Rock guitar legend Jeff Beck has teamed up with Gibson to create the all new limited edition Jeff Beck Les Paul 'Oxblood' model.
Retailing at between £3,999 and £4,499 you need to be credit crunch immune, and the first 50 of these historic guitars have been put through an extensive ageing and wear process by the master luthiers at Gibson Custom to closely match the look and feel of Beck's original instrument (these go for £13,000 a pop).
Gibson engineers thoroughly inspected Jeff's guitar and worked closely with him over a period of months to create as accurate a reproduction as possible. An additional 100 will be prepared with Gibson Custom's pioneering V.O.S. finish, bringing the total run to just 150 rare instruments.
Each guitar comes with a specially produced Gibson Custom case with Jeff Beck's signature silkscreened on the top, a custom care kit and a certificate of authenticity.
Many great electric guitars have had their reputations elevated by the legendary artists who have played them. Jeff Beck's Les Paul Oxblood is one of the most revered, a guitar from the heart of tone history. The new run features a custom-tailored neck profile modeled precisely from Beck's original instrument.
During a trip to the US in 1973 Beck bought an early 50s Les Paul Goldtop, which had been modified by the Strings & Things music store in Memphis adding two humbucking pickups to replace the original P-90s, and a heavy dark-brown lacquer finish to the body. Beck himself called it an "oxblood" color.
This Oxblood Les Paul attained legendary status when played and then featured on the cover of Beck's groundbreaking jazz-rock album 'Blow By Blow' recorded in late 1974 with Beatles producer Sir George Martin.
"The Les Paul has a big powerful sound that no other guitar has. It just sounds rich," says Jeff. The guitar's features include a carved maple top under the aged Oxblood finish, a one piece rounded mahogany neck, vintage reissue .010 strings, aged nickel hardware and aged acrylic trapezoid inlays.
