Gibson Les Paul Custom (2019 - Present)

About the Gibson Les Paul Custom (2019 - Present)

Where the Les Paul Standard models covered elsewhere in this research keep decoration to a minimum, the Custom exists specifically to maximise it: multi-ply binding wraps the body, an ebony fingerboard carries mother-of-pearl block inlays rather than simple dots or trapezoids, and gold-plated hardware replaces the chrome or nickel found on every other Les Paul variant researched so far. Unlike the non-relieved '50s and '60s Standards, the Custom uses a nine-hole weight-relief pattern under its two-piece plain (not figured) maple top - a genuine construction difference that likely makes this the lighter guitar of the two, even though no specific comparative weight figure could be confirmed.

The fingerboard material carries a small but real controversy of its own. For a stretch of recent production, Gibson substituted genuine ebony with Richlite - a dense, FSC-certified composite made from recycled paper and resin, originally marketed as a sustainable alternative given increasing pressure on tropical ebony supplies. The 2019 Original Collection run switched back to real ebony. According to accounts that circulate repeatedly among long-time Gibson forum members - though never officially confirmed by Gibson itself - the original move away from ebony had less to do with sustainability than with a personal dispute between then-CEO Henry Juszkiewicz and Taylor Guitars, which had become close to the sole legal ebony supplier in the US; the switch back followed his 2018 departure. That's worth passing on as circulating forum lore rather than a verified corporate fact, but it's the explanation most consistently repeated by people who watched the change happen in real time.

Where to buy

• Reverb GIBSON USA Les Paul Classic 1960 Reissue "Heritage Cherry Sunburst + Rosewood" (1996)(Reserved) 2.359 EUR Best price View details
• Reverb Gibson Les Paul Custom 2022 Ebony 2.981 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Junior 1958 Doublecut Reissue VOS 2019 - TV Yellow - VIDEO 2.989 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Les Paul Junior DC 1958 Custom Shop 2023 TV Yellow VOS 2.999 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop 58 Les Paul Reissue Junior Dc "Cherry + Rosewood" (2019)@ (Reserved) 3.228 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop 58 Les Paul Reissue Junior Dc "Cherry + Rosewood" (2019)@ (Reserved) 3.228 EUR View details
• Reverb 2019 Gibson Les Paul Junior DC '58 Reissue Custom Shop cherry red 3.300 EUR View details
• Reverb 2024 Gibson Custom Shop 1960 Les Paul Special DC - Sixties Cherry 3.469 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Les Paul Custom 2019 - Present - Wine Red 3.499 EUR View details
• Reverb 2020 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul 1958 Reissue - Lemon Burst 3.526 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop '57 Les Paul Junior Reissue Vintage Sunburst VOS 2018 3.537 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop '54 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 2024 Double Gold VOS 3.600 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop '60 Les Paul Special Double Cut Reissue "TV Yellow + Rosewood" (2024) 3.601 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom 1957 Les Paul Special TV Yellow (2020), HSC, COA 3.629 EUR View details
• Reverb 2023 Gibson Custom Shop 1958 Les Paul Junior DC VOS – TV Yellow 3.773 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Les Paul Custom Ebony 2021 3.900 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop Historic Collection 1958 Les Paul Standard VOS 2019 3.973 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop Les Paul 57 Reissue Junior Single Cut Aged "Vintage Tobacco Burst + Rosewood" (2011)@ 3.973 EUR View details
• Reverb 2025 Gibson Custom Shop 1957 Les Paul Standard Reissue - Gold Top Dark Back 4.029 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Gibson Custom Shop '58 Les Paul Standard Reissue 2026 - Iced Tea burst 4.050 EUR View details
• Reverb 2023 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom w/ Slim Taper Neck Electric Guitar Black Ebony + COA OHSC 4.095 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop '57 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 2019 Mahogany Back VOS 4.096 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop 1958 Les Paul Junior Double Cut Reissue TV Yellow 4.119 EUR View details
• Reverb Minty! 2021 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar Alpine White + COA OHSC 4.188 EUR View details
• Reverb 2021 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom w/ Ebony FB Electric Guitar Alpine White + COA OHSC 4.188 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop '57 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue "Gold + Rosewood" (2024) 4.221 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop Les Paul 58' Standard Reissue VOS " Cherry Sunburst + Rosewood" (2011) 4.345 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom 70th Anniversary 2022 - Alpine White 4.400 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Les Paul Custom shop Ebony 2024 4.400 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Les Paul Custom Ebony 2021 4.490 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Axcess Standard Figured with Floyd Rose Bourbon Burst 2022 4.490 EUR View details
• Reverb 2024 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Axcess Standard Figured FR - DC Rust | USA Floyd Rose Tremolo Push/Pull Coil Split 3.83kg | CoA OHSC 4.499 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop '58 Les Paul Standard Reissue VOS 2021 4.500 EUR View details
• Reverb 2020 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom - Ebony | USA Black Beauty Gold Hardware Ebony Fretboard Long Tenon 490R 498T Humbucker Pickups | CoA OHSC 4.698 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop '56 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 2019 - Present - Double Gold VOS 4.699 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Les Paul Custom Gloss - EB (#215) 4.759 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Les Paul Lemon Burst Custom Shop '58' 2023 - Rare 3,75 kg 4.779 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop '58' 2023 - Rare 3,75 kg 4.779 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop 1954 Les Paul Goldtop VOS 4.840 EUR View details
• Reverb MINTY! 2021 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom Black Ebony w/ Ebony Board Custom Order Nickel Hardware + COA OHSC 4.933 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Les Paul Custom 2019 - Present - Ebony 4.999 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Les Paul Custom 2019 - Present - Ebony 4.999 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop 68' Reissue Les Paul "Inverness Green + Rosewood" (2023) 5.463 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop 1958 Les Paul Standard Washed Cherry Sunburst VOS 5.767 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop Les Paul 1957 Custom Reissue " Ebony + Ebony" (2011) 5.835 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop M2M Les Paul Custom "Rose Gold + Ebony" (2023) 5.835 EUR View details
• Reverb 2019 Gibson Custom Shop Lee Roy Parnell Signature '59 Les Paul Standard - Abilene Sunset Burst | USA 1959 Reissue R9 Kloppmann HB 59 Humbucker Pickups 4.06kg | CoA OHSC 5.997 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop Dealer Select Les Paul Axcess Floyd Rose "Siberian Tiger + Rosewood" (2025) 6.084 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop '60 Les Paul Standard Reissue 2019 - Present - Tangerine Burst VOS 6.299 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop '59 Les Paul Standard Reissue 2019 - Present - VOS Washed Cherry Sunburst 6.299 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Les Paul Custom 2019 - Present - Silverburst 6.343 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop Les Paul Custom Reissue Murphy Lab "Silverburst + Ebony" (2023) 6.953 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop Les Paul M2M Sapphire Axcess Widow "Blue Shimmer" (2025) 6.953 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop Dealer Select Les Paul Custom AAA+ "Trans Pink + Ebony" (2026) 7.325 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom M2M Les Paul Custom Murphy Lab Ultra Light Aged "Kerry Green + Ebony" (2025) 7.325 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop Dealer Select Les Paul Custom AAA+ "Antique Natural + Ebony" (2026) (Reserved) 7.325 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop Dealer Select Les Paul Custom AAA+ "Antique Natural + Ebony" (2026) (Reserved) 7.325 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop '60 Les Paul Standard Reissue 2019 - Present - Tangerine Burst VOS 7.499 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop Les Paul Custom *Mod Shop Collection "Ice Flame Burst + Ebony" (2023) 7.822 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop Historic '54 Dealer Select Les Paul Custom VOS "TV White + Ebony" (2026) 7.946 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA Custom Shop M2M Les Paul Custom Quilt 7A " Aqua Blue + Ebony" (2024) 8.567 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop '59 Les Paul Standard Reissue 60th Anniversary - Golden Poppy Burst VOS indian rosewood rare ! 9.300 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom Shop Joe Perry Signature "Gold Rush" Les Paul Axcess (Signed #11, Aged) 2019 - Present - Aged Antique Gold 13.681 EUR View details

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/101315256-gibson-les-paul-custom-2019-ebony

Sound character of the Gibson Les Paul Custom (2019 - Present)

The 490R/498T pickup pairing on this Custom is the same combination already described in detail in the Les Paul Studio 1990-1997 research in this series - close-to-vintage humbucker warmth from the Alnico II-magnet 490R neck pickup, brighter Alnico V-family bite from the 498T bridge pickup. The genuinely ebony fingerboard, where fitted, is often described as giving a slightly harder, more immediate attack than rosewood, a small but real contributor to the Custom's reputation for a somewhat tighter, more focused response than a rosewood-board Les Paul.

What owners of the Gibson Les Paul Custom (2019 - Present) say

The ebony-versus-Richlite question dominates community discussion of recent Les Paul Customs more than almost any other topic - players with a strong preference for genuine ebony treat the 2019 switch back as a welcome correction, while acknowledging that well-built examples with Richlite boards from the interim years still play and sound good, since Richlite's own selling point was always durability and consistency rather than being a downgrade in playing feel.

Beyond that specific debate, the Custom's fancier appointments - block inlays, extensive binding, gold hardware - are generally treated as a genuine aesthetic and status upgrade over the Standard line rather than a functional one, with players choosing between the two based on look and formality preference more than expected performance differences.

Playability & handling of the Gibson Les Paul Custom (2019 - Present)

The Custom's defining nickname among period players was "Fretless Wonder" - a reference to the extremely low, flat frets Gibson fitted to the original 1954 model, which suited the fast, quiet fingering jazz guitarists of the era favoured. Modern production doesn't replicate that exact fret profile, but the name has stuck as shorthand for the model's reputation among fingerstyle and jazz-leaning players.

The nine-hole weight relief under the maple top is a genuine, specific construction detail that distinguishes this guitar from the non-relieved Standards covered elsewhere in this research - in principle it should make the Custom noticeably more comfortable over a long set than an equivalent unrelieved Les Paul, though no directly comparable weight figures for both models were found to confirm the exact difference.

Recommended accessories & strings for the Gibson Les Paul Custom (2019 - Present)

The 24.75-inch scale takes the same .010-.046 starting point as other short-scale Gibsons researched in this series. The 490R/498T pickup pairing behaves the same way described in the Les Paul Studio 1990-1997 research already covered - the same amplifier logic applies here.

The genuinely ebony fingerboard (as opposed to a Richlite-equipped example from the years in between) is worth checking specifically if buying used, since both materials were sold under the same model name for stretches of Gibson's recent history - a detail collectors and players with a preference either way should verify on any individual guitar rather than assume from the model name alone.

Technical data for the Gibson Les Paul Custom (2019 - Present)

Price history for the Gibson Les Paul Custom (2019 - Present)

Cheapest seen: 2.359 EUR  ·  Most expensive seen: 13.681 EUR

The history of the Gibson Les Paul Custom (2019 - Present)

The Custom's origin has a specific, well-documented human motive behind it: in late 1953, Les Paul reportedly wanted a more luxurious, formal-looking version of his signature guitar, describing the look he wanted as resembling a tuxedo - hence the black gloss finish, in contrast to the gold-finished standard model of the day. 1954 was the design's first full production year, launching at 325 dollars, a full 100 dollars above the standard gold-finish Les Paul - a genuinely premium price gap that reflected genuinely premium appointments.

The original 1954 Custom carried a pickup configuration almost nobody expects today: a single P-90 at the bridge and a single Alnico V pickup at the neck, not the dual-humbucker layout modern players associate with the model - that came later, once Gibson's PAF humbuckers arrived across the Les Paul line starting in 1957. The Custom also holds a specific engineering first: it was the debut instrument for Gibson's now-legendary ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge, a design that went on to define bridge hardware across the entire Les Paul family for decades. Two nicknames stuck from the beginning: "Black Beauty" for the finish, and "Fretless Wonder" for the extremely low, flat original fret profile that jazz players of the era particularly valued.

About Gibson as a manufacturer

This guitar shares the Original Collection relaunch context already covered for the Les Paul Standard '50s and '60s in this research series - Gibson's 2018 bankruptcy and the subsequent leadership change that produced the 2019 NAMM relaunch. What's specific to the Custom is a smaller, more recent piece of Gibson corporate history: the ebony-versus-Richlite fingerboard question, which several long-time community sources trace to personal friction between former CEO Henry Juszkiewicz and Taylor Guitars over ebony supply, rather than to a genuine sustainability rationale. That account isn't independently confirmed by Gibson, but it's a widely repeated explanation among people who tracked the actual timeline of the fingerboard material changing back and forth.

Whatever the real internal reason, the practical result for buyers is straightforward: the fingerboard material on a Les Paul Custom has genuinely varied across recent production runs under the same model name, making it one of the few modern Gibson specs actually worth double-checking on an individual instrument rather than assuming from the catalogue description.

Notable players & recordings featuring the Gibson Les Paul Custom (2019 - Present)

Unlike some other Gibson models covered in this research, the Les Paul Custom nameplate genuinely does carry a strong, well-documented roster of players who chose this specific model: Randy Rhoads, Mick Ronson, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Adam Jones of Tool, Mick Jones of the Clash, John Sykes, and Peter Frampton, whose iconic black "Phenix" guitar is a Les Paul Custom.

Zakk Wylde's story is the most specifically documented: his primary guitar, nicknamed "The Grail", is a 1981 Les Paul Custom in his signature bullseye finish - originally meant to replicate the spiral from Hitchcock's "Vertigo", but painted incorrectly by the finishing shop. Wylde kept the result anyway and deliberately chose it to visually separate himself from his own major influence, Randy Rhoads, who favoured a cream-coloured Les Paul Custom. As with the other Gibson models in this research, it's worth noting these are largely vintage instruments or personal/Custom Shop guitars rather than this exact regular-production 2019-and-later model, though the Custom nameplate's connection to these players is genuine rather than borrowed from a different model tier.