The Les Paul Custom debuted in 1954 in an attempt to broaden the solid body product line after the initial success of the Les Paul Model gold top. Les Paul claimed that he suggested black as the color for the guitar because it looked classy and went well with a black Tuxedo on stage. (he also felt that his hands and super-fast fingers would stick out more clearly against the black background)
The Les Paul Custom differed greatly from the Les Paul Model in several ways. It had a solid Honduras mahogany body, which gave it a mellower tone than the maple capped Les Paul Model. It came with a dark ebony fret board with rectangular pearloid inlays, a wider, bound headstock with the Super 400’s style split diamond inlay, gold plated hardware, seven-ply top binding on top of body, five-ply binding on back of body and around the headstock, and three ply pick-guard. The Custom was the first Les Paul model to receive the Tune-o-Matic bridge.
The Custom was issued with the unique Alnico V pickup in the neck position that was designed by Seth Lover during 1952/53 and installed in Super 400s and L-5s. It was designed by Seth to be louder than the P-90 in the bridge position. Lover said that he designed the pole pieces in the alnico pickup to be rectangular so that it looked different from other pickups this new Alnico V pickup (also called the “staple” pickup by some), gave added note definition in the neck position, while a traditional P-90 in the bridge position provided its beloved bite and growl, there is simply no other Les Paul that sounds like this one, and it is a wondrous instrument to hear.
