Welcome to LesPaulElectricGuitars.com! My name is Norman Sheppard and I have been a long-time user and admirer of Les Paul and the Gibson guitars that bear his name.
When I was 15 years old I got a catalog from Manny’s music in New York. This was in the mid 70′s when rock music was at what I consider it’s peak of innovation. Back then, rock bands still had mystique, vinyl records were the norm, and a concert ticket was under $20 for floor seating. I spent hours starring at that catalog until the electric guitar section was unreadable, smudged by dirty fingers and torn from overuse.
In August of 1978 my brother, an M.D., bought me a three pickup Black Beauty, the same guitar seen on the cover of Frampton Comes Alive. This gift changed my life for better and for worse as I was soon spending the better part of the 16 hours a day that I was conscious playing that guitar.
I weaseled my way into the High School stage band knowing only 6 chord forms, the major, minor, major 7, dom 7, minor 7, and the major 9. And of course the major and minor pentatonic scales. Hey, it worked… enough.
My best friend in High School was John McCarty who just happened to be Ted McCarty’s nephew. Ted McCarty was the CEO of Gibson Guitar Corporation from 1950-1966, the period known as Gibson’s golden age of electric guitars when the Les Paul solid body guitar was first developed. Ted was retired when I was in High School however I was quite impressed by the Grabber Bass my friend John appeared with one day saying it was a gift from his uncle who once ruled over Gibson. Note: John still has that bass and we still jam in his garage… 30+ years later.
In the early 80s I went to Berklee college of music for 3 semesters before I decided that to start a rock band I would need money more than a degree. I learned programming at one of those 9 month diploma schools and got a job. Since then I have owned several Les Pauls, Stratocasters, a Paul Reed Smith, Jackson, Schector, and Charvel as well. The Les Paul remains the standard by which all others are judged.
My hope is that this website will enable you to learn about the instrument, find parts and accessories as well as deals on the guitars themselves. Have fun.