Gibson unveils 12-string Les Paul

Introduction

Gibson has once again been tinkering in the garage and this time has emerged with the Les Paul Traditional 12-string, a guitar it describes as possibly “the most powerful-sounding and best-playing rendition of the [12-string] breed ever created”.

Based around the Les Paul Traditional, the new 12-string guitar makes a couple of tweaks to that mainstay model, aside from the obvious. It seems the firm is (probably very wisely) keen to make as few adjustments as possible to the 'standard' Les Paul on top of the 12-string augmentation.

Click through the gallery to take a closer look at the new model and available finishes.

Body

As with the vast majority of (traditional) Les Paul models, the 12-string's body is maple-capped mahogany and has been weight-relieved and carved for playing comfort. The bridge is a specially modified 12-string Tune-O-Matic.

Pickups

The pickups are Gibson '57 Classic (neck) and '57 Classic Plus (bridge) humbuckers, as featured on the Les Paul Traditional, which Gibson maintains helps provide “more guts and glory than you've ever heard in a 12-string before”.

Neck/headstock

One of the main differences between the Les Paul Traditional and the 12-string is that the latter features a maple neck, as opposed to the conventional mahogany, which the firm says is for extra stability demanded by the 12-string's string tension. The striking headstock features 12 Mini Grover tuners.

Controls

Controls-wise it's business as usual: two Volume and two Tone pots with a three-way pickup selector. As the 12-string is based on the Les Paul Traditional you'll find no coil-splitting, piezo pickups, or automatic tuning going on here.

Goldtop finish

The Les Paul Traditional 12-string is available in three finishes: Heritage Cherry Sunburst, Goldtop and Ebony.

Ebony finish

The Gibson Les Paul Traditional 12-string has an MSRP of $3,299 (approx. £2,092) - the same price for all finishes - and will be available in stores soon. For more information head to the Gibson site.

Matt is a freelance journalist who has spent the last decade interviewing musicians for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.