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TRANSCRIPTIONS 102 GUITAR WORLD • JULY 2023
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110 GUITAR WORLD • JULY 2023 T HE SIMPLE JOYS of life don’t get much simpler than the Gibson Les Paul Junior. Featuring a solitary P90 single-coil pickup, volume and tone controls and a 22-fret neck, the humble Junior is about as basic as it gets, but at the end of the day it provides everything a player needs. Featuring a body made from a flat slab of mahogany, a hefty (at least on most Fifties models) set-in neck also crafted from mahogany and a rosewood fingerboard, it didn’t skimp on tone woods or craftsmanship, and as a result the Junior delivers big time when it comes to tone. Although the Les Paul Junior was initially marketed as a low-cost student model, it still was a pro-quality instrument through and through. I’m positive it was Gibson president Ted McCarty’s one-finger salute to Leo Fender, as the Junior’s original $110 price tag in 1954 was $39.50 less (nearly 25 percent!) than Fender’s cheapest model at the time, the Esquire. Gibson made several changes to the Junior over the years, starting with moving the pickup further from its wraparound bar bridge in 1956, followed by a double-cutaway re-design in 1958 that provided unrestricted access to the entire fingerboard, in turn followed by the SG-style body shape revision with a slimmer thickness, beveled edges and pointy cutaway horns. Shortly after introducing the latter the name changed from Les Paul Junior to SG Junior. Finishes were limited to sunburst for the 1954-58 single cutaway variant and cherry red for the double cutaway models. The other alternative was the Les Paul TV, whose only difference from the Junior was its yellow/tan “limed mahogany” finish. 1954-PRESENT GIBSON LES PAUL JUNIOR CATEGORY: SOLIDBODY ELECTRIC GUITAR BY CHRIS GILL POWER TOOLS SUGGESTED RIGS The Les Paul Junior’s solitary P90 pickup pairs well with just about any amp, but if you’re looking for something distinctive, try a vintage Seventies Ampeg with the 800Hz midrange switch engaged, which is the key to Joe Perry’s early Aerosmith tones. For a more easily accessible modern pairing, a Friedman Small Box works well with a Junior’s volume knob for going from clean sheen to a raging roar. NEIL GODWIN/FUTURE The single-cutaway, double-cutaway and SG-style body models all have their individual charms, but the overall mojo remains the same — bold, ballsy tone and playability on par with the most expensive Gibson models. Some say the lack of a hollowed-out pickup chamber near the neck is the reason the Junior has more midrange bark and beefier bass than its dual-pickup cousin the Les Paul Special, and there may be some truth to that. Lest one think that the Junior is a onetrick pony, a little nimble knob manipulation can deliver a rich rainbow of tones, turning down the volume for crisp cleans and backing down the tone for singing, vocal-like mids. Despite its original “student model” stature, the Junior has remained a favorite of numerous pros over the decades. Most famously, it howled like horny coyote in the hands of Leslie West on Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen.” Joe Perry wielded one on “Walk This Way” and various early Aerosmith tracks, as did Steve Hunter with Alice Cooper and Lou Reed, most notably on “Sweet Jane.” Dave Peverett was a fool for various Juniors with Foghat, and Mick Ralphs frequently played one throughout his stints with both Mott the Hoople and Bad Company. Thanks to its no-frills design, the Junior became a perennial icon of punk, seen in the early days in the hands of Johnny Thunders, Mick Jones with the Clash and Paul Westerberg and today with Billie Joe Armstrong and his various Gibson signature versions. It’s even an occasional stage and studio companion for guitarists named Keith (Richards and Urban). The Les Paul Junior has gone in and out of production over the years, with the longest continuous absence taking place from 1971 (when the SG Junior variant was discontinued) through the mid Eighties, but it’s still going strong today. Gibson’s basic production Junior model — based on the “sweet spot” single-cutaway 1956-57 version — sells for about $1,600, which isn’t too far off of the Junior’s original price adjusted for inflation (about $1,200). Dollar-for-dollar, it’s still one of the best values out there when it comes to ball-busting tone, vibe and thrills. The humble Junior is about as basic as it gets, but at the end of the day, it provides everything a player needs A Gibson Custom 1957 Les Paul Junior Single Cut Reissue (Murphy Lab TV Yellow)
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