“A new take on the classic”: Gibson gives its Les Paul Special an ultra-rare pickup overhaul with new Mini Humbucker models

Gibson has given its Les Paul Special line of electric guitars a rather rare electronic overhaul with the unveiling of two new models that feature – potentially for the first time in a standard run LP Special – mini-humbuckers.

Indeed, it looks probable that this is the first time in the venerable 70-year history of the Les Paul Special that the model has been officially sold with mini-humbuckers. Its relative, the SG Special, was produced with mini-humbuckers during the 1970s, but the LP variant seemingly missed out.

Two models, both dubbed “a new take on the classic”, have been released, with the self-explanatory names "Les Paul Special with Mini Humbuckers" and "Les Paul Special with Mini Humbucker and P-90".

The latter guitar features a mini-humbucker in the neck position and a P-90 pickup in the bridge. Both guitars are available in any color you like as long as it's Tobacco Burst.

The mini-humbucker was invented by Epiphone and Gibson acquired the design when they bought Epiphone in the late 1950s. Gibson describes the mini-humbucker tone as between that of a full-size PAF-style humbucker and a P-90, with positive characteristics from each.

The pickups, Gibson writes, offer a "slightly brighter and more open tone than what is normally associated with standard Patent Applied For style humbucker pickups, resulting in a tone that combines some of the brightness that P-90s are known for and some of the warmth of humbuckers, all while remaining hum-free".

Mini-humbucker fans have included Johnny Winter, Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham (who had them in his early-Lizzy Les Paul Deluxe), The Who's Pete Townshend, and Mr Big's Paul Gilbert.

Beyond the pickup changes, the new Gibson models offer standard Les Paul Special specifications. These include a slab mahogany body, mahogany neck, and a bound rosewood fretboard with 22 medium jumbo frets. The bridge is a one-piece wraparound type.

Like its full-fat Les Paul sibling, the Special has separate volume and tone controls for each pickup, with Orange Drop capacitors. The special gets a slippery GraphTech nut to minimise friction.

To find out more, head over to Gibson.

Gibson recently triumphed in its copyright infringement lawsuit against Dean Guitars.