Gibson Les Paul Junior - Variations

Variations

The Les Paul Junior was originally introduced in 1954 as a single cutaway model, with its double cutaway counter-part arriving to the market in early 1958. Color schemes most commonly placed on Juniors were vintage sunburst, cherry red, and TV yellow. In 2012, two rare black models with tortoiseshell pickguard, from 1959 and 1960, were described in Vintage Guitar; the possibility was offered that black models were special-ordered for a specific store, or that the black finish was used to cover up blemishes in the wood. In 1961, the body style of the Junior was shifted, and after conflict between Gibson and Les Paul, these models were later renamed the SG Junior.

The Les Paul Junior is still offered today in several different variations. Gibson offers U.S.A. made Les Paul Juniors which has been given modern touches including a more slim-tapered neck. These particular Juniors have been seen in several different incarnations since the mid-1980s in both single and double cut. The Gibson Custom shop has also offered a period correct Junior over the years through both its Historic and VOS branches. These models feature the more notorious large neck or "baseball bat" neck as it is often referred to among players.

Several artists have had Juniors produced in the Gibson product line including John Lennon, Mick Jones, Peter Frampton, and often included is the Bob Marley Les Paul Special. The Lennon model is unique for the single-coil, hexagon-shaped "Charlie Christian" pickup in the neck, a modification Lennon himself accepted when he had his actual Junior serviced in the 1970s, upon acquiring the guitar. (The name derives from the pickup installed on Christian's L-5 acoustic guitar.) Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and Gibson have released two signature Les Paul Juniors, the first is in three custom colors including Vintage Sunburst, Classic White, and Ebony, and is based on the actual '54-'57 Juniors. It also has some modern features per-request of Armstrong, which include a slim tapered neck, as well as a special designed "H-90" Pickup which is said to be hum canceling and it is overwound to handle more distortion. Armstrong's second signature model is a double-cutaway in TV Yellow which also includes an "H-90" pickup.

The Les Paul Special has a similar body shape, but is equipped with two P-90 pickups and Gibson's standard four-knob, three-way switch electronics.

Ace Frehley and Gibson created a unique model of this guitar: The Gibson Les Paul Jr. Lighter. It is a variation of a Les Paul Jr. with a Dimarzio Superdistortion pickup added by Ace. It contained light bulbs incorporated into sequences that turned on as a marquee, but at first there were so many lamps that gave off so much energy and heat that affected Ace, they decided to reduce them. They installed 20 cells for rechargeable batteries "C", circuits and new lamps.

Leslie West has been quoted as saying he was offered a Les Paul Junior signature model at one time but turned the idea down, because he didn't want a signature guitar based on an already-existing instrument, even though the Les Paul Junior was his signature instrument during his heyday in Mountain.