The Gibson Custom Murphy Lab 1957 Les Paul Custom is a "Black Beauty" with three pickups and a Bigsby. If that's not enough to get you salivating, the gold hardware will. We're captivated by this guitar at Musician's Friend. The Murphy Lab Light aging gives it the appearance of a real vintage instrument—play it, and you'll get serious double-takes from everyone. Yes, it looks that good, and the sounds are just as satisfying. Read on to discover if this great Gibson belongs in your collection.

Let’s Start With the Finish


Tom Murphy is a Master Artisan at Gibson and an industry leader in the art of aging guitars. His team applies a Light aging to this ’57 Les Paul Custom. The nitrocellulose lacquer is beautifully checked with the dings and scrapes of decades of play wear. Think used, but not abused.

Classic Construction


This Les Paul has a solid mahogany body, just like the original from 1957. The mahogany neck features a chunky, medium C-shaped profile. It's set in a long tenon joint with hide glue for maximum sustain. Medium jumbo frets offer plenty of support for big bends on the Indian rosewood fretboard. The extra-rolled binding makes it feel like a worn-in Gibson.

Superior Sounds

A trio of Gibson CustomBuckers pack holy grail tones into the ’57 Les Paul. Alnico III magnets supply just the right amount of pull for sweet and warm sounds to girthy growls. They're unpotted and wired with CTS 500k pots and paper-in-oil capacitors.

This Murphy Lab Gibson might be mandatory for Les Paul lovers

Kluson Waffleback tuners and a gold Bigsby vibrato are the bowtie and cummerbund of this tuxedo-style Gibson. But don't let the formal appearance fool you—the ’57 Les Paul Custom 3-Pickup is ready to rock. It comes with a certificate of authenticity and an aged brown and pink Lifton reissue 5-latch hard case.