Gibson Custom Murphy Lab 1954 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue Heavy Aged Electric Guitar Double Gold

The Gibson Custom Murphy Lab 1954 Les Paul Goldtop in Double Gold is an heirloom-quality guitar that looks like a vintage original. It’s easy to imagine this Goldtop sliding around in a band van for decades. You can thank the Murphy Lab for that— their Heavy aging process is impeccable. Just as impressive are the pickups—two P90s offer up loads of snarling tones. Available now at Guitar Center, the ’54 Les Paul Goldtop deserves to be the centerpiece of your collection.

Gibson Custom Murphy Lab 1954 Goldtop Double Gold Main Features

• Mahogany body and 2-piece maple top with Murphy Lab Heavy Aging
• Mahogany neck with chunky C profile, Indian rosewood fretboard
• Dual P-90 single-coil pickups, 3 way switch
• Wraparound bridge/tailpiece, Kluson tuners

Historic Construction & Authentic Aging

The ’54 Les Paul Goldtop has a lightweight and resonant mahogany body. A 2-piece maple top adds snap. Gibson Custom uses hide glue to affix the two. It’s painted in Double Gold nitro to replicate the finish of a vintage original Les Paul. The Murphy Lab then applies a Heavy Aging to simulate six decades of significant wear and tear. That means buckle rash on the back, peghead scratches and pick scrapes on the front, plus prominent lacquer checking throughout.

Period-Correct Neck

Gibson’s mahogany necks of the ’50s had a little more meat on the bones. This Les Paul Goldtop is no exception. The chunky C profile neck isn’t a baseball bat, but it’s not super thin, either. To give it the feel of a worn-in instrument, Gibson rounds the neck binding (as well as the rest of the guitar). The inlays are made of aged cellulose nitrate. Shaped like crowns, the look is appropriately regal for a Goldtop.

Powered by P-90s

This ’54 Gibson is loaded with a pair of soapbar P-90s. They have a tonal sensitivity that allows them to fit into any context—country, rock, jazz, blues, punk—you name it. Dial them down for smoother sounds, or up the gain for classic growl. CTS 500k pots and paper-in-oil capacitors round out the ’50-style wiring.

Time-Tested Hardware

The original 1952 Les Paul had a problematic trapeze tailpiece that made it difficult to palm mute or play in tune. By 1954, it had been replaced with a combination bridge/tailpiece designed by Gibson president Ted McCarty. This reissue gets that same wraparound stopbar that has stood the test of time. The Kluson tuners are also identical to the era. All of the hardware has an aged patina courtesy of the Murphy Lab.

The Gibson Custom Murphy Lab ’54 Les Paul Goldtop comes with a certificate of authenticity, plus an aged brown/pink Lifton hardshell case.