Gibson Les Paul 70s Deluxe
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GUITARIST SEPTEMBER 2021
GIBSON LES PAUL 70s DELUXE
body). The ’68 Custom, however, had much
bigger reach in the hands of Carlos Santana
and Bowie sideman Mick Ronson – just
two examples – and it’s little surprise that
although the Deluxe sold well during the
early 70s, it was eclipsed by the Custom as
the decade progressed.
But this isn’t Historic Hardware – and
although history hasn’t been kind to the
Deluxe (especially since the weights can be
excessive and those mini-humbuckers are
an acquired taste), it was a well-used and, in
many quarters, well-loved Les Paul.
Fast forward to the present and this
new Deluxe, now priced the same as the
Standard ’50s and ’60s, is the first Les Paul
that Gibson has introduced to its Original
Collection since the reorganisation of the
line back in late 2019. Except, of course, it’s
not really new. It’s certainly not a reissue –
and Gibson isn’t marketing it as such – and
as the mini-humbuckers have the same
footprint as soapbar P-90s, it’s pretty much
a Les Paul Standard ’50s P-90 with different
pickups and chrome parts.
Like the other Original Collection Les
Pauls, the new Deluxe isn’t weight relieved,
and pulling our cased review sample
1. These tuners are a
modern take on the
classic vintage style and
are used on numerous
other Original Collection
guitars. They’re smooth
and precise in use, too.
Take note, there’s no
volute here!
2. Typically, a Les Paul’s
pickups tilt to match the
string line. Presumably
due to the pickup route,
this neck pickup is angled
in the wrong direction
from its cardboard shipping box we’re
wondering if it’s made from concrete… At
4.44kg (9.77lb), the guitar is no lightweight,
but neither is the shaped brown hard-
case, which has a lighter red interior and
noticeably rectangular-shaped latches
compared with the earlier 2019 case. The
case weighs 5.94kg (13lb) – the previous
one is 3.94kg (8.67lb) – which means you’re
actually lugging 10.4kg (22.8lb) of cased
guitar around. Time to hit the gym.
While the internet rants about the
variances of Gibson’s quality control, the
instruments we’ve seen from the new
regime have all been pretty tidy, especially
at this top-tier USA production level.
So, while this new Deluxe side-steps the
construction of the originals, there’s very
little to moan about. In fact, the bright
red of the Cherry Sunburst over the plain
maple top transports this writer back to the
days of the late 70s and early 80s flea-bitten
rehearsal and recording studios when
he owned a ’72 original. This new guitar is
unnervingly close in colour.
The chrome hardware adds to the
70s sheen. The Nashville-style tune-
o-matic and aluminium stud tailpiece
The instruments
we’ve seen from
the new regime
have all been pretty
tidy, especially at
this top-tier USA
production level
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GIT476.rev_gibson.indd 24GIT476.rev_gibson.indd 24 05/08/2021 07:3905/08/2021 07:39