1956 Gibson Les Paul Special
The 1956 Les Paul Special — two P-90s in a slab mahogany body. Single cutaway, TV Yellow or Cherry Red. The working musician's Gibson.
Current Market Value
* Prices are estimates based on recent market data. Actual value depends on originality, condition, and provenance. Pricing methodology
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Specifications
| Body Wood | Mahogany (flat top, no maple cap) |
| Neck Wood | Mahogany |
| Fingerboard | Brazilian Rosewood |
| Scale Length | 24.750" |
| Frets | 22 |
| Pickup Config | HH |
| Bridge | Wrap-over combination bridge/tailpiece |
| Tuners | Kluson Deluxe |
| Finish Options | Limed Mahogany (TV Yellow) |
| Est. Production | 1,200 |
Pickups & Electronics
Two P-90 soap-bar pickups. The two-pickup Junior — more versatile than the single-P-90 Junior but still raw and direct.
What Changed in 1956
Special gaining popularity. TV Yellow finish designed to look good on black-and-white television.
Collector's Notes
TV Yellow (Limed Mahogany) finish is the most collected. Verify original P-90 pickups and wrap-over bridge. Single-cutaway models (1955-1957) command premium over double-cutaway.
How to Authenticate a 1956 Gibson Les Paul Special
Gibson serial numbers from this era are ink-stamped on the back of the headstock. Cross-reference with known Gibson serial tables — numbering was not strictly sequential. Potentiometer date codes are critical: look for CTS pots (code 137) with two-digit year codes matching 1956 or up to 18 months earlier. This is the most reliable dating method for Gibson guitars of this era. The finish should be nitrocellulose lacquer showing age-appropriate checking (fine crazing). Under blacklight, original nitro fluoresces a distinctive green-yellow — refinished instruments lack this characteristic. Verify both P-90 pickups are original with correct bobbin construction and Alnico magnets. Flat mahogany body with two P-90s. Single-cutaway. TV Yellow finish should show age-appropriate ambering. Original Kluson Deluxe should be present with no evidence of replacement (no oversized bushing holes). Original hardshell case adds provenance value.