Gibson Les Paul Custom 1999 Pickup Demo — 6 Sets, Natural

No sales tax for US customers outside California.

I've had a lot of unusual guitars come through this shop over the years, and this one is right up there at the top of the list. This is a 1999 Gibson Les Paul Custom built as part of Gibson's "Go Ahead & Gear Up" salesman demo campaign — a non-production instrument never intended for public sale, sent exclusively to Gibson's top authorized dealers to demonstrate the company's pickup line in real time. Based on everything I've been able to research, fewer than 40 of these guitars were ever built across the entire program, and the vast majority were Les Paul Standards. A Custom version is considerably rarer.

The concept is as clever as it sounds. Gibson CNC-routed the pickup cavities all the way through the body and built wooden mounting blocks with snap-in battery-style connectors — no soldering, no tools, no string removal required. You push a pickup set in from the back, it clicks into place, and you're playing. You can hold a chord and swap pickups in real time. No better way to hear exactly what a pickup does to a guitar's voice has ever been designed, before or since. Gibson eventually produced a retail version of this concept called the Les Paul Push Tone, but that was a production compromise. This is the original tool..

This particular example is a Les Paul Custom — ebony fingerboard with pearloid block inlays, split diamond headstock inlay, multi-ply body binding, mahogany body and neck, maple top in natural finish, chrome and black hardware throughout.

The C-profile neck measures .825" at the first fret and 1.0" at the twelfth, a comfortable medium profile that suits both rhythm and lead work. Grover tuners, original pots, Tune-o-Matic with stopbar. At 9 lbs 4.5 oz it's a substantial guitar.

Condition is excellent — this instrument lived the life it was designed for, which was demonstration rather than gigging, and it shows. The knobs are mismatched, which is consistent with what I've seen on other examples of this model and appears to be factory practice rather than a subsequent change - likely to help sell Gibson aftermarket knobs. Action is set at 2/32" on both strings at the twelfth fret.

Six complete pickup sets are included, covering the full range of what Gibson was producing in 1999. The '57 Classics, the '57+, the 490R/500T, the 496R/498T, the Tony Iommi signature humbuckers, and the P-94s neck and bridge — every one of them a legitimate Gibson pickup that would cost  good deal of money to assemble individually today. As a tone-exploration tool alone this guitar is extraordinary. As a collector's piece it is genuinely one of a kind. The original hardshell case is included.

I don't know when you'll see another one of these. I'm not sure I will.

We buy, sell, and take trades.

Be sure to check out the other cool guitar related stuff on our site
Fender electric guitars - vintage & used
Gibson electric guitars - vintage & used
The largest vintage & used guitar amplifier selection in Northern California
Vintage & Used Effects Pedals

SPECS:

• Color: Natural
• Weight: 9lbs 4.5oz
  
• Top: Maple
• Body: Mahogany
  
• Neck: Mahogany
  
• Neck Profile: C
  
• Fretboard: Ebony
  
• Inlays: Pearloid Block
  
• Frets: Original
  
• Fret Count: 22
  
• Nut: Original
  
• Nut width: 1-11/16"
  
• Radius: 12"
  
• Scale: 24.75"
  
• Neck thickness at 1st Fret: .825"
• Neck thickness at 12th Fret: 1.0"
• Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
  
• Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
  
• Overall Length: 38-3/4"
  
• Lower bout: 13"
  
• Waist: 7-1/4"
  
• Upper bout: 9-1/4"
  
• Body depth/thickness outside edge: 2"
  
• String gauge: 10-46
• Hardware Color: Chrome, Black
• Tuners: Grover
• Knobs: Mis Matched
  
• Switch: 3 Way
• Pots/Codes: Original
• Case: OHSC
• Notes: 

Shipping policy:

There are multiple shipping cost options for purchases made on our site.  Select Ground, 3 Day, 2 Day, or Next Day Air Saver.  For Reverb purchases, there is one cost option for Eastern states - customers from any state that is more than a 3 day UPS ground shipment from our shop will get their shipment via UPS 3 day air.  Otherwise, ground shipping will be used.  Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions.  If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to sales@maharsvintageguitars.com.  Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.