ORIGINAL 1968 GIBSON LES PAUL GOLD TOP STANDARD Start Price USD 10,995.00 Current Price USD 10,995.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, November 27, 2008 End Time Thursday, December 18, 2008 Location Harrison, Arkansas See more about 'ORIGINAL 1968 GIBSON LES PAUL GOLD TOP STANDARD' Description This is a 1968 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top Standard, serial number 522159, in very good condition.    The guitar has a one-piece mahogany body with maple top, a one-piece mahogany neck with narrow headstock (after ‘68, Gibson started making the headstock wider), original P-90 soapbar pickups, original large size capacitors, and original tuners.  This guitar had Grover tuners at one time, but the headstock has been professionally re-doweled (as seen in the closeup) and original tuners have been re-installed.  The original finish shows some normal playing wear with the typical slight greenish edge-wear along the top edge where the arm rubs.  There are no neck breaks, headstock cracks, or repair issues of any kind like that.  The original gold top finish did have some stickers or decals stuck on for a while.  They were removed some time ago and the top buffed cleaned.   Thus, the original finish on the goldtop is in very nice shape.   1968 is the first year that the Gold Top Les Paul was re-introduced since its discontinuation in 1958.  These early ’68 issues featured the small headstock, as was used on the original ‘50s models.  Also the early ‘68s used the same large sized capacitors left over from the 1950’s, as this one has them, also.   Three of the pots are original, but the fourth one (the treble tone pot) is code dated 1376921, which indicates the 21st week of 1969.  Thus, this one pot is a slightly later replacement.  The other three pots are all original, as seen in the close-up picture.   The plastic jack plate has been replaced with a metal one, and the pickguard is a vintage replacement.   This guitar has its original frets, but they are somewhat worn, however the guitar still plays and sounds just fine.   The back of the body (only) was refinished many years ago.  That's why the back appears slightly darker in the pics than the original finish that's still shown on the back of the neck.    This guitar is full of tone, with strong pickups and plays and sounds like a dream.  The neck is straight and the string action is nice and low.   It weighs a comfortable 9 lbs., 3.8 ounces.   This vintage Les Paul comes in a modern Gibson hardshell case.    We offer a 48-hour approval period with money-back guarantee, excluding shipping costs, so feel free to bid with confidence.  Choose the 'Buy it Now' option, and we'll pay all shipping and insurance to most countries in Europe, Canada, Japan, and even to Australia. We gladly accept PayPal if you have a good feedback rating.   Any buyers with '0' feedback please contact us first, before bidding, or your bid offers may be rejected.   Now, enjoy bidding. Place a Bid!