2003 Gibson '54 Historic Les Paul Oxblood - Brazilian Board, (front), (headstock), (back), (pickups/bridge). Commonly referred to as the "JB Les Paul" or "Unofficial Jeff Beck Model", this was a faithful, albeit not relic'd, copy of Jeff's famed refinished Les Paul, shown on his "Blow By Blow" and "Wired" albums (pic from Bacon&Day LP Book). As most of you are aware, Gibson stopped using Brazilian rosewood all together in April of 2003, so there are only a handful of Historics which are genuinely true to the original. Prices on early 2003's, be they R4, R6, R7, R8, or R9, have continued to climb every year since '05 and if you want a Braz board, be ready to pay up. About this model: To stay true to the Beck guitar, this beauty features Schaller tuners (later ones featured Schaller's with the" Gibson" stamp), open coil pickups with tan rings, and no writing on pickup selector. It also uses my personal favorite tailpiece with just a single wraparound bridge/tailpiece for the ultimate in simplicity and nothing is more comfortable or effective for palm muting. While the finish looks black, in bright light you can see that it's actually a very dark Oxblood. Other distinguishing features of the R4 Oxblood are a very substantial neck and an extremely thin finish which is very tone-friendly. Pickups are excellent sounding Burstbucker 2 and 3. Please note that there are extra tuner holes where a set of Grover tuners once resided, I'm guessing in an attempt to make it a pseudo-authentic "Jeff Beck Model", which had the tuners switched at the factory, but this model should have had only the Schaller's. It's a minor issue but one which is good news looking for a very high end Brazilian R4 at a player's price. Other than the tuner holes it is obvious that it has been played very sparingly - perfect appearance other than the tuners and one tiny pin **bleep** in the clear coat. Accessories include custom shop case with certificate, serialized hangtag and all the other loads of vintage paperwork, polishing cloth, braided cable, etc. This is a rare guitar, only the 4th one I've ever had and only the 2nd Brazilian, and is truly an exceptional player, medium weight, and very resonant. I don't think Gibson is offering the R4 Oxblood or any other R4's any longer, so whatever is circulating is all there is. You might remember this guitar as I sold it last year, for $4500. Look around the web and you'll see most '03 Brazilians Les Pauls around $5K-$6500. If you don't mind extra tuner holes as found on the official JB, you'll be pleased with the savings. Just $3200 for this wonderful R4 Oxblood. Note: Gibson took it down from their site, but here's a screenshot of the 2003 Brazilian matrix that I downloaded 7 years ago (link). This one's #095; the Brazilian run on R4's went up to #150.
Originally Posted by Prages
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