Pre-Owned Gibson Les Paul Custom - Pewter - 1987

Well then! This is quite something...

This 1987 Les Paul Custom, in custom ordered colour "Pewter" (often called charcoal metallic, gun metal or even green metallic) is not something you see everyday. In fact the consensus on the name of this colour has only really just been agreed upon, which is thanks to the previous owner of this guitar and one of the internets favourite guitar experts Trogly. As luck would have it, Trogly has just released a highly informative YouTube video about this era of LPC in this exact colour (linked below).

Currently, this is the only documented 1987 Les Paul Custom in Pewter, and very likely the only '80s Pewter Custom in the UK. There are a small number of these (14 documented we believe) from '85 & '86, making this an incredibly rare find. This particular one was brought over to England by the previous owner, who picked it up in Florida, USA.

Although it has 9-hole weight relief, it's a chunky thing weighing it at (tbc). All round this is a stunning guitar, that plays great and absolutely sings. In depths notes below:

In terms of the exterior condition of this guitar, it's in a very nice lightly relic'd state. The top coat has yellowed over the years, leaving the Pewter finish looking more of a greenish hue than it would have when it left the factory. There are some areas of the binding that have taken bumps, revealing lighter patches underneath - but nothing unsightly. There are various small dings scattered across the body, but the front and neck have been generally well preserved across it's 38 years. The small patch of buckle rash on the back is a perfect reminder that this is a vintage guitar which has had a good life. This wear allows a little peak at the Pewter colour under the top coat, where you can see the effect of yellowing over time.

At the heart of this guitar are the sought after Tim Shaw PAFS, which were phased out in '87. These sound - as would expect - fantastic. At this point in Gibsons history, the PAFS were not date stamped, but do have the Pat number stamped underneath. At some point these pickups have been out of this guitar, meaning that the solder has been disturbed on the original '87 dated pots. Unfortunately when this guitar was wearing different pickups, the wires were on the Tim Shaws were cut in the centre. The previous owner has had them painstakingly soldered back to together and shrink wrapped neatly at the joint.

There have been a few changes to this guitar over the years. A "string saver" style bridge has been fitted at some point. The control knobs appear to be vintage Gibson, but slightly pre-date the guitar - Gibson changed supplier of their knobs in 1985 and from then on they just don't age that much (amazing Trogly fact!). It looks to us like 3 may be a set and one slightly different due to the ageing, but very hard to say. The tuners on this are late '80s style Grover Kidney Beans, not common on Customs, but not impossible as it was a custom order. The machine heads are very shiny, which makes them look a little too new - our guess is they are a fair few years younger than the guitar.

The toggle switch is original, but the casing is slightly bent out of shape. This causes the switch to skip the middle position when moving from down to up. You can easily get it to pause in the middle by holding your thumb behind it, but if flicked vigorously, it will skip. It works fine going from neck across to bridge. This doesn't cause any signal to drop out. We would be happy to replace this with a Switchcraft switch, free or charge - just didn't want to take the original out without giving someone the option.

The frets are original and do show signs of its previous life, but no terrible grooves, dead notes or real choking. There are a couple of notes on the fretboard that are slightly rattly, but these are hard to pick out when amplified. It is currently set up with D'Addario EXL110 10-46 strings and a low action - 1.6mm on the low E at the 12th, 1.4mm on the high e. With the action rasied a touch more than it is, it plays perfectly cleanly. If this was mine to keep, i'd have it a little higher, but for shop purposes, it's as low as it is really happy with. 

This guitar came to us with a TKL Gibson hardcase, which we believe to be early '90s. The lock is broken (included - in the pocket), but this case is secure.

Trogly's amazing video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j5LpdyeAYg

This is a pre-owned instrument and may show signs of use. The general condition is outlined in the photos, but if you require any additional information, have any questions or would like to request any further photos, just drop us an email at contact@hippoguitars.com and we'll be happy to help! We're just a team of 2, so we will try our best to get back to you as soon as we can. Trades always welcome, just fill in the Sell/Trade form at the top of the website to get a quote!

All pre-owned guitars are set for click and collect only by default. We can ship world wide (excluding US). If you would like us to ship a guitar to you, please send us an email with your delivery address and we can send over a quote for shipping and provide more information regarding the items condition & playability, to ensure that you're happy before purchase.