Gibson has a long and glorious history of crafting top-notch electric 12-string guitars, from the elegant ES-335-12 of 1965, to the EDS-1275 that enabled Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page to segue seamlessly from the 12-string intro to "Stairway to Heaven" to the ripping 6-string solo in live performance. Now Gibson USA merges its 12-string expertise with a legendary electric for what might be the most powerful-sounding and best-playing rendition of the breed ever created: the Les Paul Traditional 12-String. The guitar is equipped with all the hallmarks of the popular Les Paul Traditional, including its legendary tonewoods, groundbreaking hardware complement and sensational humbucking pickups, with minor alterations to make it a solid and smooth-playing 12-string electric.
Like all of the finest Les Pauls, the Les Paul Traditional 12-String starts with a body made from choice mahogany, weight relieved for your comfort, and capped with a carved maple top (Grade-A maple used beneath the Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish). This combination offers a time-tested marriage of tonewoods that combines the best elements of mahogany's depth and richness and maple's clarity and definition. To this foundation, Gibson USA adds a glued-in Grade-A maple neck for the extra stability demanded by the string tension of this 12-string model. The neck is carved to a fast, comfortable '60s profile that measures .800" deep at the 1st fret and .875" at the 12th, and is topped with a Grade-A rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium-jumbo frets and traditional acrylic trapezoid inlays. In order to accommodate six extra strings without cramping your playing style, Gibson USA ekes out a little extra real estate on the 'board by extending the width of the PLEK-cut Corian nut to 1.750". The extended headstock remains true to Les Paul style, with a mother-of-pearl Gibson inlay and gold "Les Paul Model" silkscreen, a truss-rod cover engraved with "Traditional," and 12 high-quality Mini Grover tuners.
The pickups are the final key factor in blasting the Les Paul Traditional 12-String through sonic territory into which 12-string electric guitars rarely venture. A '57 Classic in the neck position and a '57 Classic Plus in the bridge provide singing chime, sweet in-between tones, or brilliant leads at the flick of a three-way switch, providing more guts and glory than you've ever heard in a 12-string before. Both pickups are made in the style of Gibson's legendary PAF humbuckers, with Alnico 2 magnets and 42 AWG wire, with extra turns in the bridge pickup's coils for added grind and gusto. An iconic Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece, both modified for the 12-string, provide firm anchors for excellent resonance and sustain, and easy intonation adjustment. All in all, it's a classic "Traditional" electric 12-string, and one of the most powerful and versatile 12s ever produced.
Each guitar comes protected in a plush-lined hardshell case with black exterior, and includes owner's manual and adjustment literature.
FEATURES
Choice Mahogany body with carved Maple top
Grade-A Maple neck with fast, comfortable '60s profile
Powerful '57 Classic and '57 Classic Plus pickups in the neck and bridge
Modified 12-string Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece
You've waited long enough. Order today.
LES PAUL TRADITIONAL 12-STRING ELECTRIC GUITAR SPECIFICATIONS:
Body
Top: Maple
Back: Mahogany
Body Type: Traditional Weight Relief
Adhesive: Franklin Titebond 50
Binding: Cream
Neck
Species: Maple
Profile: '60s Thin
Truss Rod: Traditional Adjustable
Joint Angle: 5° (+/- 15 seconds)
Adhesive: Franklin Titebond 50
Neck: Fit
Joint: Mortise & Tenon
Adhesive: Franklin Titebond 50
Joint Angle: Tolerance +/- .005"
Fingerboard
Species: Rosewood
Frets: 22
Radius: 12"
Scale Length: 24.75"
Nut/E.O.B: 1.75"/2.26"
Inlays: Figured Acrylic Trapezoid
Binding: Cream
Nut
Material: Corian
Width: 1.75
Slots: Gibson PLEK System
Headstock
Logo: Mother of Pearl "Gibson" Logo and Scripted "Les Paul Model" Silkscreen
Truss Rod Cover: Black and White Antique Bell with "Traditional" Imprint