Gibson Les Paul Deluxe 1972 Made in USA

I bought my Gibson Les Paul Deluxe in the early 90s and is my favourite guitar. It’s solid and feels a bit like a piece of furniture with great tone. I’m a big fan of the mini-humbuckers so no need to modify it all.

The Les Paul Deluxe was among the ‘new’ 1968-1969 Les Pauls. This model featured mini-humbuckers, and did not initially prove popular. The mini-humbucker pickups fit into the pre-carved P-90 pickup cavity using an adaptor ring developed by Gibson in order to use a surplus supply of Epiphone mini-humbuckers.

The Deluxe was introduced in late 1968 and helped to standardize production among Gibson’s U.S.-built Les Pauls. The first incarnation of the Deluxe featured a one-piece body and slim three-piece neck. The multipiece body (a thin layer of maple on top of two layers of Honduran mahogany) arrived in 1969. In late 1969, a reinforcing neck volute was added. 1969 Deluxes feature the Gibson logo missing the dot over the “i” in Gibson. By late 1969/early 1970, the dot over the “i” had returned, plus a “Made In USA” stamp on the back of the headstock. Gibson produced 216 Deluxe Gold Top as specially-ordered guitars with full-size humbucker t-tops pickups between 1972 and 1974 (179 in 1973, 28 in 1974 and 9 in 1972), as a Les Paul Standard pickup specification. Until the end of the year 1974, 90% of the Gibson Les Paul Deluxe manufactured were Gold Top. New colours emerged from 1975, less valued than the Gold Top. By in late 1975, the neck construction was changed from mahogany to maple, until the early 1980s, when the construction returned to mahogany. The body changed back to solid mahogany from the pancake design in late 1976 or early 1977. In 1985 the Gibson canceled the Deluxe model.

Famous players

Adrian Smith, of Iron Maiden, uses a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Gold Top 1972, with the bridge pickup converted to a humbucker, and has been using it since joining Iron Maiden in 1980.

Pete Townshend used Les Paul Deluxes onstage almost exclusively between 1973 and 1979, often with additional middle pickups.

Jimmy Page, of Led Zeppelin, used a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe 1969 Red, converted to humbuckers, during the 1970s, and reunion of 2007.

Vivian Campbell, of Dio, used a Deluxe Black 1977, with a humbucker conversion, during his period in the band.

Ace Frehley used Deluxe 1973 converted humbucker in 70s.  Steve Lukather has Deluxe Gold Top 1974 original humbucker. Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson, of Thin Lizzy, also used Les Paul Deluxes in the 1970s. Slash has a Deluxe Tobacco Sunburst 1975. Yngwie Malmsteen had a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Gold Top 1969 in his collection for more than 30 years, converted to humbuckers.