Gibson Les Paul Florentine with Bigsby - a Limited Run Series guitar to get excited about (at last!)

Fantastic! The Gibson Les Paul Florentine with Bigsby has just been announced as the new issue in the Limited Run Series. What a guitar!

It seems Gibson got the message loud and clear about other models in the Limited Run not striking a chord with its fan base (puns intended). I had mixed views about the Tribal V, the Tribal Explorer and the Eye. Gibson fans elsewhere (and especially on Gibson.com forums) have been much more vocal and far less polite, especially about the Eye.

Back to this amazing guitar. I haven't yet tried it out but the looks and specs combine elements from other awesome Les Pauls:

1. The classic Custom Black Beauty's bigsby vibrato tailpiece.
2. The Standard's burst which reminds me of this killer honeyburst Les Paul Slash plays in November Rain.
3. The particular tuners that you'd find on a lot of 70's Les Paul Deluxe (like my '77 Goldtop or this '78 redwine I covered a while ago).
4. No pickguard!
   

Then it brings the florentine cutaway to the Les Paul, a crossover from the ES world and a very nice design touch. Don't you think that this pointy horn and the Bigsby give this guitar a mean look? And according to Gibson, "the Florentine Cutaway design comfortably enhances a player’s reach to the higher register of notes" - if true, it's even meaner I guess!

For the rest, it is quite classic stuff du jour for a Gibson Les Paul Standard - still, top of the line:

• The body? "solid mahogany back topped by a AA-grade maple top with single-ply antique crème binding, smoothed with Gibson’s classic Vintage Sunburst finish."
• The neck? Mahogany with Gibson’s new asymmetrical profile and rosewood fingerboard.
• The pickups? A pair of Gibson’s renowned BurstBucker Pro offering "slightly higher output and allow amps to achieve a more natural break-up. They are packed with asymmetrical coils - true to Gibson’s original PAFs "

I am not ready to part with any of my expensive guitars now and I don't have the cash for this , but this expensive beast ($4,442 MSRP, $2,646 at Guitar Center) is one mean Les Paul I'd love to add to my collection - as a player and as a collector.

You can order it online:
Gibson Limited Run Les Paul Florentine with Bigsby Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst*