My Gear » | Les Paul Deluxe | Hagstrom II
1973 Gibson LesPaul Deluxe "Humbucker" model 
- This guitar was given to me by my family in general, and my sister Kathleen in particular, on Christmas of 1973.
- In 1968 Les Pauls returned - after a 6 year absense - The "Deluxe" - was among the "new" models offered. This model featured "mini-humbuckers", also known as "New York" humbuckers, and did not initially prove popular. The mini-humbucker pickup fit into the pre-carved P-90 pickup cavity, a feature which helped to standardize production.
- In the early 70's the only Les paul with full humbuckers was the LP custom. Sam Ash Music Stores ordered a few Gibson Deluxes with full sized humbucker and called them a Deluxe "Humbucker".
- During the "Norlin Era" in the '70s , Gibson Les Paul body designs
were greatly altered, most notably, the change to the neck volute.
Because the Les Paul had the reputation of having an easily broken
neck joint, the volute strengthened the neck where it joined the headstock
to avert breakage. To further increase the strength, the neck woods
were changed from mahogany to a three-piece maple design.
The
LP body was changed from a one piece mahogany with a maple top into
multiple slabs of mahogany with multiple pieced maple tops (also called
a "sandwich body').
