Epiphone Les Paul ’56 Goldtop

The Epiphone Les Paul ’56 Goldtop is a replica of the very first Gibson Les Paul guitars. Its Goldtop finish and P-90 pickups set it apart from the rest of the Epiphone Les Paul range.
The P-90 was originally introduced in 1946 and for a while, until the introduction of the humbucker in 1957, was Gibson’s standard pick-up for the Les Paul.

Unlike the humbucker, the P-90 is a single coil pick-up but is bigger and has a more complex design than Fender’s singe coil pick-ups. According to Gibson, the P-90 “offers a stellar combination of high output and biting treble response.” There are three P-90 designs and the ’56 Goldtop uses the ‘soapbar’ version, probably so-called because of its shape and the fact that originally it was white.

Since the launch of the humbucker, the P-90 has had limited use, and has often been employed in budget guitars such as Gibson’s Les Paul Junior and Les Paul Special. It, however, is also a feature of Epihone’s Casino and is a key component of the Casino’s distinctive sound.

Other than the gold finish and P-90s, the Epiphone Les Paul ’56 Goldtop is similar to the Les Paul Standard. It has a Mahogany body, set mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays and chrome hardware. There’s the familiar stopbar tailpiece and chrome tuning heads and the headstock is emblazoned with the Les Paul script. On the ’56 Goldtop though, the truss rod cover bears the legend ‘The Gold Top.’

Although it’s no longer manufactured, there’s a healthy second-hand market, and a quick search on turns up various different models from over the years, including, if you’re lucky, one in Ebony.

Check out the Epiphone Les Paul ’56 Goldtop at Guitar Center