Gibson Mary Ford Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar, Goldtop, Vintage Cherry Back

Of all the great pop voices across time, few have had as innovative and prolific impact on their time as Mary Ford. To celebrate such a voice and talent, we have the Gibson Mary Ford Les Paul Standard.

Born Iris Colleen Summers in 1924, Mary Ford is commonly associated with her songwriting partner and husband, Les Paul, with whom she recorded sixteen top-ten hits between 1950 and 1954. We all know the story of Ford and Paul's stardom as a duo, "How High the Moon", and their popularity as a pop music unit, but today's Mary Ford Les Paul Standard leans into the legacy of Ford on her own. Ford's chops as a singer and guitarist came to light in her mastery of multi-track recording (a pretty new and big deal in her time) and jazzy, pop-infused country playing.

In 1958, it is believed that one Les Paul Goldtop model was specially requested by Ford with a floral pickguard and matching armrest. Today's Mary Ford Les Paul Standard celebrates the singer's legacy with a remake of that one-of-a-kind model.

The Mary Ford Les Paul Standard incorporates classic Les Paul design specs with a single-cutaway body made from mahogany with a maple top. Single-ply binding can be found across the body and fingerboard for bold accenting. This special Les Paul features a Goldtop finish with a Vintage Cherry back – the Vintage Cherry finish being a rarity for a Goldtop model. From there, a mahogany neck in a SlimTaper profile extends from the body for an easy and vintage feel. This neck is matched with an Indian rosewood fingerboard with twenty-two frets for articulate fretting.

Sonically, this Les Paul Standard plays with an iconic, warm, and crisp tone with two Gibson Burstbucker pickups. These pickups, hand-wired with Orange Drop capacitors summon a classy and lively sound, just like Ford would have favored. The hardware setup on this guitar goes further to tie the experience together with an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge, an aluminum Stop Bar tailpiece and Vintage Deluxe tuning machines. This guitar's Gibson ES-295-style floral-patterned pickguard matches with its armrest to top off this divine Les Paul in style. A hardshell case travels with this Mary Ford special, honoring one of the most beloved artists of the twentieth century.

As an artist, Mary Ford achieved quite a bit with her famous pairing with Les Paul, though her talents and accomplishments beyond the duo cannot be understated. With this unique entry from Gibson, her vivacious spirit lives on through one of her favorite instruments. Take up this guitar and feel like Ford herself, sitting on the top of the world.