Gibson Les Paul Special, wine red, made in USA 1990. The LP Special is an often overlooked model, but they tend to attract dedicated fans. The combo of a slightly slimmer, lighter body with a flat top and a pair of P-90s lend this a snappy, articulate and aggressive take on the classic LP creamy tone. There's a certain balance of openness and clarity with delicious natural compression that P90s offer through the midrange that can't really be equalled by humbuckers or trad single coils; this is surely a terrific sounding guitar. It's perfect for punk or classic rock; there's an instant attitude that comes out immediately in the hands. Gibson were making very good guitars from around 1985-97; so this dates to the middle of that little purple patch. As such, the fretwork, finish, neck joint etc are all bang-on the money; you can really feel the love that went into this one and it's a cut above their offerings from recent years. Plus, the original case has the sweet pink plush lining and brown tolex... hooray for the 90s, right? Wine red always looks better with a few miles on the clock; this one has a few little scuffs and marks to take the sheen off and introduce itself properly: "my name's Les and I like to party!"

Model: Gibson Les Paul Special
Made: USA, 1990 (serial 94056910)
Finish: wine red, gloss nitro
Body: mahogany
Neck: mahogany, rosewood board, 24.75" scale, 12" radius
Weight: 4.060kg
Mods: none
Pickups: Gibson P-90 single coilx
Case: original deluxe hard case with outrageous pink lining

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. Headstock has some minor marks on the end. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, just some minor dimples on the back and discolouration on the binding from play. The back has some widespread very light scuffs and surface scratches but no major marks. The sides have no major marks, just some dimples on the shoulder, near the jack and on the bottom horn. The front has a few minor marks: light scuffs near the knobs, some light scuffs and scratches behind the bridge and some light play scratches on the guard and top horn. Overall: good condition (7/10)

Playing condition notes: Neck is straight, action is low, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electrics tested and working properly. Frets have a little wear, but really not a lot, 9/10. No headstock breaks. What a heartbreaker.