Ironically, Les Paul had very little personal input into the design of the classic 1950s Gibsons that bore his name. That changed in 1969 with the Les Paul Personal.

Paul’s first stint with Gibson had ended in 1963, but when Gibson revived the Standard and Custom in 1968, Paul returned. This time Gibson gave him free rein to design a guitar that truly represented his personal preferences, and he came up with two models.

Both had the body lines of the earlier models but were larger – a full inch wider.

The Personal was just that, with one of the most personalized features ever to appear on a production guitar – a microphone jack on the bass-side rim allowing the player to attach a mic to the guitar, just as Paul did in his live performances. It also featured low-impedance pickups, which Paul preferred because they were better suited for a recording studio.