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 In 1972 Gibson launched a flyer devoted to the newly launched LP recording guitar - The Gibson Les Paul Recording Guitar of the Month Showcase.  Introduced in 1971, the Les Paul Recording astounded the music world with its extreme versatility and playing performance
The late sixties and early seventies were pivotal times for the world guitar markets. Mass production was becoming the norm, and American guitar companies were struggling to compete with their cheaper Japanese rivals. Gibson did not stop experimenting however and innovations with higher end models included the Les Paul Personal, and Professional guitars, with a matching Les Paul Bass. These were low impedance instruments designed specifically for recording; 'a guitar that can virtually produce any sound that you would want'. Les Paul describes the thinking behind this series
'For years i've worked to produce a multitude of distinctive guitar sounds. The hang-up was to obtain everything in one guitar, now i'm not talking about gimmickry, i'm talking about the real McCoy; authentic guitar sounds, the type of highs that can rip your ears off, the type of bass response that's clean and clear. Every note must be balanced and offer maximum sustain.'. |
Gibson changed hands in December 1969, and number of models changed significantly over the next few years; the Les Paul Bass and Professional guitar were redesigned to become the Les Paul Recording guitar and Les Paul Triumph bass respectively. So in 1971, to launch the newly redesigned models a 4 side low impedance Les Paul catalogue was produced including an interesting flexi disc demonstrating some of the many sounds possible. The disc was narrated by Les Paul himself, and guitars were played by Bruce Bolen.
Side one featured the Les Paul Recording guitar, whilst side 2 featured a track named Tomorrow, today recorded by Bruce Bolen using both instruments.
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