The first approved Gibson Les Paul , owned by Les Paul , will be auctioned soon.
The instrument, which the late guitarist called "Number One," was developed between 1951 and 1952 and will now be part of the next sale at Christie's auction house , based in New York, which will take place on October 13th.
At the time, around 1950, Gibson was losing market share to Fender, which had just launched the Telecaster and it had been a success. Therefore, the company called on Paul to help with innovation.
The final instrument was intended to reach a high-end market, which it succeeded in doing, serving as the basis for the now-famous Gibson Les Paul guitars.
The iconic “Number One” is being auctioned by Paul's son, Gene Paul , and former guitar builder and producer, Tom Doyle . In a statement, Doyle said: “Les brought his idea to Gibson and they initially dismissed it outright, but Les was stubborn. He stood firm in his ideas and beliefs, knowing that one day they would see the light. Les continued to tinker, invent and make his concept better and better.”
"So, finally, after about 10 years, and after many trials and errors, the Gibson people presented this guitar to Les. He fell in love with it and was very happy – and the rest, as they say, is history."
The estimated value of the acclaimed instrument to be auctioned is between US$100,000 and US$150,000, approximately R$544,000 to R$815,000. In the video below, Gene Paul and Tom Doyle discuss the model.
