Up for sale, a 1971 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe in excellent condition and in good working order. Originally a Goldtop, the carved three-pice maple top of this Les Paul has been refinished with clear gloss nitro lacquer to highlight the prominent flame figuring. With a respectable weight of only 9lbs 8oz, this Les Paul has enough heft to deliver the model's signature sustain and punch, yet still be fairly forgiving on the back. Stocked with a pair of mini humbuckers, the Deluxe has a snappier and more glassy top end than a traditional humbucker, while still having the meat and warmth of a full size 'bucker. While the bridge position can sound almost jangly at times with growl when you dig in, it also has a bit of a midrange forward sound that keeps bass frequencies focused and tight. The neck pickup in contrast has great girth and warmth, thickening up single note lines for solos and mellowing out nicely for cleaner passages. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, this Les Paul Deluxe features fresh 10-46 strings, comfortable action, and spot-on intonation.The three-piece mahogany neck has a medium C profile with just enough roundness in the shoulders and a bit more depth as you move into the higher registers of the fretboard. The guitar has been cleanly refretted with medium jumbo fretwire, and the new frets have similar width to the factory fretwire with notably more height and crown for easier bending and longer life. The frets currently show virtually no wear and play cleanly up the neck with no buzzing or dead spots. The nut measures a full 1 11/16" in width. On the headstock the original Gibson Deluxe double line double ring tuning machines turn smoothly, and the stock "Deluxe" truss rod cover is present as well.All of the electronics work as they should, with the stock wiring harness and CTS pots that date to the first weeks of '71. One mini-humbucker is the original patent stickered pickup, while the other is a slightly later model with identical specs, wherein the patent number is stamped into the pickup baseplate. Other original hardware includes the patent number bridge, cream pickup rings, and stock pickguard. The gold reflector cap knobs and tailpiece are newer replacements, as are the correct Gibson spec strap buttons.The body was at one time routed for humbuckers, and these routes have been restored to the original mini humbucker shape. Thankfully the original cream plastic "goof strips" cover the majority of the route repair, and the only visible spot where the maple was patched is between the bridge pickup ring edge and bridge. Different bridge inserts were installed in the past as well, and this has also been reversed, with the holes cleanly doweled with matching maple and redrilled for correct ABR-1 posts. The top has some fantastic figuring, with consistent, tight flame across the entire larger central piece of maple, and the deepest figuring on the treble side lower bout edge near the knobs. The clear semi-gloss nitro does a great job of highlighting the figuring and this Les Paul Deluxe definitely stands out!Cosmetically, the guitar shows some minor nicks and scuffs around the edges of the two-piece "sandwich" mahogany body, with the bass side waist showing the only consistent wear down to the bare wood. Aside from the top, the nitro lacquer finish on the body and neck is original, with no touchups or overspray. There are a few dings on the neck profile and around the headstock edges, as well as one doweled extra strap button hole adjacent to the original button placement on the treble side upper body bout. A couple small spots of buckle rash in the clear coat of the original finish on the back, and some prominent lacquer checking on the neck profile round out the notable wear. The instrument is structurally sound with zero cracks or breaks, and this Les Paul Deluxe is a very solid player that will perform well on stage or in the studio.A vintage Gibson "Chainsaw" hardshell case is included.