Gibson LP Special DC, TV yellow, made in USA 2005. The LP Special debuted in the mid fifties as a trimmed down version of the Les Paul Standard, but with a few extra conveniences not found on the Junior model. You get a slab of mahogany with a flat top and a set mahogany neck, a pair of juicy P-90 single coil pickups and the ever-practical stoptail and tune-o-matic bridge combo, and in this case, the cool double cut shape. The DC examples are increasingly tricky to source, so I was pleased to score this one after quite a while between drinks on the model. In the hands, the first thing that struck me is the weight: it's super light. The body feels quite compact, and moving up and down the neck is comfy, quick and easy. The neck is a slim 60s type shape, and the whole thing just all feels a bit effortless. The tone is immediate, snappy and full, with a searing top end snap and a tuneful, expressive midrange. It's perfect for punk or classic rock stuff, but if you mess with the tone controls and different balances between the pickups, you can get all manner of fun tones from gooey dark blues sounds to jangly reggae stabs. The yellow is a classic Gibson finish, and like a good pair of jeans, it's designed to fade and rub with use. There's a bit of rub wear and a few marks around the place now, but dang... put another couple of hundred hours on the clock, and it'll come up looking even better. You'll have fun doing it too.

Model: Gibson Les Paul Special Double Cut
Made: USA, 2005 (serial 02150468)
Finish: TV yellow, satin nitro
Body: mahogany
Weight: 3.135kg
Neck: mahogany, rosewood board, 24.75" scale, 12" radius, slim 60s shape
Mods: none
Pickups: Gibson P-90 single coil x2
Case: Epiphone branded LP hard case

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has some scuffs on the end and some dimples on the back. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples and some rub wear on the back only. The back has some scuffs on the bottom edge near the cavity, scuffs along the back edge and some dimples in the middle of the body. The sides have minor scuffs and rub wear around the whole body, including some bald patches on both horns and the elbow area. The front has some rub wear and a surface scratches in the elbow area, dimples behind the tailpiece and near the knobs and some play wear on the guard and horns. Overall: very good condition (7.5/10)

Playing condition notes: Neck is straight, action is low, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electrics tested and working properly. Frets have some normal wear, there's no major buzz issues and they're fairly even, they don't need immediate attention, but there is the start of some pitting; 7/10 for fret life left. No headstock breaks. Setup with fresh 10/52 Moonshiners strings.