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, fitted with a rosewood fingerboard and a tune-o-matic bridge. The pickups are two stock Gibson Patent-Applied-For humbuckers (later abbrieviated to PAF)- these guitars and the Les Paul customs were the first to have those types of pickups.

A 1957 model of the Les Paul Goldtop (with a separate tailpiece fitted, all stock) has been Steve Hackett's favourite axe for lead guitar work since 1973. According to him, he bought the guitar for a sum of $800 from someone while Genesis were touring the United States - there was a choice between two Les Pauls, but Steve ultimately went with this one for its rockier, more gutsy tone of te two. Some sources suggest this guitar was purchased November 1973 (or possibly earlier). 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).

Steve used this guitar a lot for studio work, both on Genesis material and on most of his solo recordings. He did also use this for concerts until 1986, and would later use a Fernandes copy of the LP. 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" (presumably live renditions).

The guitar suffered an accident during a gig on 16 November 1980 at the Stadsschouwburg in Sittard, Holland during the Defector tour: due to the stage being set up earlier in the day (because of an agricultural show being booked), the guitar somewhat fell off one of the stands and the neck snapped. Which Steve had a luthier repair to a high standard.

Further information

 * The Genesis Archive page on SH's Les Paul Goldtop