Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Axcess Custom Ebony Floyd Rose, Gold Hardware (2011)

A Black Beauty with a Floyd Rose and gold hardware – an Axcess doesn't get much classier than this!

With the Les Paul Axcess, the Gibson Custom Shop rethought the Les Paul for players who spend time beyond the 15th fret. The neck joint is flattened and contoured, so you can reach the upper frets with ease – no chunky Les Paul heel in the way. Add an original Floyd Rose double-locking vibrato that takes wild dive bombs and stays in tune.

Ours is the Custom version, the most luxurious take on the Axcess: ebony fingerboard with block inlays, multi-ply binding on the body, neck and headstock, the split-diamond headstock inlay and gold-plated hardware from the Floyd Rose to the keystone tuners. In deep Ebony it's the classic Black Beauty – just with a whammy bar.

The weight deserves a special mention: despite the Floyd Rose, this Les Paul weighs just 3.64 kg. Long gigs are no problem at all.

Black, gold and a Floyd Rose on a Les Paul – it's hard not to think of Journey's Neal Schon. He's regarded as one of the first players to fit a Floyd Rose to a Les Paul, and Gibson later gave him a signature Les Paul Custom with a Floyd Rose. If that's your style, you'll feel right at home here: the fat, sustaining Les Paul tone of the Gibson humbuckers, singing leads and a bar for those 80s arena-rock accents.

For comparison: a new Les Paul Axcess Custom with Floyd Rose currently lists at an RRP of €5,999 – so you'll save a good €2,000 here.

Condition: the Axcess has been well looked after and shows only light hairline scratches in the clear coat. The case has minor cosmetic wear.

It comes in the original Gibson Custom Shop case with certificate of authenticity, pre-pack and final pack checklist, the anonymised original invoice from Musik Produktiv (August 2011) and accessories, as pictured.

A Custom Shop Les Paul for anyone who loves the classic look but won't compromise on playability.

Price€3,990 VAT not outlined (§ 25a UStG)