The Les Paul, and the Les Paul Artisan

1978 Gibson Quality / Prestige / Innovation catalog. Page 2 - two of Gibson's very finest solid body guitars: the hand built The Les Paul, and the also-very-fine Les Paul Artisan.

The Les Paul was a short-lived variant and this was it's only US catalog appearance. It was a true work of art, with a price tag to match: 1978 Gibson US price lists put this model at $3000 - that is three and a half times as much as the Les Paul Custom, and almost twice as much as Gibson's finest carved top electric acoustics the L-5CES and the Super 400 CES.

The Artisan, was still $1039 at this time, not a small sum by any means, and it too was a very special Les Paul, again ornately appointed with gold hardware, but it had a unique 'hearts and flowers' inlay pattern on the neck and headstock. The price list only refers to a three pickup model, whilst this catalog suggests the availability of either two (pictured) or three pickup versions.