass, I referenced his book to be sure & posted a photo. Looks like a rare find!

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/139368-what-is-this/page__gopid__1883497#entry1883497

[gearHed289]

Odd inlays. Almost Alembic-like. Cool find!

[Basvarken]

Wow! Those inlays are something else.

The six string version that is also featured in my book has a tremelo too. But not a Bigsby.

[Granny Gremlin]

Great, now I need to go change my shorts.

[Grog]

I checked to see if there was any reference in "The Modern Era of Les Paul Legacy 1968-2009". There was one example & oddly enough, it was also from Tennessee...........

[Dave W]

Very odd that these have shown up. Makes you wonder how many there are out there and if these are actually early production instead of prototypes.

[Grog]

I wonder if it isn't a guitar that one of the employees that worked on the prototypes might have built for himself based on the odd inlays...........

[Basvarken]

The text (in red) in that book speaks of a long scale neck on that bass. But it really is short scale.

[Basvarken]

The guitar with the special inlays has a different pickguard and controls.
Shape is different and so is the lay-out of the knobs.
There seems to be no tone selector and no phase switch. And the input isn't on the pickguard.

[Grog]

I suggested that he contact Walter Carter to see if he has any spin on it.............

[Dave W]

Walter Carter would be more likely to know something about these than anyone else. No one currently at Gibson would know... or care.

[Grog]

Walter Carter answered his request............ I'm not sure that I agree with his answer..........

"i sent pics to mr carter and he said that he did not know what it was buy he was sure that it was not a gibson. not what i was hoping for but a great sounding and playing guitar."

[Dave W]

His answer puzzles me too.

[Basvarken]

Disappointing

[Grog]

A number of years ago when he was still with Gruhn's Guitar, I sent him an email asking him how many 20/20's he thought were manufactured. His answer was that he had only seen two & he thought around 12. The consensus here was somewhere just under 100. I regard him as one of the leading living historians on Gibson Guitars, but some of the obscure things we discuss here may be too odd for even him............... I don't see any reason why anyone would copy that guitar, it would be interesting to know who it was made for. This may be a dead end, time will tell..........