1957 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop

The Gibson Les Paul Goldtop is a solid-body electric guitar with a gold-finished body, which was in production between 1952 and 1958. It was built with a solid mahogany body & neck, maple top, rosewood fingerboard and tune-o-matic bridge. The pickups are two Gibson PAF Humbuckers - these guitars and the Les Paul customs were the first to have those types of pickups.

A 1957 model Les Paul Goldtop (with a separate tailpiece fitted) has been Steve Hackett's favourite for lead guitar work since 1973. He purchased the guitar for a sum of $800 from someone while Genesis were touring the United States (this would have been March 1973) - he had a choice of two Les Pauls, but ultimately went with this one for its rockier, more gutsy tone than the other. Of all the guitars he played during his career, he found the Les Paul easiest to play, in particular when it comes to bends and adding vibrato (being fitted with light gauge strings).

According to Hackett himself, the high points with the Les Paul were on the guitar solos on "Firth Of Fifth" and "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight", both from Selling England By The Pound (1973).