GIBSON manufactured the LES PAUL ARTISAN between 1977 and 1982, mainly in their Kalamazoo factory. The most striking feature of this edition of the Les Paul is the ornate heart and flower inlaid ebony fingerboard. The headstock also had pearl hearts and flowers inlays and the pre-war style Gibson logo.

The original version had a 3 humbucker option which became the standard configuration from 1979 onwards. The original version also had a Nashville-style bridge with adjustable stop tail piece, but in 1980 this was changed to a bigger tune-o-matic bridge with rectangular base.