Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Synth Week 26
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
Jake Kiszka plays his '61 SG live onstage during Tons of Rock 2025
Artists How Greta Van Fleet's Jake Kiszka met the Beloved – the ’61 SG Les Paul that became his talisman
Eric Johnson takes a solo onstage with his Gibson SG
Artists Eric Johnson on the $400,000 rig he hardly played, the Dumble that got away, and his masterplan for setting his playing free
Larry Carlton wears an orange shirt and takes a solo on a cherry burst semi-hollow live in Japan.
Artists “I was just a new guy, probably number nine on the list”: Larry Carlton on his nerve-shredding debut session with Quincy Jones – and the time he was called to play guitar on a Michael Jackson smash-hit
The Gibson Jake Kiszka SG Standard is inspired by the Greta Van Fleet's original '61 Les Paul SG, aka the Beloved.
Artists Gibson unveils signature SG for Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka
Gibson Les Paul Studio Double Trouble presents the "double-white" humbuckers for a more affordable take on the limited run Les Paul Standard of 2025.
Guitars One of our favourite Les Pauls just got more affordable as Gibson gives the Double Trouble the Studio treatment
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2026: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
Allan Holdsworth plays his headless guitar live onstage in 2007
Artists How Allan Holdsworth blew Eddie Van Halen's mind and took guitar to a higher plane
The Rolling Stones
Artists “Brian Jones was the first steel slide player I heard”: Keith Richards pays tribute to Stones guitarists past and present
George Harrison wears all white and plays an acoustic guitar during his 1974 Dark Horse tour.
Artists “When I first met George I was speechless”: Robben Ford on what it was like working with a Beatle at the age of 22
American guitarist Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter, playing a Fender electric guitar, performs live in concert with his band, American rock band The Doobie Brothers, circa 1975. The band's drummer, Keith Knudsen, is seen in the background. (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns/Getty Images)
Guitarists “You get requests like, ‘Can you make it more green?’”: Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter on his life as a session player
Gretsch Synchromatic Flacon close up of pickguard
Electric Guitars Best Gretsch guitars 2026: Nail that Gretsch sound at any price point
Close up of a Taylor GS Mini acoustic guitar lying on a wooden floor
Acoustic Guitars Best acoustic guitars 2026: Super steel string acoustics for all players and budgets
Joe Satriani wears dark shades and performs with his Ibanez "Chrome Boy" signature guitar.
Artists Joe Satriani on what he told David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen when they called about EVH tribute tour
US singer Prince performs on October 11, 2009 at the Grand Palais in Paris. Prince has decided to give two extra concerts at the Grand Palais titled "All Day/All Night" after he discovered the exhibition hall during Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel fashion show. AFP PHOTO BERTRAND GUAY (Photo credit should read BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images)
Artists Here's why Prince never allowed his music to be used in Guitar Hero
Robben Ford is photographed at Olympic Studios with his trusty whiteguard Fender Telecaster.
Artists Robben Ford on rearranging John Lennon, iconic collaborations and paying tribute to the great Jeff Beck and amp guru Alexander Dumble
More
  • Jimmy Douglass speaks
  • Ultravox's Vienna
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Elektron Tonverk Review
  1. Guitars
  2. Electric Guitars

10 Gibson Les Paul Junior players

News
By Rob Power published 14 June 2013

Rock royalty love the stripped-back attack of the Junior

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Billie Joe Armstrong

Billie Joe Armstrong

The Green Day frontman has had a long-term love affair with the Junior, preferring his low-slung and loud. He's even had a couple of signature models, including one based on his '56 'Floyd' Junior, and a TV yellow Double Cut.

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Keith Urban

Keith Urban

Kiwi born, Aussie bred but Nashville famous, Keith Urban's country-pop has made him a superstar, and he's made quite a lot of it with his trusty Les Paul Junior. Far from the most obvious country guitar, but it takes all sorts...

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Mick Ralphs

Mick Ralphs

Bowie-endorsed '70s heroes Mott The Hoople were electrifying live in their heyday, with raw power and chops to burn. Guitarist Mick Ralphs' fancy fretwork demonstrated that the Les Paul Junior was more than capable as a rock machine. Check out the solo in the video below...

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Bob Marley

Bob Marley

Bob was a guitar hero unlike anyone before or since, defining reggae for a generation and generally making us all feel a little bit better about ourselves. Endorsements don't come much higher, and his weapon of choice? An iconic, heavily modified Les Paul Junior.

YouTube YouTube
Watch On
Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Paul Westerberg

Paul Westerberg

Paul Westerberg led The Replacements wielding his Les Paul Junior like a weapon. The music was the perfect match for the guitar - raw yet refined.

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Chris Carrabba

Chris Carrabba

Chris Carrabba might be best known for his singalong acoustic emo-punk, but of occasion he's been known to make a slightly more raucous racket. Naturally, the only guitar worthy of baring your fragile soul with is the humble, kick-ass Les Paul Junior (apologies for the shaky-cam footage).

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Peter Frampton

Peter Frampton

He came alive, he stayed alive, and he did at least some of that living with a Les Paul Junior (as well as a Talk Box and, frankly, a lot of other guitars). Unfortunately, YouTube didn't want to play ball so we don't have a video of Frampton playing said Junior, so you'll have to trust us on this one...

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Mick Jones

Mick Jones

The Clash were young, gifted and angry, arguably the greatest band to emerge from the punk wars, and definitely one of the greatest groups London ever produced. Mick Jones' early championing of the Les Paul Junior was probably the result of his youthful obsession with Mott The Hoople, but he turned his into a weapon of mass destruction. The perfect counterpoint to Joe Strummer's machinegun Tele.

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
John Lennon

John Lennon

After spending the '60s exclusive to pretty much two guitars - first a Rickenbacker 325 and then an Epiphone Casino - he switched to a modded Les Paul Junior at the beginning of his solo career. Here he is making it sing live in New York City.

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Leslie West

Leslie West

A big man with a bigger tone and probably the finest exponent of pure, fuzz-heavy Les Paul Junior lovin', Mountain main man Leslie West made his Junior do the business like no one before - and many would argue since.

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
Rob Power
Read more
Gibson Mark Ronson Les Paul Custom
Guitars Gibson unveils Murphy Lab replica of Mick Ronson’s Bowie-era 1968 Les Paul Custom
 
 
Jake Kiszka plays his '61 SG live onstage during Tons of Rock 2025
Artists How Greta Van Fleet's Jake Kiszka met the Beloved – the ’61 SG Les Paul that became his talisman
 
 
Mark Morton with his signature Les Paul Modern
Artists How Mark Morton and Gibson reinvented the Les Paul for modern metal – and why passive beats active humbuckers hands down
 
 
Lamb of God's Mark Morton performs live on a stage lit in yellow and orange. He plays his new Les Paul Modern Quilt
Artists Mark Morton and Gibson unveil a signature Les Paul that brings the fire with a “flamethrower” bridge humbucker
 
 
Gary Clark Jr plays his signature Cobra Burst ES-355 live onstage.
Artists Gary Clark Jr channels the King of the Blues for limited edition Gibson Custom Shop collab
 
 
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2026: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
 
 
Latest in Electric Guitars
Jake Kiszka plays his '61 SG live onstage during Tons of Rock 2025
Artists How Greta Van Fleet's Jake Kiszka met the Beloved – the ’61 SG Les Paul that became his talisman
 
 
The Jackson X Series Diablo IV Kelly features graphic artwork of the videogame franchise's Mephisto
Guitars “Forged from the fires of Hell and made for players ready to take on the Lord of Hatred”: Calling all role-playing dungeon crawlers, Jackson has the unholy Diablo collab you’ve been waiting for
 
 
The Gibson Jake Kiszka SG Standard is inspired by the Greta Van Fleet's original '61 Les Paul SG, aka the Beloved.
Artists Gibson unveils signature SG for Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka
 
 
Gibson Les Paul Studio Double Trouble presents the "double-white" humbuckers for a more affordable take on the limited run Les Paul Standard of 2025.
Guitars One of our favourite Les Pauls just got more affordable as Gibson gives the Double Trouble the Studio treatment
 
 
Gretsch G6136TG-58 Limited Edition 1958 Custom Falcon and G6134TG-58 Limited Edition 1958 Custom Penguin with Bigsby, photographed on a green leather couch,
Guitars Gretsch's exquisite, limited run Penguin and Falcon are a pair of fine-feathered guitars to crow about
 
 
Epiphone Futura Series
Guitars Epiphone’s Futura Series reimagines Gibson classics with Chromashift finishes, ProBucker Ignite 'buckers and stainless steel frets
 
 
Latest in News
American girl group the Ronettes, UK, 11th January 1964. From left to right, they are singers Veronica Bennett (later Ronnie Spector), Nedra Talley and Estelle Bennett
Singers & Songwriters “She helped define a sound that would change music”: The last surviving Ronette, Nedra Talley Ross has died
 
 
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 4: Mayte Garcia and Prince perform on stage on 'The Ultimate Live Experience' tour at Wembley Arena on March 4th, 1995 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Pete Still/Redferns)
Artists Prince’s first wife Mayte Garcia has her say on the cancelled Netflix documentary about him
 
 
Madonna at Coachella 2026
Gigs & Festivals “Hello children, mutha is here to save you”: Madonna gatecrashes LA club and debuts some Confessions II tracks
 
 
Synth Week 2026 logo
Synths Synth Week 2026: Exhibitor A-Z
 
 
Wayne Moss in 2011
Guitarists “An innovator who left an indelible mark on the history of music": Nashville session legend Wayne Moss has died
 
 
A young female DJ stretching out the cord from her headphones and making a mean face.
Djs "I don't know what he gets out of it": The scam promoter who's enraging Scottish techno DJs
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...