Introducing | CME Exclusive Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom Les Paul Special DOUBLE CUTS
The Newest CME Exclusive Guitars Reimagine a Transitional Moment In Gibson’s History, With Some of Our Favorite Finishes!
Since its introduction in 1955, the Les Paul Special has always carried a workhorse attitude, pushing out immediately identifiable warmth and fatness from two P-90 pickups. Designed to serve an intermediate market between the student-priced Les Paul Junior and the Les Paul Model (aka: the Goldtop), the Special has carved out its own mythos and fandom over its 70-year existence.
We’re proud to partner with Epiphone to bring you two new CME Exclusive Les Paul Specials: the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom series 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut Reissue in Oxblood and Olive Drab! With underwound P-90 Soapbar pickups made by Gibson USA, these are the perfect way to merge a particular moment in electric guitar history, with tonal and visual touches that complement that era! To be among the first players to capture these new CME Exclusives, call us today at (773)525-7773, chat with us on our website, or simply come into our Lincoln Avenue Showroom!
A Special Moment in History
In the late ‘50s, Gibson had a problem: the Les Paul was not selling well compared to Fender’s Stratocaster. The thinner, more heavily contoured design seemed to resonate better with the players of the burgeoning rock ‘n’ roll movement. In an effort to get with the times, the Les Paul would be reinvented in the body style that we now know as the SG, but to test the waters of a double-cutaway design, the Les Paul Special and Les Paul Junior were made with double-cutaway body styles from 1958 to 1960.
In 1960, the Les Paul Special hit its stride in this form: by moving the neck pickup slightly closer to the bridge and by slimming the neck profile, the Les Paul Special took on a unique tonal profile that was easier to play than ever. While the Les Paul Special was changed in 1961 (along with the other guitars in the Les Paul lineup) to the body style we now more commonly know as the SG, this particular model year still occupies a particular place in the hearts of players.
A Vintage-Voiced Tone Machine!
To put our own spin on the 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut formula, we’ve worked with Gibson USA to put special, slightly underwound pickups into each one of these CME Exclusive Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom guitars. By slightly underwinding each P-90 Soapbar pickup, these pickups supply a modified EQ response, with a slightly brighter top-end, and extreme clarity across every note!


These 1960 Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom Les Paul Specials represent more than a particular chapter in Gibson’s history: it represents a unique design that carries a mythos all its own! To be among the first people to capture our CME spin on this mythos, call us today at (773)525-7773, chat with us on our website, or come into our Lincoln Avenue Showroom to pre-order this very Special guitar!
SHOP EPIPHONE INSPIRED BY GIBSON CUSTOM SERIES!Related Posts
EarthQuaker Devices | 2026 One-of-A-Kind Series
For the fifth consecutive year, Chicago Music Exchange has partnered with EarthQuaker Devices to bring players a collection of one-of-a-kind pedals featuring exclusive, never-before-seen graphics. Built from EarthQuaker’s trusted circuits — the same pedals relied on by musicians worldwide — each piece in the 2026 collection carries a unique visual finish you won’t find anywhere else. Since 2022, this annual collaboration has given players an easy way to put as much personality into their pedalboard as they put into their playing. Once these one-of-one EarthQuaker pedals sell out, they’re gone for good, so shop the 2026 CME Exclusive collection today.
Read morePRS Guitars | New Tekton Series
PRS Guitars' new Tekton family answers the call for a more modern PRS — thinner neck profiles, a sleeker body silhouette, and brand-new Stylus pickups across Tekton, Tekton T, Tekton Floyd, and Tekton SVN. With stainless steel frets and the thinnest body PRS has ever made in standard production, Tekton is built for precision players who want a direct connection to their instrument. Chicago Music Exchange is proud to be one of the first to carry it. Shop PRS Tekton now at Chicago Music Exchange!
Read moreFender | American Professional Series At CME!
Fender is reaffirming its commitment to the working professional with the reimagined American Professional Series. Rooted in Leo Fender’s original read on what touring and studio musicians actually need, this lineup carries that same philosophy into a modern build — new V-Mod III pickups, smooth rolled fingerboard edges, modern C-shaped neck profiles, ClassicGear Precision Potentiometers, and updated hardware across the board. From the Telecaster and Stratocaster to the Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Jazz Bass, and Precision Bass, every model in the series is designed to handle gig after gig, session after session, without missing a beat. Shop the full lineup now at Chicago Music Exchange.
Read more





