The guitar was originally a Gold Top when Carl bought it in 1953, but after his hit “Blue Suede Shoes” he painted it blue. Perkins replaced the Jack Plate with a Belt Buckle which can be seen in many of the photos of the guitar in the 50's.
He lived in a rural area and when the plate got broken he found something that he could mount the 1/4" Jack to and used it. Turns out it is a Justin Boots made Belt Buckle from the early 50's. He drilled a hole for the jack and used 4 different screws to mount it. That is how poor he was when he replaced it.
The guitar is estimated to sell for an excess of $150,000 at gottahaverockandroll.com
Carl Perkins Owned, Stage Played, Sun Records Recording Used and “Blue Suede Shoes” Recording Used 1953 Gibson Les Paul - Painted Blue by Carl Perkins
Offered here is a 1953 Gibson Les Paul that Carl Perkins wrote “Blue Suede Shoes” on and also played all of the Sun Records Recordings on. He also used this guitar extensively on stage.
The guitar was originally a Gold Top when Carl bought it in 1953, but after his hit “Blue Suede Shoes” he painted it blue. Perkins replaced the Jack Plate with a Belt Buckle which can be seen in many of the photos of the guitar in the 50's.
He lived in a rural area and when the plate got broken he found something that he could mount the 1/4" Jack to and used it. Turns out it is a Justin Boots made Belt Buckle from the early 50's. He drilled a hole for the jack and used 4 different screws to mount it. That is how poor he was when he replaced it.
This guitar is not in playable condition at this time. The guitar's paint has also been restored on the body.
