2008 Gibson Custom Shop ’68 Reissue Les Paul Custom – Alpine White

Here’s a seriously lovely example of Gibson Custom Shop’s 2008 ’68 Reissue Les Paul Custom, finished in Alpine White and now developing that wonderfully warm, naturally aged ivory tone that makes these guitars so appealing.

This is a proper Custom Shop Les Paul Custom, built to the specification of the legendary late-’60s model and carrying all the presence you would expect from a white Les Paul Custom. It weighs 10.70lb, has a 43mm top nut and feels every inch the substantial, serious instrument that a Les Paul Custom should be.

The Custom Shop specification features the classic mahogany construction, a carved maple top, mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard, together with the distinctive Custom appointments and twin Gibson ’57 Classic humbuckers. The combination gives this guitar a wonderfully authoritative voice: warm and thick at the bridge, with plenty of bite and definition when driven, while the neck pickup delivers that deep, vocal, almost piano-like Gibson character. Roll the volume back and it cleans up beautifully, retaining plenty of clarity and harmonic detail.

It is particularly good for blues, rock and heavier styles, but there is considerably more versatility here than the appearance might suggest. The ’57 Classics have a lovely open quality, with enough output to push an amplifier while retaining the woody, rounded character that makes a good Les Paul Custom so addictive.

Our example is in excellent condition and is presented in perfect working order with a very nice setup. The playing action is fantastic — easy, comfortable and exactly what you want from a Custom — while the frets remain in very good condition with no discernible wear.

The original Alpine White finish has naturally mellowed beautifully over the years, now presenting with a lovely warm yellow/vintage-white hue. It looks absolutely fantastic in the flesh. The photographs unfortunately don't quite capture the colour or depth of the finish as well as we would have liked.

There are a few light playing marks on the pickguard, along with some very light palm rubbing to the gold Gibson ’57 Classic pickup covers. There is also some delicate lacquer checking between the control knobs and around the neck joint. It is subtle, difficult to photograph and entirely in keeping with the age and character of the instrument.

Overall, we would rate the condition at a very strong 8.9/10.

The guitar remains fundamentally original. The only change is the strap buttons, which are currently Dunlop examples; the original Gibson buttons are included in the case.

The original Gibson Custom Shop hard case is also in very good condition, and the guitar comes complete with its original paperwork, key and Gibson Certificate of Authenticity.

This really is a super nice example of a White ’68 Reissue Les Paul Custom. The combination of the naturally aged Alpine White finish, excellent playability, clean frets, original specification and classic ’57 Classic pickup combination makes this a very desirable Custom Shop instrument.

A beautiful Custom with the right amount of honest age — and, most importantly, an absolute joy to play.

Gibson Les Paul Custom 2008 Alpine White