The new Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ, scheduled to open next spring, just purchased a $35,000 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, similar to the one pictured to the left. The guitar is likely one of the first 60 Les Pauls ever made. The Musical Instrument Museum bought the rare Les Paul from Lynn Wheelwright, an instrument collector from Clearfield, Utah.

The early Les Pauls, first produced in 1952, then all called Goldtops because of their gold metallic finishes, were different than later models. They had thicker bodies, no binding on the neck, different pickup mounting, and a trapeze tailpiece (the kind of long bridge that some jazz guitars have).

The museum will display the guitar in a unique exhibit in which a familiar instrument is presented in 25 variations.

(via azcentral.com)