35 MUSIC/MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS/GIBSON LES PAUL

35 Music/Musical Instruments/Gibson Les Paul

This guitar represents design collaboration between Gibson Guitar, Les Paul and Sergeant Stanley Bollox of the Tottenham Light Artillery - Bicycle division.
After the success of the Fender Telecaster, Gibson thought they could do better. And they did, but only due to the intervention of Sergeant Bollox. At a Muddy Waters concert in Memphis Tennessee, short-sighted Stanley mistook Les as his commanding officer Captain Tarquin Beaucannon. The conversation went something like this:
Sergeant Bollox: Permission to speak Sah!
Les Paul (startled): Er granted. Um Sergeant. (Relieved his national service training didn’t go wasted).
Sergeant Bollox: I couldn’t help but notice that if Mr Waters had a bit more fire power he could get the job done in half the time. Those 2 single coil pickups aren’t nearly enough ordinance Sah! With a bit more punch he could blast through ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’ in seconds.
Les Paul: OK Sergeant what do you recommend?
Sergeant Bollox: May I suggest 2 double coils in reverse polarity configuration, thus reducing the noise and interference and increasing the output to amplifier Sah! ‘Mannish Boy’ and ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’ could be done on the double, leaving more time for groupie and beer action. You can’t get shag nasty with a Telecaster Sah!
Les Paul: Genius! And the body of the guitar?
Sergeant Bollox: Replace the Ash with Mahogany. Harder wood. Will take punishment. Good in the field Sah! With the right application of spirit would make a first class bayonet Sah!
Les Paul: Whammy bar?
Sergeant Bollox: For pooftahs Sah!
Les Paul: Good point, well presented.
And so a legend was born. Fortunately Stanley’s solution for replacing the Ludwig drum kit with 3 siege mortars, two 105 light field gun, and 140 Panzerfaust didn’t catch on.