Spoke to a Gibson custom shop guy once that worked at Gibson during the Norlin era. According to him, all black beauties were a ONE PIECE mahogany body. The toggle route is done with a large a drill bit that goes in from the jack all the way to the toggle. At first i didn’t believe him until he showed me pictures. Les paul specials are done the same way. Mind blowing.

Your editing skills are top notch Austin. Your commentary and guitar playing along with the freeze frames and close ups really made that Black Beauty come to life. BRAVO

A Big Shout-Out to Jim @Jam City Guitars Thank You Sir, I think I can say we all appreciate your contribution to Austin's great content. Thank You again for sharing this significant piece of history with us.

It would seem the addition of hiring a Video Editor has allowed Austin some extra time to practice his playing. Sounds great, what's not to love, an original PAF through a Marshall.

I actually got to hold and play Peter Frampton's three pickup black beauty at work a couple of years ago. His guitar tech was impressed that I knew the story of it falling from the exploding plane in the Brazilian jungle in 1980, and its subsequent return in 2011, after an associate recognized the guitar being played by a Brazilian national in a bar in the town near the plane expand crash. The associate walked up to take a look at the Les Paul during one of the bands intermissions, and got in contact with Frampton's management company to ascertain the serial number. He then apparently threatened the Brazilian with police involvement in regards to the famous instrument, and the guy gave it up. Crazy. Wonderful 1954 Les Paul, a little worse for wear, although it looked a lot better in person than some of the scorched pictures I've seen after it was found. Not perfect, but surprisingly good for being set on fire and falling from the cargo plane.

That is a beauty, and I gotta say: Austin, you're playing has taken a step up! Thanks for doing what you do, I hope to see more of these in future installments

I had one of those LP's in the late 60's but it was used and was definitely 50's, but just 2 PU's it also I believe was all mahogany no maple top. At the same time I had a Gold top with P90's. The thin neck and frets made it terrible to play but it sounded killer. The old top was the ultimate to play but ...

This is one of a handful of models/vintages that are jaw-dropping and "sell a limb, lung and a kidney" to acquire lol!!

One of your best reviews yet. Thanks Jim at jam city for letting Austin share this beauty with us!

Back in 1979 I could've bought one, didn't have the Bigsby, at a pawnshop in Louisville ky. For $300.00, I checked it out and fell in love with it, sadly $300.00 back then was a big price for a 15 year old and I couldn't scratch up the cash to buy it. Makes me even sadder now, knowing what a good investment it would've been!

Jimmy Page was the reason I wanted to play guitar. But then Peter Frampton came along and showed me that girls love guitar players. Finally, Ace Freely taught me that practice equals money (if you're any good). All hail the Black Beauty!

Whoa! Austin! Nice job channeling your inner Jimmy Page! You definitely give The Rain Song justice Trogly Style! You need to add the 2008 Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy Page Black Beauty Signature Les Paul Custom to your collection. There are a few very nice examples available right now on the resale platforms.

The easiest way to spot a real 50's vintage custom is that the last 3 block inlays are the same size. In the re-issues they are three are different sizes. The newest 54 Custom re-issues do have the period correct sized inlays. That's super cool.

The Rain Song sounded great!!! I think that was your best playing Austin and I have watched a lot of episodes of your show.

I was born in 57 and I have my share of cracks and dings. Good display of a very nice guitar!

That is the hardest-core guitar porn I have ever seen short of an original 1958 korina Flying V in Vintage Guitar many years ago. Congrats my man.

The real deal. Buy it Trogly. You need a legit vintage guitar in your collection 🤘🏻😎

Man that tone is so pure and natural, this guitar truly is special!

Beautiful and very well kept guitar. It looks more intact than my 2021 reissued 57 back beauty Murphy Lab light aged.

This is officially my favorite episode! Loved all of it

Oh dear - you are breaking my heart!! I had one of these I bought used in 1968 for $150.00 case included - I did put a bigsby on it and it was an incredible guitar which I used as my main one - this is the part where I cry - my house was broken into mid 70s and the custom, my es295 and a 40s lgo flattop were all stolen - I have a couple old customs picked up through the years but none are like that old 57

The guitar sounds bright enough and there is this beautiful rounded top end even in the higher frequencies. What a great piece. Nice job on playing it too.

That thing is absolutely unreal. I'd be afraid to touch it it's so beautiful

Robert Fripp was famous for using a 3-pickup black '59 LP Custom in the '70s and '80s.

The Holy Grail almost...$95k on sale. The original Jimmy Page Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty was a 1960s model stolen in Minnesota in 1970, while Led Zeppelin was on tour. It resurfaced in 1993 and again in 2014. It was returned to Jimmy Page some time later between 2015-2020. How could they tell it was the OG. Black Light Test that showed some toggle switch holes near the 6-way toggle switch. Estimated value $5 million+. Gibson reissued the Jimmy Page Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty in 2008. A few were signed by Jimmy Page and the rest without an autograph are more affordable. There are 4-5 more Jimmy Page Signature reissues. The Telecaster Dragon and two Jimmy Page 1950s Les Paul Cherry Sunbursts (No. 1 and No. 2).

My God, what a beautiful guitar. Thanks for sharing her with us.

Seeing you document a guitar like this clarifies one reason I dislike the entire idea of “relicking” new guitars. (Relicing? Both spellings look comical.) All the wear and aging on this wonderful instrument is so obviously honest and earned. No offense to those who love pre-worn guitars, but I cannot fathom how that adds significant value.

You can absolutely here the sound difference on this one, such a nice full tone without it having to scream. It can do it, but it doesn't have to be way up there to show amazing tone and depth to the sound.

Despite all the quirkiness of old guitars, they’re usually so cool. Still rockin’ my ‘72 Bigsby Telecaster!

This LP sounds totally unique to my ears, very close to single coil in clean mode but slightly different, and off the hook crunch and grind in dirty mode way beyond any "regular" 2 pickup LP. Too bad I'll never be able to afford something like this.

You have no idea how friggen AWESOME this video is to me!! I bought a 2021 57 3 pickup re-issue Custom in Feb it’s so insanely cool to see a real one like this. Yes, I took the control cavity cover off & looked at the electronics, how they were wired AND I could be wrong but I think Gibson even used the 2 wire braided lead shielding as opposed to the modern 3 wire on the braided leads. I distinctly remember looking at that and only seeing 2 whereas leads on a modern set of 57 Classics have 3 or the other way around whatever it is.

A thin finish is part of the vintage spec. It's not because they are cheaping out on the new ones. Purists believe it makes a difference in the tone. Just like lacquer does vs finishes that typically come on guitars these days. And for a 1957 that's amazing condition. It's 65 years old! It obviously hasn't been used tons. Original frets and no finish worn off shows us that. It hasn't been exposed to a lot of changes in temp and humidity either. Very little finish checking and I didn't notice any fret sprout.

Thanks to Jim at JamCity Guitars and Trogly for this awesome review of an original '57 LP Custom 3HB, well done! Sweet JP Rain Song demo!

one of your best recent reviews. THE RAIN SONG!!!! Lovin all of what you played. The owner got a great deal by having you document this piece it will help him sell it for sure. You are doing such a great job with your TV SHOW!!!!!

It's usually hard for me to tell how a guitar sounds on my crappy computer speakers but this was an exception. Wow. I have a '80 custom but things thing oozes class and cool.

Wow ! I've been here since the channel had 70k subs, and I've always hoped one day we would see episodes like this, with true vintage Gibsons. So stoked for this

On bigsby guitars it so crucial that one doesn’t over tighten any of the screws which mount the unit to the body. The bigsby will bind and refuse to return to pitch if the screws are uneven with one another

Changing the title yesterday was a good decision. I glanced when I saw Jimmy's guitar and passed. So glad I came back today. She almost plays herself. And those PAFs are blowing my mind

nothing like that old PAF sound. haven't been able to replicate that since.

Glad you showed the Mikey Baker, he was a great player... I wonder how many of his model they made?

Amazing the plastic knobs on the Klusons are in such great shape

Your playing has really improved. Congratulations some of us never improve !

Hell yes!!!! I've been hoping you would someday document some real vintage guitars! This is great!!!

Amazing episode, That is not just a guitar, it’s a piece of history!

It has the extra thumbwheels on the bridge. Old school trick for stabilizing the ABR-1 and prevent it from leaning.

Trogly, your playing seems to have improved by miles. You are a really decent player. Sounds beautiful! And what a special guitar!

Vintage guitar cases and guitars do SMELL GREAT! I love opening a vintage case with an old acoustic in it. It has a slightly musty old odor. Like Grandma's house. It is part of the experience.

That is the best sounding guitar you have reviewed ever ,hands down ,,the best ,

I had an opportunity for a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Custom like this one, but without a bigsby, to be my first electric guitar in 1965. I knew nothing of vintage guitars (we called them "used"). The store in Freeport had two nice electrics in the window, the Gibson and a 1957 Gretsch sunburst "Streamliner" with one patent pending filertron at the neck. I tried the Gibson on and it was like a boat anchor, so I didn't even plug it in. I couldn't imagine standing during a gig with that 10+ pound thing on my neck. The Gretsch was so light (fully hollow) and hey, George Harrison played a Gretsch. Both cost $125 ($1,175.84 today, making it a very expensive guitar for a 17 year-old then) with a free Univox 10watt amp thrown in. I bought the Gretsch, or I should say, my Father bought it for me. I used it for years and on my first few recording sessions at Scepter Records two years later. Wish I still had it.

👍👍At 14:25 you can see the circular route going into the control cavity. They used a long drill bit that went all the way thru to the selector switch cavity because these were all mahogany bodies, no separate top

You can keep every modern, high-gain humbucker on the planet. This. is. THE. Tone.

Love seeing you document older guitars, and this is very cool example.

Great job on this video! Hope we see more of these “guest guitar” appearances in the future.

Just so you know. The "dome cap" screw for the pickguard is referred to as an "oval head "screw. In case you were wondering. This thing is fantastic 👏

Oh my god... Literally the best sounding instrument I've heard on your channel

Now that's an AWESOME Beautiful Guitar 🎸

Oh my lord!! What an incredible guitar!! Those PAFs sound unbelievable, gave me goosebumps and brought a tear to my eye it did...

19:10 .... GOOSEBUMPS. Man THAT is the sound...

17:59 is terrifying! One hand on at all times if there are no strap locks :) Your playing has gotten a lot better

Best episode of the year!!! Hands down!!!!

Jimmy Page actually replaced the switch with (I believe) 3 on/off switches for each pickup, and somewhere along the way it was changed back to just the one switch and the holes were filled. The evidence of his mod was only visible under blacklight.

Amazing guitar. What a piece of history!

Gorgeous... It always amazed me that these beautiful guitars that were originally designed for jazz could deliver that LOUD and THICK distortion... And this one is no exception...

One of the best sounding guitars I’ve heard on this channel so far.

Those PAFs sound so great!

What a beautiful piece of history just fantastic not really a Bigsby guy but it sounded magical when you played the Rain Song thanks a bunch Jim 🤘👍👏

Nice! I have been hoping to see you do a review of an actual '57 custom with 3 pickups and a Bigsby. I got a 2022 '57 reissue with 3 pickups and a Bigsby direct from Gibson earlier this year and it is crazy how spot on the details and finish are. Absolutely love the middle position on it.

The 2 gold pickup Les Paul Custom Ebony was the one I wanted

My father had one of those 1957’s looked just like that. He sold it in 1962 and bought a 1960 ES355 TDSV which he still owns today.

I've often wondered if Jimmy Page modified his bursts with the extra switching because he missed the extra tonal possibilities that his custom had...?

Man, Austin. Such a great documentary of an amazing piece of history!!

Cool looking. I have a 58 3-pickup LP Custom. Honestly, its a tough guitar to play. I way prefer my 70s guitars.

Wow🎸《☆》Nice tones from the vintage PAFs👍🍺🍕I had a 79 Black beauty 2 pup. It had a headstock repair but I got it for $250 in 92. With a baby on the way I sold it In 94. We had a yard sale. I priced it at $500 hoping that it wouldn't sell. An older gentleman swooped in & bought it quickly no questions asked😁

Did you know that Ace Frehley of Kiss’s middle pickup (in his original three pick up Paul) wasn’t even wired up? True story.

The neck pickup solo sounds glorious, just like Pagey

It sounds really good. And in tune you can't squeeze those Sharp.

Your playing has improved greatly. I really enjoyed this guitar, and the riffs you chose. I have a black beauty myself.

My old friend is into vintage Gibson and it’s great to hear those original pickup customs. They sound like how I remember

The most beautiful guitar ever made, it literally looks like luxury

And Trogly drops a bomb outta nowhere!

Great job on that ax. You are a master.

I totally love these! I’m not a Gibson owner, but I’m a true guitar guy, and this Les Paul is so much more desirable for me, than the standards. Crazy, because I loved the “Senior” you just did, too! I’m shopping for a real vintage bargain, though - a Coronado II. !!!

Troglys playing has improved at least 3x from just last year. It’s sounding way cleaner

Beautiful guitar and trilogy getting pretty good with them fingers

The reason it could be one piece mahogany block body instead of a separate mahogany top- you can see there's a hole drilled from the control cavity to the bridge pickup cavity for the wires. A separate top like the Standard would have the square cross section wiring channel, which is routed into the mahogany before the maple top is glued on. On this a big drill bit goes in from the output jack hole, to the toggle switch hole, meeting the controls and pickup cavities on the way.

That is definitely the best guitar I've ever heard in my life.

That tone and sound is out of this world!

I associate this model with Robert Fripp too. It would be awesome to plug one of these in to a 70s HiWatt and crank out some Larks’ Tongues In Aspic (Pt. 2).

Just imagine reviewing a 65 year old guitar and your shirt being the most worn in the shot... None the less, this might be your coolest review yet. thanks!

I was in awe the whole video

For a 65 year old guitar it is in amazing shape, always loved the black beauties

The Neck pickup sounds Clapton's Woman Tone without rolling down the Tone . That's a Awesome Guitar..

Austin, If you look closely, you can see that all the mounting screws for that Bigsby are gold. And when you took it off, you can see on the underside where there is Reminence of gold plating. From the looks of it, it really could be the factory original. Although it is hard to tell. Especially the screw for the tremolo arm itself. When nickel oxidizes it turns a more stark gray color. When Gold oxidizes, it turns a brownish red color. And that’s what that screw on arm looks like. I am leaning more towards it being original

Nice to see you playing. Especially Iconic Rock & Roll!🎸

Lovely guitar and video Austin! Really liked that middle position sound too. This girl is in great shape for her age too! 👍

I was only here because I'm a sucker for 3 shiny humbuckers but , wow, I really enjoyed the journey . I'd be terrified to take one of these apart like that. As soon as you started playing it, it was stunning! The only pickups I've ever heard that compare are the incredible Entwistle HV58 s which are the best pickups I've ever heard until these matched the sound and made me swoon the same way.

Fantastic review, honest, entertaining, and informative

Wow! That(you and the guitar) sounded amazing! Unmistakable Zeppelin tone!

Those old fretless wonders were So easy to play! Wish I could afford one!

good demo of the different pickup sounds, thanks