Lefty '57-'59 Gibson LP ?

[Rhoad]

I'm wondering wether Gibson has produced any Lefthand Les Pauls back in 1957 to 1959....do you konw if there exist any?

[SouthpawGuy]

I'm wondering wether Gibson has produced any Lefthand Les Pauls back in 1957 to 1959....do you konw if there exist any?

Didn't Paul McCartney or John McEnroe have one ?

[lostinthemasses]

yes, they exist, but they're like 25 grand

[Rhoad]

Nice....but the price's pretty LOLWUT. Hm...so let's hope, I'll get a good job, so I can afford one.

[lostinthemasses]

i'd rather get a pre-cbs strat, i've seen left handed 57 strats in really good shape go for like 12 grand, the right handed ones in the same condition go for like 30 grand

[Rhoad]

Yeah...the thing is just that I don't Like strats I'm more of a Gibson-guy.

[lostinthemasses]

that's funny, i've never been big on gibsons, their quality control is really poor for an american company and i always thought their guitars were way overpriced. i like all their models but it's hard to find one that was made decently and even harder to find a left handed one.

eventually i'll at least own a les paul with an ebony fretboard, it might not be a gibson though, since a les paul custom is like 2500 bucks, i could have a luthier make one way better for like 60% of that price.

[AgileGhost]

A (mint) '59 LP is worth around 200k nowadays... paul macca has a lefty one, or so I've heard.

[LPLover]

A (mint) '59 LP is worth around 200k nowadays... paul macca has a lefty one, or so I've heard.

I've seen original '59 bursts going for $275-$450K US, depending on condition. '58s and '60s are slightly less, but I don't know why. There were actually fewer '58s built than '59s, but they're not worth as much. Go figure...

[crawdaddy]

I know this doesn't answer your question, but they make a '57 RI goldtop,
and as it happens, this gives me an opportunity to show her off:




On a more serious note, like every stated, yes they made them in the late 50's. I have seen photos, buts that is as close as I've ever come to seeing one.

[Lefty Elmo]

Didn't Paul McCartney or John McEnroe have one ?

Sorry I didn't see this sooner. I've been archiving the few left handed Les Pauls (goldtops and bursts, not Customs, Juniors or Specials) for over twenty-five years, so I'll share the photos and info with you.
Numbers first, and I don't claim to have every left archived, just most of them.
I know of 2-3 52s. The confusion comes from multiple pictures, and that sometimes it's hard to tell one goldtop from another.
There are 4 known 54 lefty goldtops, I have pics of three of them, and I've spoken to the owner of the fourth, who promised pics, and they never materialized. BTW, two of the four 54s, are all-gold.
There are at least 5 57 goldtop lefties made. Four with PAFs, one with a 57 serial number, but with factory P-90s. Three are darkbacks, one of those with factoy black plastic instead of creme. Paul McCartny owns one of the PAF 57s, and I don't know the serial number or if it has a light or dark back, but I do have a pic to share of it.
There are four known lefty bursts. One built in 59, and currently owned by John MacEnroe. I played this guitar in 1985, when it was for sale. Ther are three lefty built in 1960, one only became known to the vintage market about two years ago.
OK, here's the pics, BTW, I ran a weekly series on The Les Paul Forum about three years ago, called "The Lefty Archives" that detailed all of these guitars.
First up is a well worn 1954 goldtop. I chose to show this one first because I used to own it. Selling this guitar is my biggest regret.

[Lefty Elmo]

This lefty is actually a 52 that had a trap tailpiece. When it hit the market in 2004, it had lost the original tailpiece, and the gold had been stripped of the top. The current owner lives out west, and had the neck re-set, and the guitar first set up to 1956 specs, then routed for PAFs.
With P-90s:

Here's what it looks like now with PAFs:

[Lefty Elmo]

Here's an all original lefty 52, that hit the market about seven years ago, and was purchased by someone in England.

[Lefty Elmo]

Here's another 54. This one is all-gold, and in near-mint condition.

[Lefty Elmo]

Here's another 54 all-gold, that was for sale about three years ago. It's with it's new owner in Japan.


Here's the flip side: