Gibson 1956 Les Paul Special (Real Vintage)

This is a genuine Gibson Les Paul Special from 1956, built at a time when nobody in Kalamazoo had any idea what cult status these instruments would one day reach.

Back then the Special was the model for anyone who couldn't afford a Les Paul Standard. No maple cap, no elaborate finish, no binding — instead a flat mahogany body and two P-90s. Without the maple top the mahogany moves even more freely, the instrument responds faster and sounds drier and more direct than a Standard. Anyone who has heard that tone understands why the Special often stands higher with players today than with collectors.

The sound is pure rock'n'roll. The two P-90s give that unmistakable growl — midrange-forward, biting, with plenty of attack. At the bridge it turns raspy and aggressive; at the neck warm and fat without turning to mud. Pushed, it produces the growling crunch these guitars are loved for, and clean there's enough clarity left that chords keep their shape.

What you can't describe, only experience, is the substance. Seventy-year-old mahogany moves differently, and you hear and feel it from the first note. Add a look that could pass for original vintage: Matthias Schindehütte has done outstanding work here — it's about as authentic as it gets — while preserving the original serial number.

Ede bought this guitar from professional guitarist Michael Wagner. It appears on numerous videos and recordings, and his tuition videos were largely played on it. What Michael Wagner gets out of it is more than impressive. No wonder Ede couldn't resist.

A centrepiece of Ede's Private Stock.