Production of the LES PAUL JUNIOR began in 1954 and ended in 1960. In 1954 Gibson Introduced its first all-mahogany flat-top solidbody guitar, the Les Paul Junior. The body of this instrument was shaped much like the backs of arch-top Les Paul models, with a single cutaway. The Junior was the first Gibson production solidbody to carry only one pickup. and it came in a sunburst finish. In limed mahogany it was known as the Les Paul TV, this finish apparently making the instrument stand out better on black and white television.

Production of the LES PAUL JUNIOR (SG BODY STYLE) began in 1961 and ended in 1963. From 1962 onwards Maestro vibratos were an option on this model.  In 1963 Gibson renamed this model the SG Junior.

The Les Paul Junior (LPJ-) was made between 2001 and 2002

GIBSON reissued their Les Paul Junior model between 1986 and 1996

GIBSON made short scale length versions of the Les Paul Junior to special order between 1956 and 1961. These are fairly rare, around 1075 were made. The Les Paul Junior 3/4 was not three quarters the size of the regular LP Junior - the name comes from violin family instruments, where a "3/4"  means around 9/10 of the size of the full-size instrument. The Les Paul Junior 3/4 had an identical single cutaway body to the regular LP Junior, although this body was usually maple instead of mahogany.

Production of the LES PAUL JUNIOR LITE (LPJL) began in 1999 and ended in 2002

GIBSON made the LES PAUL JUNIOR SPECIAL (LPJS) between 1999 and 2003

The LES PAUL JUNIOR SPECIAL PLUS (LPJ+) was made between 2001 and 2004

The LES PAUL JUNIOR TV was made between 1954 and 1960. Some were made with a three-quarter sized body. They had single cutaway bodies up until 1958 then the shape changed to double cutaway. The TV version (finished in a kind  of limed yellow, also known as TV Yellow) was produced for professional musicians appearing on television; the yellow would appear white on 1950s black and white television, without the camera glare of a true white finish.