There is something almost haunting about choosing up a 1955 les paul jr for the first time, especially if you're used to the bells and whistles of contemporary "super-strats" or multi-pickup monsters. You're keeping just one slab of mahogany, one single pickup, and two knobs. On papers, it appears like Gibson was looking to perform the bare minimum amount back in the mid-fifties. In reality, they accidentally created what a lot of purists consider the nearly all "honest" rock and roll machine ever built.
When you plug a 1955 les paul jr in to a tube amp that's already running the bit hot, a person don't just listen to the guitar—you experience it. It's the raw, visceral expertise which makes you realize just how very much we usually overcomplicate things. You don't need a middle pickup or a fancy tremolo system to make a statement. You just need a piece of old-growth wood plus a P-90 that's ready to scream.
A Student Model That Proceeded to go Rogue
It's funny to consider that will Gibson originally marketed the 1955 les paul jr as a budget-friendly option for college students. It was the basic guitar, the 1 your parents purchased you whenever they weren't sure if you'd stick with the lessons. Because this was "cheap, " Gibson didn't bother with the carved maple tops or even the fancy binding found on the particular Goldtops or Traditions of the period.
But here's the thing: that will simplicity is specifically why people look them down nowadays. By stripping aside the maple cover, Gibson left all of us with a solid mahogany body that resonates in the very specific method. It's punchy, mid-forward, and has a specific "bark" that the standard Les Paul Standard usually can't mimic. The 1955 model year is usually particularly special due to the fact it sits correct in that special spot where the particular construction have been dialed in, however the guitars were still becoming built with components we can just imagine using today.
That Popular Dog-Ear P-90
When the mahogany piece will be the body, the particular P-90 pickup will be the soul. The 1955 les paul jr features a single "dog-ear" P-90 in the particular bridge position. Right now, if you've never ever played an authentic 50s P-90, you might expect this to be noisy or thin. While they could definitely sound if you're position too close in order to a neon sign, "thin" is the final word I'd make use of to describe all of them.
These pick-ups are incredibly sensitive to how you pick. If you play softly, they clean up beautifully with a glassy, chimey quality. But the second you dig in with a heavy plectrum, the P-90 hits back. It's got more girth compared to a single-coil yet more grit and "air" than a humbucker. In the 1955 les paul jr, that pick-up is mounted straight to the wood, which seems in order to transfer every vibration from the strings directly into the electronics. It feels living in your hands.
The Strength of Two Pulls
Most guitarists today are accustomed to getting a literal dash of options. On a 1955 les paul jr , you have one volume and one tone. That's it. You'd think that would end up being limiting, but it's actually incredibly delivering. It forces a person to use the particular knobs for the actual were intended for.
A lot of players just dime everything and depart it there, but you're missing out on half the magic if you do that with a '55 Junior. Moving the amount back in order to seven or 8 cleans up the indication enough for a few beautiful rhythm work. Moving the tone knob back a tresses takes away that will ice-pick high end and provides you a "woman tone" that's thick enough to cut through any kind of mix. It's the masterclass in "less is more. "
The Experience of a Fifty-Five Neck of the guitar
Let's chat about the throat for a second, because this will be where a lot of people either fall in like or walk aside. The neck upon a 1955 les paul jr is often described as a "baseball softball bat. " It's chunky. It's substantial. In case you're coming from a modern "shredder" neck, it's heading to feel such as you're holding a fence post.
However, there's the reason people vow by these extra fat necks. Aside from the comfort (which, surprisingly, is great for hand fatigue when you get used to it), that extra bulk contributes to the guitar's sustain. There's the direct correlation in between that big chunk of mahogany plus the way the particular notes bloom and hang in the particular air. Plus, by 1955, Gibson experienced moved the link slightly to help with intonation issues found on the previous '54 models, making the '55 a bit more "player-friendly" for those which actually want to remain in tune.
Why the 1955 les paul jr Still Matters
You might wonder the reason why anyone would spend lots of money on the guitar that was originally sold for about $50. Is it just nostalgia? Is usually it just enthusiasts chasing a "holy grail"?
I actually don't think therefore. I've played a lot of modern reissues and boutique copies that try to replicate the 1955 les paul jr . Some of them get actually close. But they never quite catch that specific "dry" resonance that 70-year-old wood has. The nitrocellulose lacquer upon a '55 has already established decades to drain into the grain, letting the wood breathe. When a person hit a Grams chord on an unique '55, the entire body vibrates against your own ribs in such a way that's hard to produce in a manufacturer today.
The particular Aesthetics of Growing older
There's furthermore the look. A 1955 les paul jr usually sports activities a beautiful sunburst finish which has aged into something much more subtle compared with how it was whenever it left Kalamazoo. You'll see the "checking"—those fine little spiderweb lines within the finish—and maybe some "arm wear" in which an earlier owner's sweat offers eaten through the lacquer to reveal the particular mahogany underneath.
These aren't "relics" made to appear old; these are guitars that have survived decades of bars, studios, and sleeping rooms. Every ding and even scratch tells a story. When you observe a Junior along with a worn-down neck of the guitar where the end is totally gone, a person know it was someone's favorite guitar with regard to a long, very long time.
Finding the particular Right One
If you're actually in the market for a 1955 les paul jr , you have in order to be an investigator. Because they had been "cheap" guitars, people modded them continuously. You'll find them with humbuckers sent into the middle, extra switches added, or even tuners replaced along with heavy Grovers.
While the modified one may play great plus save you some cash, there's a certain purity to finding one particular that's mostly initial. You want to look for that wrap-around tailpiece. It's a simple style, but it's the huge section of the Jr sound. The strings go over the bridge and wrap around, creating a high-tension setup that will rings like a bell. Many people change these out for adjustable bridges to obtain ideal intonation, but there's a specific "thump" you lose when you move apart from the original stud-mounted bar.
Conclusions on the Classic
At the end of the day, the particular 1955 les paul jr isn't a guitar intended for everyone. If you need a wide variety of tones at the flick of a switch, or if you can't stand a bit of 60-cycle hum, you'll possibly find it annoying. It's a temperamental, loud, and persistent instrument.
But if you need a guitar that forces a person to be the better player—one that will responds to every nuance of the touch and provides an immediate line from your own fingers to the particular speaker—there's nothing much better. It's the best "plug in and play" guitar. You don't tweak the configurations; you just perform. And once you hear that P-90 roar by way of a good amp, it's extremely hard to proceed back to whatever else. The 1955 les paul jr isn't just a vintage collectible; it's the reminder that sometimes, the first way associated with doing things was the right way.