Gibson has stealth launched a couple of exclusive models that remix the Les Paul Special with mini humbuckers.
This fresh take on the classic single-cut electric guitar make so much sense you might ask why this hasn’t been done before. And perhaps, if they’re a big success, we might see a wider release.
Well, time will tell. What we have in the here and now is a classy example of a guitar that was once upon a time the stepping stone between the entry-level Les Paul Junior and the ever-aspirational Les Paul Standard.
Like the Junior, the Special was an all-mahogany build, and this new 2025 exclusive run sticks to that recipe, with solid mahogany bodies, glued-in mahogany necks – complete with a pleasingly clubby ‘50s Vintage profile – and a rich Tobacco Burst finish.
Unlike the Junior, the Special has a bound fingerboard, though it still has the dot inlays on its 12” radius rosewood fingerboard. There’s not that much of an aesthetic upgrade.
The big upgrade is in the sound, traditionally with a pair of P-90 electric guitar pickups, and non-traditionally with the option of a P-90/mini humbucker configuration or with two mini humbuckers accommodating the bridge and neck positions.
Two pickups means expanded controls. The Specials – old and new – share the same control setup as the Les Paul Standards, with individual volume and tone controls for each pickup, and the three-way pickup selector switch mounted on the shoulder. Those controls have been wired up with Orange Drop capacitors
Now, if you have a Les Paul Special at home, you could of course mod it and try this out for size.
A Gibson mini humbucker retails for $129 and it is an easy installation on a Special – or indeed a Junior. It has the same footprint as the P-90, simply swap ‘em out. Note: the Gibson pickup shop’s Alnico II mini humbuckers have cream surrounds, whereas they’re black on these new exclusive models.
As for other specs, you have a 5-ply black pickguard, a wraparound bridge/tailpiece, black ‘Top Hat’ style control knobs, and there is a set of Vintage Deluxe tuners with white buttons for that super-cool budget Gibson retro vibe. These are priced $1,799 and that price includes a hard-shell guitar case.
Check them out over at Gibson or in person at the Gibson Garage London or Nashville. Earlier this week, Gibson unveiled the Les Paul Standard Double Trouble, a limited edition run of the brand’s flagship model featuring a pair of “double white” uncovered humbuckers and a faded nitro finish.
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