Epiphone has introduced a limited-edition Jeff Beck Oxblood 1954 Les Paul, a tribute to the heavily modified Goldtop that became one of Beck’s most iconic instruments. Part of the Inspired by Gibson Custom collection, the guitar honors the instrument famously used on Beck’s 1975 album Blow by Blow. The original, a refinished and reworked ’54 Les Paul, recently sold at auction for $1.3 million.
The Epiphone model closely follows the design and feel of Beck’s original. It features a Mahogany body with a Maple cap, paired with a one-piece Mahogany neck carved to a custom Large C profile for vintage-style comfort and sustain. The Rosewood fretboard includes 22 medium jumbo frets and aged mother-of-pearl trapezoid inlays.
Tone comes from a set of USA-made Gibson Custombucker humbuckers, voiced to deliver the warmth, clarity, and dynamic range of original PAF-style pickups. The electronics include CTS potentiometers, Mallory capacitors, and vintage-correct 50s-style wiring for an authentic response and tonal flexibility.
Other details include a Gibson Historic Wraparound bridge, Schaller M6 90 tuning machines, a Graph Tech nut, and a Les Paul pickguard with the same custom spacing Beck’s original had. Gold speed knobs and the iconic open-book headstock round out the period-correct visuals.
The finish, known as Oxblood, is a deep chocolate brown that reveals subtle reddish tones under certain lighting—just like the refinished guitar Beck discovered in a Memphis shop in the early ’70s. Legend has it the original customer was unhappy with the modifications, but Beck saw its potential and turned it into a mainstay of his studio and stage work.
