HISTORIC GIBSON brown tolex case 1952 owned by Les Paul

THIS LISTING is for the CASE ONLY!!   A TRUE piece of history.                     Here's the story.            I bought this case and guitar back in July of 1992 in Kalamazoo at a Kalamazoo guitar show from Beverly Vinyard a 25 year employee of the Gibson factory.   She bought the case and guitar from Gibson for her son in 1975 and had Gibson re-finish the guitar which they did and at the same time they put in new 75' pots.   According to her the factory had a room full of different project-prototype and employee guitars and she picked this one from that room.   She told me the story of how the guitar use to belong to Les Paul 'whose real name was Lester Polfuss' and sure enough on the case there was Mr. & Mrs. Lester Polfuss on the shipping label as seen in picture. 

The case as well as several others were shipped and waiting for Les at the boat when he played for the Queen of England.

The label on the case reads:

CUNARD WHITE STAR TO EUROPE

NAME:  Mr. & Mrs. Lester Polfuss

SHIP:  Queen Elizabeth

SAILING DATE:  September 3, 1952

SAILING FROM:  New York

SAILING TO:  Southampton

CLASS:  First

DECK:  B

STATEROOM NUMBER:  79

Anyway, finding this all VERY interesting I decided to take the case and guitar to New York and showed up at Fat Tuesdays on September 21, 1992 almost exactly 17 years ago.   Les was playing there at Fat Tuesdays every Monday night.  I had the case and guitar with me so it was easy to break the ice with him.  The evening was early and the club was still empty.   He had just finished dinner and had some free time.

Right away he recognized the case and the guitar and went on and on with many stories about when he and his then wife Mary Ford went to play for the Queen of England back in 1952.  I could tell he was having alot of pleasant memories and I got my picture taken with him and his autograph.  He was a very fine gentlemen, very interesting, and a heck of a player-entertainer.   He invited me over to his house after the gig and wanted to do a trade with me for the case and guitar but what he had in mind for a trade was very low and I had to get back to work in my store in Michigan.   He wanted the guitar and case back but we just didn't see eye to eye. 

I am including a copy of 'The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy 1915-1963' hardcover book.  On page 38 is information about this Queen of England trip and a picture of another similar rare shipping label.  Also included besides the case is a copy of the picture of Les and myself at Fat Tuesdays.

The guitar pictured is NOT INCLUDED in this listing as it has been sold.

Les Paul and Mary Ford went to play for the Queen of England in 1952, how cool is that?

This is a FINAL SALE 'as is' as I have described and pictured everything to the best of my ability.   If you have any doubts please do not purchase.

If you would like to see more pictures let me know.                                                                                                                                                   The case will be double boxed, bubblewrapped, and fully insured.

I will ship immediately after payment has cleared.

Sincerely, Gordon B. Lupo  owner-Gordys Music

FORIEGN BUYERS:::   Please get a shipping quote BEFORE you buy as some countries can be very expensive.

I hand package every single product I sell MYSELF. I use the finest shipping materials and I PERSONALLY hand deliver every package to the shipper MYSELF, I insist on tracking the package so that you the customer can follow its whereabouts. We are striving to be a 5 star business and we appreciate our customers.

Please do not bid if you can't pay. Payment is required within 48 hours. Foriegn buyers we do NOT take credit cards by phone. PAY PAL or wire transfer only. . When shipping out of the country we will only ship so that package has TRACKING and insurance. U.S.A. sales, we take all credit cards except American Express by phone 1-248-546-7447 and of course we take Pay Pal. Sincerely, Gordy, Gordys Music