“It’s beaten and it’s a Frankenstein. It’s got a lot of modifications since the ’50s, since it was born”: Gibson’s Charlie Starr Les Paul Junior signature upgrades the stock LPJ in just about every way

Gibson has announced the arrival of the Charlie Starr Les Paul Junior, honoring the Blackberry Smoke frontman with a signature guitar inspired by his beloved vintage Les Paul Junior.

“It’s based on my 1956 Gibson Les Paul Junior, which is a old black refinished guitar,” explains Starr in the Gibson clip. “It's beaten and it's a Frankenstein. It's got a lot of modifications and changed parts, since the ’50s, since it was born, but I think most of that stuff happened in the ’70s…”

Starr’s signature model is inspired by that mojo-laden guitar, but doesn’t give it the full Murphy Lab treatment – clearly, aiming to create a US-made player model that instead offers a clean take on the spirit and handy mods of the ’56.

As such, you still get that ’50s-style neck profile with Indian rosewood board and nitro-finished body (albeit in satin), but it swaps out the traditional lightning bar tailpiece for an adjustable wraparound with locking studs. 

Then there are Grover Rotomatic tuners, a custom overwound P-90 pickup and it all comes in a ‘Gator skin’ case, complete with Starr’s signature ceramic slide and a ‘Hey Y’all’ sticker.

The run is available in a choice of Ebony and Walnut, with production limited to just 250 guitars in color.

At $1,999, some will argue that the price point is steep for a single-pickup spec (a regular US Les Paul Junior comes in at $1,599), but it does feel like a compelling package.

Charlie Starr Unveils His Signature Gibson Les Paul Junior - YouTube

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The bridge mod addresses the intonation gripes many have with the Junior’s usual tailpiece, while the tuner upgrades and custom-wound pickup are also genuinely appealing. All in all, it feels like one of those signature models that could have an appeal well beyond the artist’s own fanbase.

It’s also good to see Gibson offering some collectible options to players who don’t have the means to play the market for the likes of a Custom Shop Collector’s Edition.

For more information on the Gibson Charlie Starr Les Paul Junior, head to Gibson.