Gibson · Les Paul Junior · 1954–1958
Gibson built the Junior in 1954 for students and stripped the Les Paul to its bones. You got a flat slab of mahogany, one dog-ear P-90, a wraparound bridge, one volume and one tone. A year later came the Les Paul TV, the same guitar in a limed mahogany finish that aged toward the mustard color everyone now calls TV yellow. The single-cut ran until late 1958, when Gibson went to a double cutaway for upper-fret access, and in 1961 the Junior took the SG shape. Pros found it in the 1960s and 1970s. Leslie West played Juniors in Mountain, Martin Barre recorded Aqualung on a 1957, Johnny Thunders and Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls called them automatic guitars, and John Lennon leaned on one after the Beatles. Gibson moved the pickup and bridge studs in 1956 and switched to hotter Alnico 5 magnets in 1957, and collectors often point to 1957 as the year it came into its own. A Custom Shop 1957 reissue gets you the feel new. On an original, check the neck set and the bridge studs first.
The ink-stamped serial on the back of the headstock starts with the last digit of the year, so 4 3925 is a 1954. Early 1954 Juniors have pearl dot inlays, and from early 1956 Gibson lengthened the bridge studs and moved the P-90 away from the bridge.
Early Juniors have short bridge studs that lean under string tension and a shallow neck angle, so many have had longer bushings fitted or a neck reset. Headstock repairs, refrets and replaced tuner buttons are common. A changed P-90 or an added neck pickup cuts collector value.
Buying guide
Buy a 1955–56 Junior from a US dealer, where oliviasvintage's 1955 asks $8,885 delivered and andybabiuksfabgear's 1956 $9,749, well under the Japanese dealers' single-cuts at $16,849–18,585. About 13 are listed and the $12,200–16,850 band is mostly US 1955–58 guitars at $12,780–13,199 plus those Japanese dealers, and the only titles claiming all original are a zero-feedback 1958 at $10,000 and a 3/4-scale 1957 with case and amp at $15,674, so the titles don't show what originality costs here. Read the ink-stamped serial on the back of the headstock, whose first digit is the year (4 through 8 on a single-cut), and check the features agree, since early 1954 Juniors have pearl dot inlays, and from early 1956 the bridge studs are longer and the P-90 sits farther from the bridge, while Gibson's 1986–92 reissues and Custom Shop 1957s mean the serial and features have to match the claimed year. Ask for side photos of the wraparound bridge, since early studs lean, plus the back of the headstock and the control cavity, ask whether the neck has been reset, and note that two 1957s on the page are the 3/4-scale model.
$8,885.00est. delivered
The cheapest single-cut Junior here, a 1955 from a US dealer at $8,885 delivered. Ask for the ink-stamped serial, which should start with 5, and a side photo of the bridge, since the short pre-1956 studs tend to lean.
1955 Gibson Les Paul Junior Sunburst
$9,749.00delivered
A 1956 from a US seller at $9,749 delivered, under the band, from the year Gibson lengthened the bridge studs and moved the P-90. Ask for the serial, which should start with 6, and photos of the control cavity and the back of the headstock.
Gibson Les Paul Junior Model Electric Guitar (Sunburst) - Vintage 1956
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 11, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 11, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$8,885.00est. delivered
$8,790.00 + $95.00 shipping
Buy It Now$8,790.00
Good buy
1955 sunburst, no originality claim. In the US.
Seller: oliviasvintage
100% positive
Used$9,749.00delivered
$9,749.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$9,749.00
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Good buy
1956 sunburst, no originality claim. In the US.
Seller: andybabiuksfabgear
100% positive
Used$12,780.01est. delivered
$12,750.00 + $30.01 shipping
Buy It Now$12,750.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
1955 with case, titled authentic. In the US.
Seller: piersond
100% positive
Used$13,036.45est. delivered
$12,995.00 + $41.45 shipping
Buy It Now$12,995.00
Our take
1957 in tobacco sunburst. The 78350 in the title may be the serial.
Seller: musicglry
100% positive
Used$13,198.98est. delivered
$13,123.99 + $74.99 shipping
Buy It Now$13,123.99
Our take
1958 sunburst, no originality claim. In the US.
Seller: guitarfinds
100% positive
Used$15,673.97est. delivered
$15,499.00 + $174.97 shipping
Buy It Now$15,499.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
3/4-scale 1957, titled all original, with case and an amp. In the US.
Seller: laamom78
100% positive
Used$18,585.04est. delivered
$18,135.04 + $450.00 shipping
Buy It Now$18,135.04
Our take
1958 single-cut, the top ask. Ships from Japan.
Seller: crazy_mirage1980
99.6% positive
Used$10,000.00+ shipping
$10,000.00 · shipping not stated
Buy It Now$10,000.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Check the seller
Zero feedback, titled all original. Shipping not stated.
Seller: furio4390
No feedback yet
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