1952 Gibson Les Paul
The 1952 Les Paul Gold Top — P-90 equipped. 1716 produced. A cornerstone of vintage guitar collecting.
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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Recent Sales
Showing 10 verified sales for 1952 Gibson Les Paul. Reissues, replicas, and parts listings are filtered out.
Specifications
| Body Wood | Mahogany (body), Maple (carved top) |
| Neck Wood | Mahogany |
| Fingerboard | Rosewood |
| Scale Length | 24.750" |
| Frets | 22 |
| Pickup Config | HH |
| Bridge | Trapeze tailpiece/bridge |
| Tuners | Kluson Deluxe |
| Finish Options | Gold Top |
| Est. Production | 1,716 |
Pickups & Electronics
Two P-90 soap-bar pickups. Trapeze tailpiece.
What Changed in 1952
First year of the Les Paul. Trapeze tailpiece made palm muting nearly impossible — changed the following year.
Collector's Notes
P-90 Gold Tops are excellent instruments. Verify original pickups, bridge, and finish. Natural gold aging to warm brass-yellow is expected.
How to Authenticate a 1952 Gibson Les Paul
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 1952 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 original P-90 soap-bar pickups with correct Alnico magnets and bobbin construction. DC resistance should read approximately 7-9k ohms. The carved maple top over mahogany body is a key construction detail — check body weight (originals are typically 8-10 lbs). Gold top finish should show natural aging to warm brass-yellow. Examine the neck joint tenon — long tenon is correct for this era. Check for headstock repairs (Gibson headstocks are prone to breaking) — repairs reduce value significantly. Original Kluson Deluxe should be present with no evidence of replacement (no oversized bushing holes). Original hardshell case adds provenance value.