This Les Paul has obviously been modded with Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pickups, and it comes in Gibbons’ own case, complete with very cool hardcore stickers. The ZZ Top man probably could have gotten his hands on the real thing if he had wanted to, but he has always been a fan of copies and replica, as his heavy use of Tokai guitars proves. This particular Playboy Les Paul is a replica, not a real Gibson, that used to belong to Billy Gibbons. The bunny logo is inlaid on the headstock and painted on the top, and the magazine’s name graces the fretboard in huge inlays.

That very classy tuxedo-like Les Paul was based on a Custom Black Beauty model, albeit with a flat top and chrome hardware instead of the usual gold. The first Playboy Les Paul was made in 2000, and even though it is really hard to actually tell how many were made, rumour has it that as little as 15 guitars were sold at the time, back when limited-edition-custom-shop-Gibsons were not as popular as they have become. The Playboy bunny is a strong universal symbol, so much so that it can be found on nearly every merchandising product that can be imagined, including guitars. Of course Hugh Hefner’s magazine has been an endless supply of dreamy centerfold bunnies, but it has also been a strong instrument of the sexual revolution, and a symbol of quality journalism and legendary interviews.

Playboy has been an institution for 65 years now.

Flat top les paul