GIBSON manufactured the LES PAUL SPOTLIGHT SPECIAL in 1983. Around 211 of these were made during the first period of production in 1983. The striking feature of this edition of the Les Paul model is the block of walnut in the middle of the top flanked by flamed maple. The story goes that the central walnut block in the Spotlight Special came about because Gibson needed to use up some beautifully figured maple strips that were too narrow for the conventional Les Paul style tops.

The Les Paul Spotlight Special has a Gibson Custom Shop Edition logo on the back of the head stock - although it is not clear whether they were actually made by the Custom Shop.

Source: The Gibson Les Paul Book (1993) by Tony Bacon and Paul Day.

Perhaps due to the interest stirred in this model up by the Bacon & Day book, the Gibson Custom Shop re-issued the Spotlight Special in 2007.