Re: Am I missing something?
I think they made these for only 2-3 years (2003-2006?). I found the guitar in a Musician's Friend catalog from Sept. 2006. This Limited Edition model came in three colors: the Manhattan Midnight (blue-black), Pacific Reef (deep aqua) and Santa Fe Sunrise (orange-ish). The MAP price was $2499. To put that in perspective, the regular LP Standard was $2299 (with upcharges for some colors), a Faded Standard was $1999, and the '58 Plaintop Reissue was $3099, with the '59 and '60 Flametops coming in at just under $4900.
The guitars featured a stark white binding (rather than the usual cream), an ebony board instead of rosewood, and white binding around the edge of the headstock. This last feature was carried forward and then used on the Classic Antique LP models. (I have two of these chambered LPs from the Guitar Of The Week series Gibson did in 2007.) The LE guitars certainly had a distinctive look, and all of the ones I've seen had gorgeous tops.
I really liked the Limited Edition when they came out and nearly bought a new one in the Manhattan Midnight, but decided I liked the Historic Series guitars better. I've only seen maybe five of these guitars used, and based on my experience I'd say that the Manhattan Midnight finish was the most popular. I can only recall seeing one Reef and one Santa Fe.
Cool guitar.
Bill
