Gibson Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom

Gibson Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom – limited edition reissue of Clapton’s legendary 3-pickup Black Beauty

Overview and features

The Gibson Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom is a painstaking recreation of the guitar Clapton famously used with Cream and Delaney & Bonnie, later passed on to Albert Lee. Built in the Gibson Custom Shop and aged by the Murphy Lab, it combines 3D-scanned precision with hand-applied aging for an authentic replica in tone, feel, and look. Only 150 pieces are produced worldwide, making it one of the most collectible reissues ever made.

Construction and materials/components

The body is crafted from a single ultra-lightweight piece of mahogany with no maple top, exactly as on the original 1958 Les Paul Custom. The mahogany neck features a Medium C profile and an ebony fingerboard with 22 historic medium jumbo frets and 1950s-style mother-of-pearl block inlays. Multi-ply binding decorates the top, back, and headstock, with single-ply binding along the fingerboard for a premium vintage appearance.

Electronics and sound

The three unpotted Custombucker humbuckers deliver the articulate and dynamic response associated with Clapton’s tone. The middle pickup is mounted with the screw coil facing the neck, just like the original. The circuit is hand-wired with CTS 500K audio taper potentiometers and paper-in-oil capacitors for vintage-correct clarity and control. Murphy Lab aging replicates every scratch and mark from Clapton’s and Albert Lee’s original guitar.

Details and accessories

The aged gold hardware includes Grover “Milk Bottle” tuners, an ABR-1 bridge, and a lightweight aluminum Stop Bar tailpiece. Each guitar ships with a Duck Brothers-inspired custom case, a second pickguard signed by Eric Clapton and Albert Lee, a Certificate of Authenticity with a Chuck Stewart photo, an Archive Series black leather strap, and a Gibson Custom medallion.

Specifications

• Type: Electric guitar
• Model: 1958 Les Paul Custom
• Body: One-piece ultra-lightweight mahogany
• Neck: Mahogany, Medium C profile
• Fingerboard: Ebony, 22 frets, 1950s-style mother-of-pearl block inlays
• Scale length: 24.75″ / 628.65 mm
• Nut width: 42.86 mm (1.69″)
• Nut material: Nylon
• Bridge: ABR-1, screws facing neck
• Tailpiece: Lightweight aluminum Stop Bar
• Tuners: Grover “Milk Bottle”
• Pickups: 3 × Custombucker (unpotted, middle pickup oriented toward neck)
• Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, CTS 500K pots, paper-in-oil capacitors
• Hardware: Murphy Lab Aged Gold
• Finish: Murphy Lab-aged nitrocellulose lacquer
• Case: Custom Duck Brothers case
• Included accessories: Signed pickguard, COA, Chuck Stewart photo, leather strap, Gibson Custom medallion
• Limited edition: 150 units