Gibson Les Paul Standard 1995 - "Old Black" Neil Young Tribute
If you are looking to capture the rugged, overwhelming presence and wild drive tone of Neil Young’s legendary machine without paying astronomical Custom Shop prices, this is a rare, immediate combat-ready masterpiece. Built on the rock-solid foundation of a player-favorite 1995 Gibson Les Paul Standard—a year highly regarded for its excellent tonewoods and build quality—this guitar has undergone an uncompromising, ground-up overhaul by a skilled luthier. This isn't just a simple parts-swapped guitar; it is an extensive, deeply committed structural tribute to "Old Black".
The premium luthier work on this instrument is incredibly thorough. The entire body and neck have been refinished in a fierce, thin black nitrocellulose lacquer, allowing the wood to breathe and age naturally. In an spectacular display of craftsmanship, the builder reshaped the headstock's outer circumference and hand-engraved a separate crown inlay on the head top to evoke a unique vintage aesthetic. Structural woodwork was also performed on the body, including precise cavity filling and re-routing for the rear pickup to ensure perfect alignment. To guarantee flawless playability right out of the box, the guitar has received a professional re-fret and a newly cut nut measuring 49mm in width.
The electronics and hardware configuration perfectly mirror the sonic versatility of the original rock icon. The neck position is equipped with a P-90 that creates a thick, vivid, and aggressive attack, while the bridge pickup is a smooth-covered Firebird-style mini-humbucker designed to unleash Neil's iconic, edgy roaring crunch. In the control center, a custom mini-toggle switch has been professionally added and wired with a coil-tap function, unlocking delicate and versatile tone-shaping choices far beyond a conventional three-way selector. Visually, the guitar commands the stage with a striking, hand-assembled custom mirror pickguard, a matching metal neck pickup cover, and raw aluminum rear cavity plates. A vintage, aged Bigsby B3 unit featuring the classic "Patent No. D-169,120" casting provides dynamic pitching and a classic sense of gravity to your playing.
In terms of feel and condition, this guitar is a true sustain monster. It features a comfortable '59 neck profile that feels substantial and broken-in, supporting a heavy and resonant total weight of 4.89 kg. The overall condition is remarkably clean, showing only light playwear and some light buckle wear on the back nitro finish. These realistic, subtle signs of use give it an authentic, gigged vintage candor without resorting to extreme simulated wood destruction. The guitar ships fully secured and insured in its original tan Gibson hardshell case, complete with the historic pink plush lining and protective shroud. This is a supreme custom machine built without compromise, offering a once-in-a-lifetime encounter for any guitarist who wants to unleash the soul of rock running through the wilderness. Please feel free to reach out with any questions before purchasing.
Gas Station Guitars is a UK Ltd company, and we proudly offer a no-questions 14-day refund policy on all instruments.
We have extensive experience shipping guitars safely worldwide, with professional packing methods developed to protect both hardcase and softcase instruments in transit. Every guitar is securely packaged using heavy-duty materials to ensure it arrives exactly as described.
At Gas Station Guitars, each instrument is carefully hand-selected. If a guitar doesn’t impress us in tone, feel, and overall character, it simply doesn’t make it into our inventory. If it’s listed by us, you can be confident it’s something special.
All photos shown are of the actual guitar
Every instrument is fully inspected and in hand—no drop-shipping
Shipped directly from us to you
Please note:
This guitar is not available for trades or part exchange
We are unable to offer holds or layaways
We ship WORLDWIDE including:
United Kingdom
European Union
United States
Canada
Australia
Professional service, accurate descriptions, and carefully curated instruments are at the core of everything we do.
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