Stay Golden, Pony Boy

We are proud to present you with a true exemplar of the Gold Standard: a Wildwood Spec reissue of the legendary 1957 Les Paul Standard. These Midas-kissed beauties feature a host of true-to-vintage appointments that give them the sort of tone that haunts the dreams of Les Paul enthusiasts.

Everything starts with quality tonewoods—warm, round-sounding mahogany and crisp, clear maple, and a sweet-sounding rosewood fretboard. Once they pick out some good-sounding wood, the master luthiers at the Gibson Custom Shop attach everything together using hot hide glue. Using hide glue is a time-consuming old-world manufacturing technique that pays incredible sonic dividends because it creates the strongest possible connection between each piece of wood to build as much resonance as possible. That means that these pretty golden girls sing loud and proud even when unplugged!

When you do plug in, you will be amazed at how well the natural acoustic voice of these instruments translates to huge electrified tone. Each one comes equipped with Custom Shop humbuckers that seem to capture all of our favorite parts of old pickups. Warm, woody low end, raspy, punchy midrange, and sweet, singing high end. If vintage-style punch 'n' crunch are your thing, you'll find yourself utterly enamored with the sound of the Wildwood Spec '57 Standard.

Electric Feel

This particular goldtop is special because Wildwood spec'd it out with a '60s slim C neck profile reminiscent of the one you'd find on a 1960 Les Paul. They wanted to offer players who like the goldtop's stylish profile but prefer a sleeker neck profile, and it turned out great! This thing plays like Crisco-coated butter, and its playability meets the gold standard set by its tone. Plus, it's kind of a cool piece of historical fiction—it makes us imagine some fellow on the Gibson assembly line zoning out in 1957 and sanding the neck down way too far, then hoping Ted McCarty doesn't notice! If you like goldtops and fast sixties feel, you'll love this guitar!