Very nice early 80’s Les Paul Deluxe in a very clean but seldom seen Natural finish. A great looking guitar that with the exception of a like-for-like replacement Bridge is in excellent, original condition. First shipped in the very early 70’s the Les Paul Deluxe would replace the Les Paul Standard that itself had only just been reissued in 1968. In essence the Deluxe was very similar to the 1969 Standard with the Mini-Humbucker pickups replacing the P-90 pickups of the Standard. Initially released only in Goldtop finish, the Deluxe would be offered in numerous other finishes as the decade progressed. The Deluxe was a good seller for Gibson and remained in the catalogue until the 1980’s and has subsequently been recently reissued.

This early ‘80s model is a great example in fantastic original condition. The serial number dates the guitar to 1981 and the guitar has all the traits to conform with this. By the 1980’s the Deluxe had lost the ‘pancake’ body it was associated with in the Seventies. The now 3-piece maple neck contrasts visually with the Mahogany body. The rosewood fingerboard is inlayed with Trapezoid inlays. The headstock is still the larger style utilised by Gibson from the late-sixties onwards. 

The headstock has an impressed serial number with a ‘Made in USA’ stamp below. There is a small volute as the headstock transitions into the neck. The Natural finish is in great condition throughout. Natural was offered from 1975 onwards but with less than 500 produced the finish is amongst the rarest produced during the Deluxe's initial run. 

Electronics comprise of two excellent sounding original PAT stamped Mini-humbuckers with ink codes, a full set of CTS pots dating to 1981 and two ceramic caps. The loom looks very tidy with no evidence of solder joints being disturbed. Pickups measure 6.5K and 6.15K in the neck and the bridge respectively. The bridge is a new replacement Gibson Nashvile ABR. Tuners are the Gibson branded type used through this period of production. Some of the shafts are bent but the tuners all function as intended.

The guitar retains its original frets with binding nibs present. The guitar plays nicely with a low fast action. The neck is the traditional seventies oval Les Paul profile with bit more depth than the early seventies guitars. This neck has a depth of 22.07 mm at the first fret filling out to a palm filling 25mm at the 12th fret. The nut width is a generous 43.25mm. Acoustically the guitar has a lively ring and plugged in the guitar sounds like a great Les Paul Deluxe with the mini humbuckers offering brighter and snappier tones than full sized humbuckers but with without losing the warmth and weight of a good set of humbuckers.

The guitar comes with its original ‘Chainsaw Case.’