GIBSON ACE FREHLEY LES PAUL (1997, Custom Shop)

  • Gibson Custom Shop Ace Frehley Signature Les Paul (1997) electric guitar
    Gibson Custom Shop Ace Frehley Signature Les Paul (1997)

Overview

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Product: 

  • electric guitars

Series name: 

Dates of manufacture: 

1997

The first Gibson Ace Frehley Signature model was this Gibson Custom Shop Ace Frehley Les Paul Custom made from March to July 1997. Less than 300 were made in total, to a design based on Ace's 1970s cherry sunburst finished Les Paul Custom with three humbucking DiMarzio pick-ups. The Gibson specs for this model state two DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups (DP100) and one DiMarzio Dual Sound pickup (DP101). Some of these guitars were supplied with DiMarzio PAFs (DP103) perhaps due to difficulties supplying the DP101s and DP100s.

Other specifications included: AAA Flamed Maple top, Les Paul "Custom" style binding, Cherry Sunburst Finish, Custom Ace Frehley headstock veneer (of Ace in KISS makeup), Ebony fingerboard with lightning bolt inlays, 12th fret "Ace Frehley" pearl inlay, Custom Ace Frehley serial number hand inked on as ACE 001 to 300, Grover tuners with pearloid buttons, Gibson ABR-1 Bridge, Sterling Silver Engraved (Ace of Hearts) trussrod cover, switch plate and back plate.

This guitar came without a pickguard fitted - although Gibson supplied a pickguard in case you wanted to put it on later. The hard shell
Gibson Custom & Historic Shop case was customized with an Ace Frehley screen printed signature

There was also a Gibson USA production model Ace Frehley Signature Les Paul, made from August 1997 until January 2001, which was outwardly very similar to these Custom Shop versions - however the production model did not have the engraved sterling silver truss rod and control plate covers, the flame maple top was not to the same quality (AA vs AAA), they did not have pearloid tuner buttons and they did not have the hand inked serial numbers.

Source: The Story of the 300

Specifications (29)

Controls

Number of control knobs4 control knobs
Pickup selector controls3-way selector switch
Tone controls2 tone controls
Volume controls2 volume controls

Electronics

Pickups brand and modelDiMarzio Dual Sound Pickup(s), DiMarzio PAF (DP103) pickup(s), Dimarzio Super Distortion pickup(s)
Pickups configuration3 humbucker pickups

General

Finish colorsred finish
Finish effectssunburst finish
Made inUSA
Number of strings6 strings
Scale length24.75 inches scale-length

Body

Body materialmahogany body
Body shape featuressingle cutaway
Body styleLes Paul-style body
Body top materialflamed maple body top
Pickguard shapeno pickguard

Hardware

BridgeABR-1 bridge
Tailpiecestop tailpiece
TunersGrover tuners, pearloid button tuners

Fretboard

Fingerboard materialebony fingerboard
Fingerboard position markerslightning bolt fingerboard position markers
Inlay at 12th fretsignature inlay at 12th fret

Neck

Neck jointset neck
Neck materialmahogany neck
Neck width1.71 inches wide at nut
Number of frets22 fret
Peghead (headstock)bound headstock
Truss rod covercustom engraved truss rod cover, sterling silver truss rod cover
Tuner layoutthree-each-side

Prices (1)

DatePriceConditionNameComments
1997$2500excellent

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