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Gibson Les Paul

The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar that was first sold by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952. The guitar was designed by factory manager John Huis and his team with input from and endorsement by guitarist Les Paul. Its typical design features a solid mahogany body with a carved maple top and a single cutaway, a mahogany set-in neck with a rosewood fretboard, two pickups with independent volume and tone controls, and a stoptail bridge, although variants exist.

The Les Paul was originally offered with a gold finish and two P-90 pickups. In 1957, humbucking pickups were added, along with sunburst finishes in 1958. The 1958–1960 sunburst Les Paul, today one of the best-known electric guitar types in the world, was considered a commercial failure, with low production and sales. For 1961, the Les Paul was redesigned into what is now known as the Gibson SG. The original single-cutaway, carved top bodystyle was re-introduced in 1968. The Les Paul has been produced in many versions and editions since. Along with Fender's Telecaster and Stratocaster, it was one of the first mass-produced electric solid-body guitars. Due to their versatility, Les Paul electric guitars have been used in a wide range of music genres, including rock, country, pop, soul, rhythm and blues, blues, jazz, reggae, punk, and heavy metal.

Origins (1950–1952)
In 1950, the ancestors of the Fender Telecaster (Fender Esquire and Fender Broadcaster) were introduced to the musical market and solid-body electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction to market demand, Gibson Guitar president Ted McCarty brought guitarist Les Paul into the company as a consultant.

Les Paul was a respected innovator who had been experimenting with guitar design for years. He had hand-built a solid-body prototype nicknamed "The Log", named after the pine block running through the middle of the guitar whose width and depth are a little more than the width of the fretboard. Conventional hollow guitar sides or "wings" were added for shape. In 1945 or 1946, Paul had approached Gibson with "The Log" prototype, but his design was rejected.

In 1951, McCarty and his team at Gibson began work on what would eventually become the Les Paul Model. Early prototypes of the Les Paul model are very similar to the final version. The new Les Paul guitar was to be an expensive, well-made instrument in accordance with Gibson's reputation at the time, and distinct from growing rival guitar manufacturer Fender's models.

McCarty approached Les Paul for the right to imprint the musician's name on the headstock with the intention of increasing sales; in 1951, Gibson presented Paul a nearly finished instrument for approval. McCarty stated that design discussions with Les Paul were limited to the tailpiece and the fitting of a maple cap over the mahogany body for increased density and sustain, which Les Paul had requested reversed. However, this reversal would have caused the guitar to become too heavy, and Paul's request was refused. Paul states that the original Custom should have had the maple cap and the Goldtop was to be all mahogany. The Custom did not appear on the market for another two years following the introduction of the Goldtop; it is possible that Gibson had planned a full model range of guitars (with a roll-out over the course of several years) at the time when initial specifications were being set. Les Paul's contributions to the guitar line bearing his name were more than cosmetic; for example, Paul specified that the guitar be offered in a gold finish, not only for flashiness, but to emphasize the high quality of the Gibson Les Paul instrument. Later Les Paul models included flame maple (tiger stripe) and "quilted" maple tops, again in contrast to the competing Fender line's range of car-like custom color finishes.

The 1952 Les Paul featured a mahogany body with a one-inch-thick maple cap, a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard, two P-90 single coil pickups, and a one-piece, 'trapeze'-style bridge/tailpiece with strings fitted under (instead of over) a steel stop-bar.

The guitar made its public debut when Paul used it onstage in June 1952 at the Paramount theatre in New York. On July 24, 1952, at a special musicians clinic at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, it was previewed by prominent guitarists such as Tiger Haynes, George Barnes, Mundell Lowe, Tony Mottola, and Billy Mure.

Mid-1950s (1953–1957)
A second Les Paul model was introduced in 1953. Called the Les Paul Custom, this black guitar with gold-plated hardware was dubbed the "Black Beauty". New bridge and tailpiece designs were rapidly adopted. The one-piece "wraparound" stopbar was introduced in 1953. The following year saw the introduction of the fully-adjustable Tune-o-matic bridge. The Goldtop and Custom models continued without significant changes until 1957. New humbucker pickups designed by Seth Lover in 1955 debuted on Les Pauls in 1957 and P-90 pickups were no longer offered. These pickups carried the markings "PAF", for "Patent Applied For" (referring to ). This innovation in pickups became the flagship pickup design most associated with Gibson. Many other guitar companies followed suit, outfitting their electrics with versions of the humbucking pickup.

Sunburst failure and resurgence (1958–1968)
In 1958, the Les Paul saw its first major design change. A new model, called the Standard, retained most features of the 1957 Goldtop. However, Standards featured a cherry-red sunburst finish. These guitars were priced higher than the Goldtop models, but lower than the Customs. At this time, Gibson instruments were marketed toward an older, jazz-oriented audience rather than young burgeoning guitarists. As a result, over the three-year period of production, only about 1,700 Standards were made.

These Les Pauls were considered to be too heavy and old-fashioned, and they initially did not find favor amongst guitarists. In 1961, Gibson stopped producing the traditional Les Paul in favor of a lighter redesign which was later called the SG. The mid-1960s, however, brought a resurgence of interest in the Les Paul Standard. In 1964, The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards began using a sunburst, 1959 Les Paul Standard — becoming the first "star-guitarist" to play a Les Paul on the British scene. The guitar, outfitted with a Bigsby tailpiece, served as one of the guitarist's prominent instruments and provided the first impetus to the use of Les Pauls during the British blues boom. In 1965, Eric Clapton began using Les Pauls because of the influence of Freddie King and Hubert Sumlin, and played a 1960 Standard on the groundbreaking album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton. In America, Mike Bloomfield began using a 1954 Les Paul goldtop while touring with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and recorded most of his work on the band's East-West album with that guitar. A year later, he traded it for a 1959 Standard with which he became most identified. By 1967, Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead was using mid-1950s, P-90 pickup-equipped goldtops or black custom models, which he used through 1968. Concurrently in the late 1960s, artists such as Peter Green, Jeff Beck, Paul Kossoff, and Jimmy Page began using sunburst Les Paul Standards. Responding to this influence and increased pressure from the public, Gibson reintroduced the Les Paul single-cutaway guitar in July 1968, and the guitar remains in production today.

ECL and Norlin-era (1969–1985)
In 1969, Gibson's parent company (Chicago Musical Instruments) was taken over by the conglomerate ECL. Gibson remained under the control of CMI until 1974 when it became a subsidiary of Norlin Musical Instruments.

These ownership changes, often called the "Norlin Era", caused Gibson products of the time to undergo changes in manufacturing and construction. Les Paul designs were altered and a reinforced upper neck volute was added to decrease headstock breaks. Neck woods were changed from one-piece mahogany to a three-piece maple design. The body was also changed from one-piece mahogany with a maple top to multiple slabs of mahogany with multiple pieced maple tops. This is referred to as "multipiece" construction, and sometimes incorrectly referred to as a "pancake" body. The expression "pancake body" actually refers to a body made of a thin layer of maple sandwiched between two slabs of mahogany, with a maple cap. The grain of the maple was placed at 90 degrees to that of the mahogany. The "pancake"-like layers are clearly visible when looking at the edge of the guitar. This process is also known as "crossbanding", and was done to make use of less expensive and more readily available thinner mahogany. Crossbanding was phased out by 1977.

In this era, Gibson began experimenting with new models, such as the Les Paul Recording. This guitar was generally unpopular with guitarists because of its complex electronics. Less noticeable changes included, but were not limited to, optional maple fingerboards (added in 1976), pickup cavity shielding, and the crossover of the ABR1 Tune-o-matic bridge into the wide "Nashville" bridge. During the 1970s, the Les Paul body shape was incorporated into other Gibson models, including the S-1, the Sonex, the L6-S, and other models that did not follow the classic Les Paul layout.

Post-Norlin
In January 1986, Gibson again changed ownership and began manufacturing a range of varied Les Paul models. The 1980s also saw the end to several design characteristics, including the volute and maple neck. However, because of consumer demand, the Gibson Les Paul guitar is available today in a wide array of choices, ranging from guitars equipped with modern digital electronics to classic re-issue models built to match the look and specifications of the guitar's earliest production runs from 1952 to 1960.

In 1986, responding to the high demand for vintage models, Gibson formed a Custom Shop division. Originally, the Custom Shop began producing accurate reproductions of early Les Pauls, as well as one-offs. Today, the Custom Shop produces numerous limited-run "historic-spec" models, as well as signature artist models. The first Custom Shop artist guitar was the 1996 Joe Perry Les Paul, and today, several artist models are offered. "Reliced" or "aged" models are made in the Custom Shop to replicate well used vintage guitars.

, Gibson offers several variations of the Les Paul guitar with differences in price, features, electronics and finishes. For example, the modern 'Standard' offers split-coil pickups for a wider range of sounds. The 'Traditional' model offers the more basic features of guitars available during the 1950s to 1980s, and the 'Classic' model offers yet other features. 'Special' and 'Studio' models have a more basic level of finish and are lower-priced. These models are marketed as 'Gibson USA' guitars, capitalizing on their American heritage.

Models and variations
The first model, simply called the "Gibson Les Paul", was released in 1952. This style has since been retroactively named "The Goldtop", as the model came only in one finish: an old gold solid paint, with two P-90 pickups and nickel plated hardware. In 1954, the Gibson Les Paul Custom was added to the model line. The Custom featured a solid black finish, gold-plated hardware, and other high-end appointments, including becoming one of the first Gibson models to have 3 pickups. The standard goldtop model received PAF humbucking pickups in 1957, and the goldtop paint job was retired in 1958 and replaced with a two-tone translucent sunburst paint job. From 1958 onwards, this main model was known as the Les Paul Standard, nicknamed "the Burst", and is known for its high collectability. The original Les Paul body shape was retired in 1961 and radically redesigned as the Gibson SG (which for the first several years was known as the Les Paul SG, before Les Paul's endorsement deal ran out). In the mid-late 1960s, the unique tonal quality of the humbucker-equipped "Burst" models became a favorite among rock guitarists, and this renewed interest caused Gibson to bring back the Standard and Custom models in 1968. They have remained in production ever since; as well Gibson added a number of other model lines over the years, including budget/student lines such as the Les Paul Junior and Les Paul Special, studio-quality guitars with basic appointments but upgraded electronics, such as the Les Paul Professional and Les Paul Recording, and other short-lived models, including dozens of celebrity endorsed models.

Goldtop (1952–1958, 1968–present)
The first Les Paul model Goldtops were produced from 1952 to 1957. Early 1952 Les Pauls were not issued serial numbers, did not have bound fingerboards, and are considered by some as "LP Model prototypes". However, later 1952 Les Pauls were issued serial numbers and also came with bound fingerboards. The design scheme of some of these early models varied. For instance, some early Les Pauls were fitted with black covered P-90 pickups instead of the usual cream-colored plastic covers. The weight and the tonal characteristics of the Goldtop Les Paul were largely due to the mahogany and maple construction.

In 1953, the trapeze tailpiece was dropped, and a new stopbar design was added. This design combined a pre-intonated bridge and tailpiece with two studs just behind the bridge pickup. This increased the sustain of the Goldtop noticeably; however, the intonation and string height adjustability were limited. A new design, the Tune-o-matic, replaced the stopbar in 1955. It consisted of a separate bridge and tailpiece attached directly to the top of the guitar, combining an easily adjustable bridge with a sustain-carrying tailpiece. This design has been used on most Les Pauls ever since. The tuners were produced by Kluson.

Custom (1954–1960, 1968–present)
The Les Paul Custom features gold hardware, multilayer binding including the headstock, ebony fingerboard, real mother-of-pearl inlays and two or three-pickup layout. 1950s Customs were all-mahogany, rather than the mahogany-with-maple-cap of the Goldtop. The original Customs were fitted with a P-90 pickup in the bridge position and an Alnico V "staple" pickup in the neck. In 1957, the Custom was fitted with Gibson's new PAF humbucker pickups, and later became available with three pickups instead of the usual two. The traditional Les Paul Custom was discontinued in 1961 and its name transferred to the custom version of the then-new Gibson SG.

In 1968, Gibson reintroduced the Les Paul Custom as a two-pickup-only model. The headstock angle was changed from 17 degrees to 14, and a wider headstock and a maple top (in lieu of the original 1953–1961 mahogany top construction) were added. White and two sunburst finish options were added to the color palette in 1974. Also new in 1974 was the optional TP-6 fine-tuner tailpiece, allowing for micro-adjustment of string tuning from the bridge. The mahogany neck was replaced with a three-piece maple neck in 1975 (though mahogany still saw limited use) with this change lasting until around 1982. Popular colors, such as wine red and "silverburst", were added in the 1970s and '80s. Gibson currently produces several Custom models with various finishes and pickups.

Standard (1958–1960, 1976–present)
In 1958, new Standard model retained most specifications of the 1957 Goldtop, including PAF humbucker pickups, a maple top, and a tune-o-matic bridge with a stop tailpiece or Bigsby vibrato tailpiece. The gold color used since 1952 was replaced by a cherry-red version of the Sunburst finish long used on Gibson's flat-top and archtop acoustic and hollow electric guitars. Since the maple cap was now visible, tops were made either with a solid "plaintop" piece of maple or two bookmatched pieces of figured (curly or quilted) maple. To differentiate from the earlier Goldtop model, the new Les Paul was referred to as The Les Paul Standard. Specifications during 1958–60 varied from year to year and also from guitar to guitar. Typical 1958 Les Paul Standard necks had a thicker neck, thinner frets and lower fret height, which changed during the course of 1959 to develop into typical 1960 necks with a thinner cross-section and wider, higher frets. The cherry dye used on the 1958–59 models faded rapidly from ultraviolet light exposure, so in early 1960 Gibson switched to a new, fade-resistant formulation which was also less translucent and slightly more orange; this is sometimes called the "tomato soup burst". Fading of the original paint job was unpredictable, as the red color could either lighten or darken depending on the specific formulation and on the conditions the guitar had been exposed to, resulting in a wide array of nicknames, such as "lemon burst" or "tobacco burst", for the resulting colorations. Despite the wide variety of color variations now found on the original 1958–59 models, they all went to market with nearly identical paint jobs. Furthermore, during the production run, Gibson changed the color of plastic used on the pickup bobbins multiple times between black and white again; however during assembly, pickups were assembled semi-randomly, with no attention given to matching the two single-coil bobbins to each other when building the humbucking pickups; the guitar was sold with a nickel-plated pickup cover, so Gibson didn't consider the color of the bobbins to be an aesthetic consideration. Additionally, since the translucent finish allowed the wood grain to show, each Sunburst model has a unique combination of finish fade, wood grain, and pickup colors resulting in a highly individualized guitar, adding to the collectability of the model. Many famous original Les Paul standards can be easily identified by their unique appearance.

Original production of the Standards lasted from 1958 to early 1961. As Gibson only kept records on shipments of "Les Paul" models, and the Sunburst Standard overlapped production years with both the earlier Goldtop and later SG models, nailing down exact production numbers is difficult. Depending on the source, it is estimated anywhere from 1,200 to 1,700 of these early models were made and have subsequently become highly valuable.

Production ended in 1961 when Gibson redesigned the Les Paul to feature a "double cutaway" body, which has subsequently become the Gibson SG. The model was quietly reintroduced to dealers as early as 1972 before production of Les Paul Standards "officially" resumed in 1976 due to high demand. They have remained in continuous production since then, as well as periodic reissues from the Gibson Custom Shop, using the original 1958–60 specs.

Junior (1954–1960) and TV (1955–1960)
In 1954, the Les Paul Junior debuted, targeted the beginning or student guitarist. As a cost-saving measure, many of the appointments of the Standard and Custom models are absent from the Junior. The Junior is characterized by its flat-top "slab" mahogany body (in contrast to the carved maple top on other models), finished in sunburst. It had a single P-90 pickup (in contrast to the two- and three-humbucker pickup configurations on the more expensive models), simple volume and tone controls, an unbound rosewood fingerboard with plain dot-shape position markers, and a combination bridge/tailpiece unit similar to the Goldtop.

In 1955, Gibson launched the Les Paul TV model, which was identical to the Junior except for the name and a fashionable contemporary "limed oak" style finish, later more accurately named "limed mahogany". This natural wood finish with white grain filler often aged into a natural wood or dull yellow appearance, and eventually evolved into the opaque mustard yellow, popularly called "TV yellow". The model was not, as a popular myth says, to avoid glare from old TV cameras, but a modern look and a name to promote "The Les Paul & Mary Ford Show" then on television.

Gibson made a radical design change to their Junior and TV models in 1959: to accommodate player requests for more access to the top frets than the previous designs allowed, these electric guitar models were revamped with a new double-cutaway body shape. In addition, Juniors were now available with a cherry red finish, while the re-shaped TV adopted a more yellow-tinged finish.

Special (1955–1960)
The Les Paul Special was released in 1955, featuring a slab body, two soapbar P-90 single coil pickups, and was finished in a color similar to TV Yellow (but not called a TV model). It fit in the model line between the Junior and the Standard, having the two-pickup configuration of the Standard, but featuring the simpler, more basic appointments of the Junior.

In 1959, the Special was given the same new double-cutaway body shape as the Junior and the TV received in 1959. Around this time, Les Paul decided to discontinue his affiliation with Gibson; the model was renamed "SG Special" in the late 1959. However, when the new design was applied to the two-pickup Special, the cavity for the neck pickup overlapped the neck-to-body joint. This weakened the joint to the point that the neck could break after only moderate handling. The problem was soon resolved when Gibson designers moved the neck pickup farther down the body, producing a stronger joint and eliminating the breakage problem.

Les Paul SG (1961–1963)
In 1960, Gibson experienced a decline in electric guitar sales due to strong competition from Fender's comparable but much lighter double-cutaway design, the Stratocaster. In response, Gibson modified the Les Paul line. For 1961, the Les Paul was thinner and much lighter than earlier models, with two sharply pointed cutaways and a vibrato system. However, the redesign was done without Les Paul's knowledge, and he hated the design, so he asked Gibson to remove his name. The double cutaway design retained the "Les Paul" name until 1963 when Les Paul's endorsement deal with Gibson ended. Without a contract, Gibson could no longer call its guitars "Les Pauls", and it renamed them "SGs" (for "Solid Guitars").

Deluxe (1970–1985)
The Deluxe was among the "new" 1968–1969 Les Pauls and seen as an evolution of the Special. This model featured "mini-humbuckers", also known as "New York" humbuckers, and did not initially prove popular. The mini-humbucker pickups fit into the pre-carved P-90 pickup cavity using an adaptor ring developed by Gibson in order to use a surplus supply of Epiphone mini-humbuckers. The Deluxe was introduced in 1970 and helped to standardize production among Gibson's U.S.-built Les Pauls. The first incarnation of the Deluxe featured a one-piece body and slim three-piece neck (It has been thought that some of these early "one-piece" bodies were actually leftovers from original 1950's Les Paul parts). The multi-piece body (a thin layer of maple on top of two layers of Honduran mahogany) arrived later in 1969. Towards the end of that year, a reinforcing neck volute was added. 1969 Deluxes feature the Gibson logo devoid of the dot over the "i" in Gibson. By late 1969/early 1970, the dot over the "i" had returned, plus a "Made In USA" stamp on the back of the headstock. Gibson produced 216 Deluxe Gold Top as specially-ordered guitars with full-size humbucker t-tops pickups between 1972 and 1974 (179 in 1973, 28 in 1974 and 9 in 1972), as a Les Paul Standard pickup specification.

Until the end of the year 1974, 90% of the Gibson Les Paul Deluxe manufactured were Gold Top. New colors emerged from 1975, less valued than the Gold Top. By late 1975, the neck construction was changed from mahogany to maple. This lasted until the early 1980s, when the construction returned to mahogany. The body changed back to solid mahogany from the pancake design in late 1976 or early 1977. In 1985 Gibson discontinued the Deluxe model.

Professional (1969–1971)
The Les Paul Professional was produced from 1969 to 1971, it was a rare model as only around 118 were ever produced. Designed primarily as a studio guitar, it featured an unadorned dark-stained mahogany slab body with two low-impedance pickups mounted at an angle and a unique control layout that included not only the standard "rhythm/lead" switch, but also two toggles between the tailpiece and the volume/tone knobs that allowed for additional tone options. The low-impedance pickups required a special cable that included an on-board transformer. The model came with either a stop tailpiece or a Gibson-branded Bigsby vibrato tailpiece. Chicago guitarist Terry Kath used a Les Paul Professional both in the studio and on stage. The model was never popular, and was phased out in 1971 and replaced with the Les Paul Recording model, which itself was replaced in 1983 by the Les Paul Studio model. A few Professionals shipped in 1972 and 1973, though the catalogues had switched to the Recording model by then.

Recording (1971–1979)
The Les Paul Recording was produced from late 1971–1979 (the first models shipped in 1972). It was a slightly modified version of the Professional model, and featured the same low-impedance pickups and same body, though with a lighter-colored stain. The control layout was changed, the rhythm/lead selector switch was moved near the other controls from the upper left to lower right side of the guitar body, and the tone control toggle switches were rotated 90 degrees. The plastic plate to label the switches and knobs was larger than the Professional model as well. Les Paul himself favored the Recording model among all of the guitars to bear his name; it was his main guitar during his years playing at the Iridium Jazz Club and other New York venues. The model was re-issued in 2014.

The Paul (1978–1982)

A single sharp cutaway Les Paul-style walnut body, set walnut neck, pearl dot inlays, walnut headstock overlay with gold Gibson logo (1978–1981) or Gibson logo branded into the headstock (Firebrand, 1981–1982). Hardware included three-per-side tuners, stop tailpiece, two exposed humbucker pickups, four knobs (two volume, two tone), three-way pickup switch, chrome hardware, available in Natural Walnut finish. It was manufactured between 1978 and 1982. It included such high end items as Grover tuning keys and the Tune-O-Matic bridge. It has become affectionately referred to as "The Coffee Table Burst" because of its natural finish.

Studio (1983–present)
The Studio model was introduced in 1983, and is still in production. The guitar is intended for the studio musician; therefore, the design features of the "Les Paul Studio" are centered on optimal sound output and not on flashy appearance. This model retains only the elements of the Gibson Les Paul that contribute to tone and playability, including the carved maple top and standard mechanical and electronic hardware. However, the Studio design, until 2017, omits several stock Gibson ornamentations that do not affect sound quality, including body/neck binding. The first Studios from 1983 to 1986 were made with alder bodies rather than mahogany/maple. The current Studios come with a chambered mahogany body with either a maple or mahogany cap. The entry level Les Paul Studio "faded" has a weight relieved mahogany body and top and a satin finish. In 2018 neck binding and a pair of Gibson's most popular humbucking pickups, 57 Classic and 57 Classic+, and two push-pull pots were introduced. In order to guarantee the stability of the tuning and an excellent sustain were introduced the Grover tuners, the self-lubricating nut and the aluminium tune-o-matic bridge.

Gibson also offered the Studio in a "standard" model. This variant was adorned with neck and body binding, ebony fretboard and sunburst paint job. All Studios at the time had dot fretboard markers and a thinner body.

Memphis ES-Les Paul (2014–2016)
Gibson released the Memphis ES-Les Paul in 2014. It is a semi-acoustic model with f-holes and most with two Alnico humbuckers. There was a limited Custom Shop run of VOS Black Beauty ES Les Pauls with three humbuckers. Some of these limited run guitars were also fitted with Bigsby tailpieces. The neck is mahogany, but the sides and back are laminated maple and poplar. A mahogany block runs throughout the body to increase sustain.

The Les Paul Memphis ES was released with Gibson's MHS (Memphis Historic Spec) humbuckers. These scatter wound pickups have unbalanced coils to emulate vintage PAFs. The bridge and middle pickups both have Alnico II magnets while the neck pickup houses an Alnico III.

In addition to the factory-installed Bigsby B7 and retro 'Milk Bottle' Grover Rotomatics on some models, other vintage enhancements were added to the guitar. The neck features a Historic-style truss-rod, rolled fingerboard edges, and is fretted over top of the binding. The three-pickup wiring offers modern switching and employs Orange Drop capacitors for less treble-cut.

Due to its limited run, the Memphis ES-Les Paul has become a sought-after and collectible Les Paul model.

HP (2016–2019)
The Gibson Les Paul HP – which stands for "High Performance" – was introduced in 2016, intending to be a Les Paul version featuring the most modern features, like the G-Force automatic tuner, a compound radius fretboard, a titanium adjustable zero-fret nut, and a carved fast access neck heel, similar to the Axcess model. Each knob had a push/pull function allowing to split the pickups and transient suppression. The guitar came in a special hardshell case, with a polished aluminium finish.

The model was slightly modified in 2017, when the toggle-switch plate was removed, the knobs changed from ordinary speed knobs to chrome top hat ones, and the pickup rings changed from white to chrome.

The model had a major change in 2018, with the complete removal of the pickup rings – the pickups were now mounted at the back of the guitar, with two screws for each pickup. This change made pickup swap noticeably harder, demanding a modification of the mounting piece of each pickup, which had to be bent inwards.

The model was again changed in 2019, reversing the 2018 pickup ring removal. The knobs changed to transparent top hat ones, and the G-Force tuner was removed with locking tuners being added. This was the last of the HP series, which was discontinued in 2020.

Dark Fire
The Gibson Dark Fire is a variant of the Les Paul. It was a second generation Robot Guitar, using an updated version of the Powertune self-tuning system produced by Tronical Gmbh. The Dark Fire also introduced Gibson's Chameleon Tone Technology, a system consisting of onboard electronics designed to simulate various guitar tones. Additionally, the guitar included an audio interface called the Robot Interface Pack or RIP.

Pickups
The Dark Fire had one Burstbucker 3 humbucker in the bridge position, a P-90H at the neck, and a special Tronical-designed piezoelectric tune-o-matic sat in place of the bridge. The Burstbucker 3 and P-90H were selected via the three-way selector switch. The piezoelectric could be activated via the MCK, blending the magnetic and piezoelectric together under a standard 1/4" guitar cable. Gibson supplied a TRS stereo cable that allowed the piezo signal and the magnetic signal to be split between two different amps.

Epiphone Les Paul
The Gibson also sells Les Paul guitars under their Epiphone brand of low-cost instruments; most are similar copies of Gibson-branded models. Made outside the United States, the Epiphone Les Pauls are made from more commonly available woods using less expensive foreign labor and have less hand detailing than the Gibson models, and as a result sell for a lower price. Epiphone has been owned by Gibson Guitars since the 1950s.

Epiphone also makes several less common models of the Les Paul such as the Les Paul Goth, Les Paul Ultra/Ultra II, Les Paul Prophecy, and Les Paul Tribute Plus.

Jimmy Page

Gibson has produced three Jimmy Page signature models. The first was issued in the mid-1990s. It is based on a stock sunburst Les Paul Standard. In 2005, the Gibson Custom Shop issued a limited run of Jimmy Page Signature guitars based on Page's 1959 "No. 1". Several years later, Gibson issued its third Jimmy Page Signature guitar, this one based on Page's #2, issued in a production run of 325 guitars.

Gary Moore
Gary Moore created his own signature Les Paul in the early 2000s, characterised by a yellow flame top, no binding and signature truss rod cover. It featured two open-topped humbucker pickups, one with "zebra coils" (one white and one black bobbin). In 2009, Gibson released another Gary Moore signature guitar, the Gibson Gary Moore BFG Les Paul. The Gary Moore BFG is much like their previous Les Paul BFG series, with the added styling of Moore's various 1950s Les Paul Standards.

Slash
Slash has collaborated with Gibson on seventeen signature Les Paul models.

The first of these guitars is the Slash "Snakepit" Les Paul Standard, which was introduced by the Gibson Custom Shop in 1996, based on the smoking snake graphic off the cover of Slash's Snakepit's debut album and a mother of pearl snake inlay covering the length of the ebony fretboard. An Epiphone version was released as well. Production was limited to 100.

In 2004, the Gibson Custom Shop introduced the Slash Signature Les Paul Standard, a guitar that Gibson has used ever since as the "standard" non-limited edition Slash Les Paul. In 2008, Gibson USA released the Slash Signature Les Paul Standard Plus Top, an authentic replica of one of two Les Pauls Slash received from Gibson in 1988. It has an Antique Vintage Sunburst finish over a solid mahogany body with a maple top. An Epiphone version was released as well. Also in 2008, the Gibson Custom Shop introduced the Slash "Inspired By" Les Paul Standard. This guitar is a replica of his 1987 Les Paul Standard.

In 2010, Gibson released the Slash "AFD/Appetite for Destruction" Les Paul Standard II as a tribute to Guns N' Roses' debut album, Appetite for Destruction, which resembles the Kris Derrig built 1959 Les Paul replica Slash used for the recording of the album. Production was limited to 400, with 100 aged guitars signed by Slash, and another 300 finished with the Custom Shop's VOS process. An Epiphone version was simultaneously released as well.

In 2013, Gibson and Epiphone both released the Slash "Rosso Corsa" Les Paul Standard, and also the Gibson USA's Slash "Vermillion" Les Paul Standard. In the year of 2017, Gibson released Slash "Anaconda Burst" Les Paul, which consist of both a Plain Top, as well as a Flame Top. An Epiphone version of the guitar was released as well. In 2017, Gibson Custom Shop released the Slash Firebird, a guitar which is a radical departure from the Les Paul style association he is well known for. The finish was produced in only two separate colors, which is Trans Black and Trans White. Only 50 copies of each color were produced.

Joe Perry
Gibson has issued two signature Les Paul guitars for Joe Perry of Aerosmith. The first was developed in 1996 and was customized with an active mid-boost control, black chrome hardware, and a translucent black finish. It was replaced in 2004 by a second, more visually distinctive Les Paul, the "Boneyard" Les Paul. This guitar is characterized by Perry's custom "Boneyard" logo on the headstock and a figured maple top with a green tiger finish, and is available with either a stop bar tailpiece or a Bigsby tailpiece.

Joe Perry owned a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard. Perry is not sure how, but he lost track of his 1959 Les Paul in 1982. When he wanted to get the guitar back it was in the possession of Slash (which he later used in the music video for November Rain). Perry asked if he could buy back the guitar but Slash refused. Perry continued to ask about the guitar from time to time, and eventually received the guitar back from Slash as a 50th birthday present in 2000.

Peter Frampton
A replica of the three-pickup "Black Beauty" Les Paul Custom used by Peter Frampton as his main guitar from his days in Humble Pie through his early solo career was introduced through the Gibson Custom Shop in 2012. Frampton's original guitar was a 1954 Les Paul modified extensively. His guitar was presumed lost in a South American plane crash in 1980, but was returned to Frampton in 2011.

Mike Bloomfield
Gibson used hundreds of photographs of the late blues guitarist's instrument to produce the limited-edition Bloomfield signature. The company produced one hundred Bloomfield models with custom-aged finishes and two hundred more with the company's VOS finishing in 2009. They reproduced the tailpiece crack on the aged version, plus the mismatched volume and tone control knobs and the "Les Paul"-engraved truss rod cover on both versions, while including a toggle switch cover. The headstock was characterized by the kidney-shaped Grover tuning keys installed on the guitar before Bloomfield traded for it.

Pete Townshend
In 2005, Gibson issued three Pete Townshend signature edition Les Paul Deluxe guitars, based on Townshend's heavily customised "#1" Wine Red 1976 Les Paul Deluxe, "#3" Gold top 1976, and "#9" Cherry Sunburst 1976. These guitars were modified by Alan Rogan and used extensively on stage and in the studio with The Who. In addition to the two mini-humbuckers the guitar carried, Rogan modified Townshend's originals with a DiMarzio humbucker in the middle. Toggle switches located behind the guitar's tailpiece turned the pickup on and off and added volume boost. The control knobs were wired for volume, one for each pickup and a master tone. The reissues differed from Townshend's originals in that the reissues had an inlay at the first fret while the originals did not.

Ace Frehley
The Ace Frehley signature model (released in 1997 and re-released in 2012) has three double-white DiMarzio pickups, a cherry sunburst finish (AAAA), a color image of Frehley's face in his Kiss make-up on the headstock, mother-of-pearl lightning bolt inlays, and Frehley's simulated signature on the 12th fret. A Custom Shop run of only 300 guitars were built with DiMarzio PAF, Super Distortion, and Dual Sound pickups. The production run model was only built with DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups. This was one of Gibson's best selling artist runs. The more recent 2012 "Budokan" model, intended to pay tribute to the guitar used during the Kiss' first trip to Japan in 1977, features mother-of-pearl block inlays (no signature at the 12th fret), Grover machine heads with pearloid banjo buttons, and a grade A maple top.

Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top has a signature model, featuring his signature Seymour Duncan pickup set, based on his "Pearly Gates" 1959 Les Paul Standard.

Eric Clapton

Clapton played a 1960 Standard as a member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers as well as in the early days of Cream. The guitar was said to have been stolen while Clapton was preparing for the first Cream tour in 1966, following the recording of Fresh Cream, and was long considered an iconic instrument by Clapton's fans. Gibson announced production of the Clapton 1960 Standard, also nicknamed the "Beano Burst", in 2010. Gibson says the instrument "accurately represents what Eric Clapton personally feels his 1960 Les Paul should be", with Clapton consulting on the design of the guitar. Production is limited but all feature period-correct hardware, two Gibson reproduction PAF humbucking pickups, and subtly figured "antiquity burst" maple tops.

Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits played a 1958 Les Paul on tracks such as "Money for Nothing", having used it both in the studio and live on stage. In 2016, Gibson released a signature model of his 1958 Les Paul Standard.

Paul Kossoff
Paul Kossoff, of Free and Back Street Crawler, favored a 1959 Les Paul Standard. In 2011–12, Gibson's Custom Shop made a reproduction of Kossoff's Standard, featuring a so-called "green-lemon" flametop, two-piece carved maple top, mahogany body and neck, Custom Bucker humbucking pickups and kidney-bean shaped Grover tuners similar to those Kossoff had installed on the instrument. One hundred Kossoff models were made to resemble the guitar at the time of Kossoff's death in 1976, with another 250 in a VOS finish.

Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan of T.Rex played a late-50s Les Paul, potentially a stripped Goldtop, later refitted with a Les Paul Custom neck. Gibson recreated this unique guitar in 2011, producing 450 examples including 100 hand-aged, numbered versions and 350 utilising the vintage original spec process. The guitars are notable for the custom-made PAF-reproduction uncovered humbucker pickups. The guitars feature a custom finish, referred to by Gibson as "Bolan chablis".

Adam Jones
Adam Jones of Tool has played a 1979 Silverburst Les Paul since the bands inception. The guitars themselves were created for a short amount of time. Jones said in an interview in 1995 that he once owned 5 at a time. In June 2020, Adam Jones announced via his Instagram that a signature model made by Gibson based on his guitar was in production. Two different models were made: a custom version that was sold for a limited time and a standard version which is more readily available. Jones later teased an Epiphone signature in 2021 of the same guitar, which was first released in December 2022 as one of seven collectible versions featuring visual art at the back.

Les Paul copies and lawsuits
Although early Les Paul imitations in the 1960s and 1970s, such as those made by Höfner, Hagström, Harmony Company, and Greco differed from Gibson's designs, with different electronics and even bolt-on necks, in the late 1970s some Japanese companies came very close to perfecting copies of the original 1958–1960 Standards.

A lawsuit was brought by the Norlin Corporation (the parent company of Gibson) in 1977, against Elger/Hoshino U.S.A. (manufacturer and distributor, respectively, of Ibanez) over the use a headstock shape and logo, both considered similar to the Gibson designs. However, the suit was based on an Ibanez headstock design that had been discontinued by 1976. The case was officially closed on February 2, 1978. These mid-1970s guitars later became known as "lawsuit era" guitars.

ESP Guitars makes several guitars based on the Les Paul design. The Edwards and Navigator lines are made in Japan in the vein of the late 1970s and 1980s guitars from Tokai, Burny, and Greco, complete with Gibson style headstocks.

Heritage Guitars, founded in 1985 by four long-time Gibson employees when Gibson relocated to Nashville, continues to build guitars at the original factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Many of their models are inspired by Gibson's late-1950s/early-1960s sunbursts and Customs.

In 2006, Gibson lost a lawsuit against PRS Guitars, Gibson claiming PRS was infringing on the Les Paul shape and design. The court's decision allowed PRS to reintroduce single cutaway versions of its instruments.

In 2008, Gibson lost the trademark for the Les Paul in Finland. According to the court, "Les Paul" has become a common noun for guitars of a certain type. The lawsuit began when Gibson sued Musamaailma, which produces Tokai guitars, for trademark violation. However, several witnesses testified that the term "Les Paul" denotes character in a guitar rather than a particular guitar model. The court also found it aggravating that Gibson had used Les Paul in the plural form and that the importer of Gibson guitars had used Les Paul as a common noun.

title: Gibson Les Paul


text:
Assimilation (phonology)

Assimilation is a sound change in which some phonemes (typically consonants or vowels) change to become more similar to other nearby sounds. A common type of phonological process across languages, assimilation can occur either within a word or between words.

It occurs in normal speech but becomes more common in more rapid speech. In some cases, assimilation causes the sound spoken to differ from the normal pronunciation in isolation, such as the prefix in- of English input pronounced with phonetic [m] rather than [n]. In this case, [n] becomes [m] since [m] is more phonetically similar to [p]. In other cases, the change is accepted as canonical for that word or phrase, especially if it is recognized in standard spelling: implosion pronounced with [m], composed of in- + -plosion (as in explosion).

English "handbag" (canonically {{IPAc-en|'|h|ae|n|d|b|{|g}}) is often pronounced in rapid speech because the  and  sounds are both bilabial consonants, and their places of articulation are similar. However, the sequence - has different places but similar manner of articulation (voiced stop) and is sometimes elided, which sometimes causes the canonical phoneme to assimilate to  before the. The pronunciations or  are, however, common in normal speech.

In contrast, the word "cupboard", although it is historically a compound of "cup" and "board", is always pronounced , never *, even in slow, highly-articulated speech.

Like in those examples, sound segments typically assimilate to a following sound, but they may also assimilate to a preceding one. Assimilation most commonly occurs between immediately adjacent-sounds but may occur between sounds that are separated by others.

Assimilation can be synchronic, an active process in a language at a given point in time, or diachronic, a historical sound change.

A related process is coarticulation in which one segment influences another to produce an allophonic variation, such as vowels becoming nasalized before nasal consonants when the soft palate (velum) opens prematurely or  becoming labialized as in "boot"  or "ball"  in some accents. This article describes both processes under the term assimilation.

Concept
The physiological or psychological mechanisms of coarticulation are unknown, and coarticulation is often loosely referred to as a segment being "triggered" by an assimilatory change in another segment. In assimilation, the phonological patterning of the language, discourse styles and accent are some of the factors contributing to changes observed.

There are four configurations found in assimilations:
 * Between adjacent segments.
 * Between segments separated by one or more intervening segments.
 * Changes made in reference to a preceding segment
 * Changes made in reference to a following segment

Although all four occur, changes in regard to a following adjacent segment account for virtually all assimilatory changes and most of the regular ones. Assimilations to an adjacent segment are vastly more frequent than assimilations to a nonadjacent one. Those radical asymmetries might contain hints about the mechanisms involved, but they are not obvious.

If a sound changes with reference to a following segment, it is traditionally called "regressive assimilation". Changes with reference to a preceding segment are traditionally called "progressive". Many find those terms confusing, as they seem to mean the opposite of the intended meaning. Accordingly, a variety of alternative terms have arisen, not all of which avoid the problem of the traditional terms. Regressive assimilation is also known as right-to-left, leading, or anticipatory assimilation. Progressive assimilation is also known as left-to-right, perseveratory, preservative, lagging, or lag assimilation. The terms anticipatory and lag are used here.

Occasionally, two sounds (invariably adjacent) may influence each other in reciprocal assimilation. When such a change results in a single segment with some of the features of both components, it is known as coalescence or fusion.

Assimilation occurs in two different types: complete assimilation, in which the sound affected by assimilation becomes exactly the same as the sound causing assimilation, and partial assimilation, in which the sound becomes the same in one or more features but remains different in other features.

Tonal languages may exhibit tone assimilation (in effect tonal umlaut), but sign languages also exhibit assimilation when the characteristics of neighbouring cheremes may be mixed.

Anticipatory assimilation to an adjacent segment
Anticipatory assimilation to an adjacent segment is the most common type of assimilation by far, and typically has the character of a conditioned sound change, i.e., it applies to the whole lexicon or part of it. For example, in English, the place of articulation of nasals assimilates to that of a following stop (handkerchief is pronounced, handbag in rapid speech is pronounced ).

In Italian, voiceless stops assimilated historically to a following :
 * Latin octo "eight" > It. otto
 * Latin lectus "bed" > letto
 * Latin subtus – pronounced suptus "under" > sotto

Italian otto, letto and sotto are examples of historical restructuring: otto and letto no longer contain /kt/ pronounced [tt], and sotto is no longer the structure /bt/ subject to the partial assimilation of devoicing of /b/ and full assimilation to produce [tt]. Over time, phonetic [tt] as a frequent assimilation of /kt/ and /bt/ was rather reinterpreted as reflecting /tt/. The structural sequence /kt/ is now all but absent in Italian, since all items in popular speech underwent the same restructuring, /kt/ > /tt/. On the rare occasion that Italian /kt/ is encountered, however, the same assimilation that triggered the restructuring can occur at the phonetic level. For example, the medical term ictus 'stroke', a relatively recent direct borrowing from Latin, is usually pronounced [ˈiktus] in deliberate speech, but [ˈittus] is frequent in more casual registers.

 * Latin ictus > Italian ictus, pronounced either [ˈiktus] or [ˈittus]

Affrication in English
There has been a notable change recognized across a variety of English dialects regarding the pronunciation of the and  consonant clusters. Starting around the mid-20th century, the alveolar stop in has slowly been replaced by a post-alveolar affricate instead, resulting in the all-postalveolar consonant clusters  and. This phenomenon also occurs in, resulting in the all-postalveolar consonant cluster. The affrication of has been seen in American English, British English, Australian English, and New Zealand English. It is suspected that this change has occurred due to assimilation.

One of the first papers that discussed the affrication of is "Pre-School Children's Knowledge of English Phonology" by Charles Read, published in 1971. The study discussed in this paper focuses on how children in pre-school analyze the phonetic aspect of language in order to determine the proper spelling of English words. Read noticed that many of the children involved in the study misspelled words that began with, spelling words like troubles and dragon as "chribls" and "jragin", respectively. In a different test, Read also found that many of the children believed that words like train and chicken both started with.

Anticipatory assimilation at a distance
Anticipatory assimilation at a distance is rare and usually merely an accident in the history of a specific word.
 * Standard Slovene Jevnica (a toponym) > Slovene dialect Vevnica
 * Slovene Rakitovec > Ratitovec (a mountain ridge)

However, the diverse and common assimilations known as umlaut in which the phonetics of a vowel are influenced by the phonetics of a vowel in a following syllable, are common and in the nature of sound laws. Such changes abound in the histories of Germanic languages, Romance, Insular Celtic, Albanian, and many others.

For example, in the history of English, a back vowel became front if a high front vowel or semivowel (*i, ī, j) was in the following syllable, and a front vowel became higher unless it was already high:
 * Proto-Germanic *mūsiz "mice" > Old English mýs > Modern English mice
 * PGmc *batizōn "better" > OE bettre
 * PGmc *fōtiz "feet" > OE fét > ME feet

On the other hand, Proto-Germanic *i and *u > e, o respectively before *a in the following syllable (Germanic a-mutation) although that had already happened significantly earlier:
 * PGmc > OE word
 * PGmc > OE nest

Another example of a regular change is the sibilant assimilation of Sanskrit in which if there were two different sibilants as the onset of successive syllables, a plain was always replaced by the palatal :
 * Proto-Indo-European - "beard" > Skt. śmaśru-
 * PIE - "gray" > Skt. śaśa- "rabbit"
 * PIE - "husband's mother' > Skt. śvaśrū-

Lag assimilation to an adjacent segment
Lag assimilation to an adjacent segment is tolerably common and often has the nature of a sound law.

Proto-Indo-European becomes  in both Germanic and Italic:  "hill" > PreLat. > Lat. collis; > PGmc > OE hyll  > hill. The enclitic form of English is, eliding the vowel, becomes voiceless when adjacent to a word-final voiceless nonsibilant: it is, that is > it's , that's.

In Polish, regularly becomes  after a voiceless obstruent:
 * kwiat 'flower', pronounced, instead of
 * twarz 'face', pronounced, instead of

This does not apply across word boundaries, so that the placename Grodzisk Wielkopolski is pronounced, not. In that context, patterns with other voiced obstruents.

Because of a similar process, Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćw became sp in Avestan: Old Avestan aspa 'horse' corresponds to Sanskrit aśva

Lag assimilation at a distance
Lag assimilation at a distance is rare and usually sporadic (except when part of a broader change, as for the Sanskrit śaśa- example, above): Greek leirion > Lat. līlium "lily".

In vowel harmony, a vowel's phonetic features are often influenced by those of a preceding vowel. For example, most Finnish case markers come in two forms, with (written a) and  (written ä), depending on whether the preceding vowel is back or front. However, it is difficult to know where and how in the history of Finnish an actual assimilatory change took place. The distribution of pairs of endings in Finnish is not the operation of an assimilatory innovation, but it is probably the outbirth of such an innovation long ago.

In the opposite direction, in umlaut, a vowel is modified to conform more closely to the vowel in the next syllable.

Coalescence (fusion)
Coalescence is a phonological situation whereby adjacent sounds are replaced by a single sound that shares the features of the two originally adjacent sounds. In other words, coalescence is a type of assimilation whereby two sounds fuse to become one, and the fused sound shares similar characteristics with the two fused sounds. Some examples in English include ‘don’t you’ -> /dəʊnt ju/ -> [dəʊntʃu]. In this instance, /t/ and /j/ have fused to [tʃ]. /tʃ/ is a palato-alveolar sound; its palatal feature is derived from /j/ while its alveolar is from /t/. Another English example is ‘would you’ -> /wʊd ju/ -> [wʊdʒu]. There are examples in other languages, such as Chumburung where /ɪ̀wú ɪ̀sá/ -> /ɪ̀wúɪ̀sá/ becomes [ɪ̀wɪ́sá] - ‘three horns’. In this case, /ɪ/ is retained in the coalescence and the rising tone on /u/ appears on the coalesced sound.

There are two major types of coalescence: reductive and unreductive. Reductive coalescence is the type of coalescence where sound segments are reduced after fusion is made. For example, in Xhosa, /i - lˈalaini/ becomes /e - lˈoleni/ (side). The /a-i/ segment in the first form reduces to /e/. On the other hand non-reductive coalescence have no reduction in sound segments even though there is evidence of fusion. For example, in Shona, [v_á] [tengesa] (they sell) becomes [ku] [téngésá] (to sell). Here, the original sound does not reduce with respect to sound segments even though the rising tone on the vowels in the coalesced form indicates the fusion of /á/ to the vowels.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Assimilation (phonology)


text:
Alésia station

Alésia is a station of the Paris Métro on line 4 in the 14th arrondissement situated in Petit-Montrouge quarter.

Location
The station is located under the Place Victor-et-Hélène-Basch and its surroundings, dominated by the Saint-Pierre-de-Montrouge church. It is located at the intersection of Avenue du Maine, Avenue General Leclerc and Rue d'Alésia, between the Porte d'Orleans and Mouton-Duvernet metro stations.

History
The line 4 platforms were opened on 30 October 1909 when the southern section of the line opened between Raspail and Porte d'Orléans. The name refers to Rue d'Alésia, named for the Battle of Alesia between the Gauls of Vercingetorix and the Romans of Julius Caesar.

Recently this station has been retrofitted with platform screen doors, due to the RATP working on the line 4's automation.

This stop is featured in the animated films The Twelve Tasks of Asterix, in the chapter named Survive the Cave of the Beast. The choice of this station is due to the origin of its name.

It saw 5,113,245 travelers enter in 2018, which places it at the 88th position of metro stations for its usage.

Access
The station has six entrances:
 * Entrance 1: pl. Victor-et-Hélène-Basch: first staircase at 230 avenue du Maine;
 * Entrance 2: Rue du Moulin-Vert: second staircase in front of 230 avenue du Maine;
 * Entrance 3: av. from Maine: stairs in front of 205 Avenue du Maine, on the west side of Saint-Pierre-de-Montrouge church;
 * Entrance 4: Saint-Pierre-de-Montrouge Church: staircase at 82 Avenue du Général-Leclerc, on the east side of the church;
 * Entrance 5: av. General-Leclerc: escalator from the platform of the subway direction Porte d'Orleans in front of 82 Avenue du Général-Leclerc;
 * Entrance 6: Rue Alésia: staircase in front of 75 Avenue du Général-Leclerc.

Platforms
Alésia is a standard configuration station. The platforms are separated by the metro tracks in the center. The walls are curved and the roof is elliptical. The platforms are being worked on as part of the automation of Line 4. Up until 2016, it was laid out in yellow Ouï-dire style with lighting strips, of the same color, supported by fake curved shaped consoles. The direct lighting is white and, contrary to most of the light strips of this style, indirect lighting. The white ceramic tiles are flat and cover the walls, the roof and the tympans. Advertising frames were yellow and cylindrical. The platforms was also equipped with Motte style seats and yellow sit-stand benches.

Since the beginning of 2016, the tiles and the lightning strips of the Ouï-dire platforms were renovated from 11 January 2016 to 30 June 2017. Since November 2018, the station's docks have been completely renovated, fitted with platform screen doors as part of the automation of Line 4.

Bus connections
The station is served by the Lines 38, 62, 68, 92 and the urban service Lignes de bus Traverses de Paris of the RATP Bus Network and, at night, by the N14, N21 and N66 lines of the Noctilien network.

title: Alésia station


text:
Porte d'Orléans station

Porte d'Orléans (Général Leclerc) is a station of line 4 of the Paris Métro and a stop on tramway line 3a. It is situated in the 14th Arrondissement, in the quartier of Petit-Montrouge. The station is the former southern terminus of line 4. A terminal loop was provided at the station for trains to turn around to return north towards Porte de Clignancourt. Passengers used to disembark at the arrival platform and then the train proceeded empty via the loop to the departure platform. The extension to Mairie de Montrouge modified the layout of the station, the northbound platform was extended toward the track coming from the former terminal loop to add a new entrance.

History
The station was opened on 30 October 1909 as part of the second section of line 4 opened between Porte d'Orléans and Raspail before it was connected under the Seine on 9 January 1910. In 2006, Paris Tramway Line 3 (now 3a) opened, with a stop at Porte d'Orléans.

The station lies just on the Parisian side of the border with Montrouge, the neighbouring commune. In 2013, line 4 was extended south into Montrouge, with a future extension toward Bagneux planned. This should reduce bus traffic around the Porte d'Orléans.

Name
The station is named after the Porte d'Orléans, a gate in the nineteenth century Thiers wall of Paris, which led to the town of Orléans via the road now known as route nationale 20, or N20. Its subtitle is for the World War II general Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, known by his nom de guerre of Général Leclerc. On 25 August 1944, Leclerc entered Paris via the Porte d'Orléans with tanks of the 2nd Armored division, on his way to liberate Paris from the German occupation.

A memorial to Leclerc is near the station, between Rue de la Légion Étrangère and Avenue de la Porte-d'Orléans. On the west side of Rue de la Légion Étrangère is Square du Serment-de-Koufra, a park commemorating a pledge made by Leclerc on 2 March 1941, the day after taking the Italian fort at Kufra, Libya: he swore that his weapons would not be laid down until the French flag flew over the cathedrals of Metz and of Strasbourg.

Connections

 * Tramway Line 3a
 * RATP buses 28, 38, 62, 68, 125, 126, 128, 187, 188, 194, 197, 295, 297, 299
 * CEAT buses 10.07, 10.20, 10.21
 * Daniel Meyer buses DM151, DM152
 * Sqybus 475
 * Night buses N14, N21, N66

title: Porte d'Orléans station


text:
Badgerys Creek, New South Wales

Badgerys Creek, also known as Badgery's Creek or Aerotropolis, is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, located approximately 41 km west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of the City of Liverpool. It is part of the Greater Western Sydney region and is adjacent to Kemps Creek, Austral and the Blue Mountains.

The suburb is best known as being the most favoured site for a second Sydney Airport. In April 2014, the Abbott government confirmed the construction of the Western Sydney Airport, initially scheduling construction in 2016, but construction actually began in September 2018 and is currently scheduled for completion in 2026.

History
James Badgery was a British-born farmer and miller who, in 1806, was granted 840 acre in the suburb that bears his name today. His original land grant was on the north side of Elizabeth Drive; land which today is used for farming research by the CSIRO and University of Sydney. Badgery named his property Exeter Farm but the creek running through the property became known as Badgery's Creek and that name was eventually applied to the local area.

Badgery bought other land to the south of his grant and after he died, the area was subdivided in the 1880s, vastly increasing the local population. Badgerys Creek Post Office opened on 10 July 1894 and closed in 1989. A school was established in 1895 and the area gradually developed as a rural suburb which by 1981 had a population of 1,560.

In 1986, the Federal Government announced that the Second Sydney Airport would be sited at Badgerys Creek. The government bought a number of properties for that purpose, and as a result of that, as well as concerns about living near an airport, many people moved away, meaning that by 1996 there were fewer than 500 residents. By the the population had further shrunk to 168. Construction of the airport hadn't started, but in 2012 an A$8 million report into Sydney's aviation needs found that Badgerys Creek remained the best site, with construction subsequently scheduled to start in 2016.

Geography
Badgerys Creek flows north into a reservoir in the suburb's north, as does South Creek, the suburb's eastern boundary. West of the reservoir lies Mills Hill, and south-west of that, by just over a kilometre, is Raymond Hill, 125 m. The western boundary is Oaky Creek, and then Cosgrove Creek after the two merge 500 m north of Elizabeth Drive, and to the south-west the hill known as Anchau (118 m ).

Climate
Badgerys Creek has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with hot summers, which vary from dry to humid, and cool winters. Due to its open grassy location, nighttime temperatures are slightly cooler than the nearby suburban areas in western Sydney. There is the occasional frost in some winter mornings, where the months from April to September have recorded severe frost. Most of the rain falls in late summer and early autumn, which is usually accompanied by a thunderstorm. Due to the foehn effect, the driest months are in late winter and early spring, which have the most sunniest days.

On 4 January 2020, a heat logger registered a temperature of 50.1 C in the suburb, which was on the same day when Penrith recorded a temperature of 48.9 C.

Commercial area
North of Elizabeth Drive, a substantial amount of land is taken up by the CSIRO Research Station, the University of Sydney MacGarvie Smith Veterinary Farm, and a landfill depot. Much of the research establishment is dotted with reservoirs. The southeast includes a brickworks, and land owned by Telstra, also featuring a number of reservoirs. The suburb is also home to the Hubertus Liverpool Rifle Club.

South of Elizabeth Drive was also a settled area.

Schools
The suburb had one primary school, Badgerys Creek Public School, decommissioned in 2014 to make way for Sydney's second airport. Nearby there were two churches with cemeteries, also moved.

Demographics
In the Census, there were 168 people in Badgerys Creek. 51.2% of respondents were born in Australia; the next most common countries of birth included China (excluding SARs and Taiwan) 13.1%, Italy 6.0%, Malta 4.8% and Lebanon 3.0%. 39.9% of people only spoke English at home; the next most common languages spoken at home included Cantonese 20.8%, Italian 7.7%, Arabic 5.4%, Khmer 5.4% and Maltese 4.2%.

Parks
The suburb is home to Badgerys Creek Park. A toilet block formerly provided has been demolished.

title: Badgerys Creek, New South Wales


text:
Bobigny–Pablo Picasso station

Bobigny–Pablo Picasso is the northern terminus of Line 5 of the Paris Métro, as well as a stop on Île-de-France tramway Line 1. Also, it will be a station on Paris Metro Line 15 in the future. The metro station was opened in 1985, followed by the tram stop seven years later.

The name refers to the commune of Bobigny and to Rue Pablo Picasso, named after the Spanish modern artist Pablo Picasso. In 2013, the station was used by 7,135,266 passengers, which makes it the 38th busiest of the Métro network, out of 302 stations.

In 2020, the station was used by 4,752,569 passengers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the 20th busiest of the Métro network, out of 305 stations.

Access
The station has 4 entrances:

 * Access 1: Hôtel de Ville
 * Access 2: Palais de Justice
 * Access 3: Rue Carnot
 * Access 4: Prefecture

Platforms
The station has, as does Porte de Pantin located on the same line, a particular arrangement specific to the stations serving or had served as a terminus. It has three tracks and two platforms. The side platform serves as the arrival platform while the island platform serves as the departure platform. The walls are flush with the platforms and are vertical, with the roof of the station being straight without metal panels, unlike other stations on the network.

A turnback exists 160 meters beyond the station under the rue Pablo-Picasso to allow for trains to reverse due to its role as the terminus.

Other connections
Since 6 July 1992, the station has been served by tramway T1, and before the extension to Noisy-le-Sec station on 15 December 2003, was its eastern terminus.

A bus station is located above the station and offers connections with lines 146, 148, 234, 251, 301, 303 and 322 of the RATP Bus Network, with lines 615 and 620 of the Transdev TRA bus network, with line 93 of the CIF bus network, with line 8 of the Trans Val de France bus network and, at night, with lines N13, N41, and N45 of the Noctilien network.

title: Bobigny–Pablo Picasso station


text:
Bobigny–Pantin–Raymond Queneau station

Bobigny–Pantin–Raymond Queneau is a station on line 5 of the Paris Métro, located on the border between the communes of Pantin and Bobigny, in Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France. It is named after the communes of Bobigny and Pantin, as well as the nearby rue Raymond Queneau, named after Raymond Queneau (1903-1976), a 20th-century French author and member of the Oulipo group whose most famous works were Zazie dans le métro and Exercices de style, set on a bus. Despite its name, the station serves mainly Pantin (district of Petit-Pantin) and Romainville (district of the Bas-Pays). It only serves a thin industrial fringe in Bobigny.

History
The station opened on 25 April 1985 with the extension of the line from Église de Pantin to Bobigny–Pablo Picasso.

In 2024, it will be served by line 3 of the T Zen network, a bus rapid transit system. It was originally slated to open 2018, then postponed to the end of 2022, then again to 2024.

In 2019, the station was used by 2,951,030 passengers, making it the 178th busiest of the Métro network out of 302 stations.

In 2020, the station was used by 1,726,493 passengers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the 143rd busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

In 2021, the station was used by 2,335,465 passengers, making it the 144th busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

Access
The station has two accesses:

 * Access 1: avenue de Paris
 * Access 2: avenue Anatole France (with an ascending escalator)

Platforms
The station has a single island platform flanked by two tracks, with stairs leading to a mezzanine and an emergency staircase at the end of the platform.

Other connections
The station is also served by lines 145,147, 318, and 330 of the RATP Bus Network, and at night, by the line N45 of the Noctilien network.

Nearby

 * Canal de l'Ourcq
 * Est Ensemble
 * Technicentre Est Européen

title: Bobigny–Pantin–Raymond Queneau station


text:
Église de Pantin station

Église de Pantin is a station of the Paris Métro, serving line 5. It is named after the nearby Église Saint-Germain de Pantin, a local church.

History
The station opened on 12 October 1942 with the commissioning of the extension of line 5 from Gare du Nord to Eglise de Pantin, servings as its terminus until 25 April 1985 when it was extended to Bobigny–Pablo Picasso. As a result, there are four tracks and a scissors crossover just east of the station; two of which are used to reverse the direction of trains.

The station was an important connecting point with the bus lines running on the Route nationale 3 towards the eastern suburbs. A role whose importance declined with the extension of the line towards Bobigny.

On the morning of 7 June 1982, after a violent storm the day before, rainwater rushed through the construction site of the extension towards Bobigny, flooding the station. Eighteen trains were rendered unusable, affecting the operation of the line. Emergency equipment had to be transferred from the other lines including Sprague-Thomson trains from line 9 were used to mitigate the consequences of the accident.

As part of the "Renouveau du métro" programme by the RATP, the station was renovated and modernised on 23 June 2006.

In 2024, it will be served by line 3 of the T Zen network, a bus rapid transit system. It was originally slated to open 2018, then postponed to the end of 2022, then again to 2024.

In 2019, the station was used by 3,843,796 passengers, making it the 127th busiest of the Métro network out of 302 stations.

In 2020, the station was used by 2,139,986 passengers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the 112th busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

In 2021, the station was used by 2,832,467 passengers, making it the 119th busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

Access
The station has five accesses:

 * Access 1: avenue Jean Lolive
 * Access 2: Gare routière (bus station) (with an ascending escalator)
 * Access 3: rue Charles Auray
 * Access 4: rue Jules Auffret
 * Access 5: rue Delizy

Platforms
The station has a standard configuration with 2 tracks surrounded by 2 side platforms in an elliptical vault. It is decorated in the Andreu-Motte style, with orange Motte seats as well as flat tiled benches.

Other connections
The station is also served by lines 61, 145, 147, and 249 of the RATP Bus Network, and at night, by the line N45 of the Noctilien network.

title: Église de Pantin station


text:
Hoche station

Hoche is a station of the Paris Métro, serving line 5. It is named after the nearby rue Hoche, which in turn was named after Lazare Hoche (1768-1797), a general during the French Revolution who at the age of 25, commanded the Army of the Moselle in which he drove the Austrians back to Wœrth, cleared Landau and Alsace. The platform in the direction of Bobigny contains in a display case where a bust of Lazare Hoche as well as several images evoking his life as a general were installed.

History
The station opened on 12 October 1942 when the line was extended from Gare du Nord to Église de Pantin.

As part of the "Renouveau du métro" programme by the RATP, the station was renovated and modernised on 30 August 2002.

In 2024, it will be served by line 3 of the T Zen network, a bus rapid transit system. It was originally slated to open in 2018, then postponed to the end of 2022, then again to 2024.

In 2019, the station was used by 4,995,902 passengers, making it the 83rd busiest of the Métro network out of 302 stations.

In 2020, the station was used by 2,616,315 passengers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the 77th busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

In 2021, the station was used by 3,928,404 passengers, making it the 59th busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

Access
The station has three accesses:

 * Access 1: rue Hoche
 * Access 2: rue du Pré-Saint-Gervais Centre Commercial
 * Access 3: rue Charles Nodier (with an ascending escalator)

Platforms
Hoche has a standard platform configuration: it has two side platforms separated by the two tracks under an elliptical vault. It has white and rounded lighting bands in the Gaudin style of the metro revival of the 2000s and white bevelled ceramic tiles cover the walls, vault, tunnel exits and outlets of the corridors. The platforms are equipped with benches made of slats. Its advertising frame is made up of brown faience in a simple geometric pattern and the letter M surmounted on it, a feature only found in seven other stations on the network.

For more than ten years until 2018, the name of the station on the walls of the platforms were written in Parisine font on thin plates, covering the original names that were made of faience. As with Filles du Calvaire on line 8 and Porte des Lilas on line 11, they were removed and the faience signs were restored.

Other connections
The station is also served by lines 151, 170, 330, and the P'tit Bus of the RATP Bus Network, and at night, by lines N13, N41, and N45 of the Noctilien network.

Nearby

 * Centre National de la Danse

title: Hoche station


text:
Ford Orion

The Ford Orion is a small family car (C-segment in Europe) that was produced by Ford Europe from 1983 until 1993. A total of 3,534,239 units were sold during the car's ten-year production life.

The Ford Orion was based on the Ford Escort, but instead of the Escort's hatchback, the Orion had a separate boot, making it a four-door saloon. Visually, the Ford Orion's notchback rear end and greater rear overhang made it readily distinguishable from the Escort.

Orion Mark I (1983–1986)

In the early-1980s, Ford's model line-up and image was changing, reflecting shifting patterns in the new car market across Western Europe at this time, as front-wheel drive gradually became more popular than rear-wheel drive and hatchbacks began to eclipse traditional saloons and estates. The company's older saloon line-up was replaced mainly by hatchbacks, starting with the Escort MK3 in 1980 and the new Sierra which replaced the Cortina in 1982. By 1985, even the executive-class Granada would offer a hatchback bodystyle, with the saloon and estate models not being released until 1990 and 1992 respectively, while a saloon version of the Sierra, called the Sapphire, was finally launched in 1987.

The Orion was developed under the codename "Apollo." Launched in September 1983, the Orion was designed to fill the market demand for a traditional four-door saloon which had been absent from the Escort range since the end of MK2 production in 1980 and also in larger cars by the demise of the hugely popular Cortina in 1982. The Orion looked similar to a contemporary Escort at the front apart from the different grille design, but the rear of the Orion had a long flat boot (making the car a three-box saloon design) rather than a hatchback or estate body like the Escort. Although the Orion's length was similar to that of the contemporary Ford Sierra (then only available as a hatchback or an estate) it had more rear legroom and a larger boot. This concept was similar to the Volkswagen Jetta, the saloon version of the Golf hatchback which had been on sale since 1979.

Ford initially offered the Orion in only GL and Ghia trim levels, missing out on the lower specification levels available on the Escort, as well as the basic 1100cc engine. Only 1300 cc and 1600 cc CVH engine options were available from launch (though with both carburettor and fuel injection options on the 1.6 Ghia). A lower specification L model was introduced in 1984, as was the option of a 1.6 diesel engine on L and GL models.

The Orion Ghia 1.6i standard features included: central locking, sunroof, sport front seats, electric windows, rear head restraints, tachometer and an information binnacle informing the driver when the vehicle needed maintenance. All of these features were rare equipment on a small family car in the 1980s, giving the Orion upmarket pretensions.

The Orion 1.6i shared an engine with the Escort XR3i and offered similar performance and handling without the insurance unfriendly tag that the XR badge started to command in the late-1980s due to its popularity with car thieves - and it was also less frequently targeted by thieves than the Escort XR3i or RS Turbo. The 1.6i was topped by a luxury limited edition called the 1600E in the autumn of 1988, the 1600E name harking back to the Mark II Ford Cortina 1600E from twenty years earlier, as both were considered to be well-equipped saloon cars with decent performance for the working man. The Orion 1600E was available in black, white and metallic grey and had RS alloys, wood cappings on the dashboard and doors, and grey leather seats. Only 1,600 were made, of which 1,000 had leather trim.

With the facelift in 1986, Ford brought the styling and engineering of the Orion closer to the Escort's and lower-specification models crept into the range along with equipment levels being brought together between the two cars, and helped Orion sales increase further. The Orion also gained the new 1.4 "lean burn" petrol engine which was added to the Escort at this time.

The success of the Orion across Europe, particularly in the UK (where it was amongst the top 10 best-selling cars every year from 1984 to 1990), was followed by several other manufacturers launching saloon versions of their popular hatchbacks. By 1986, General Motors had launched a saloon version of its Opel Kadett/Vauxhall Astra hatchback, which was sold as the Vauxhall Belmont on the British market. Austin Rover, on the other hand, made use of a Honda design for its new Rover 200 Series saloon, which was launched in 1984 and gave buyers a booted alternative to the Maestro hatchback, although with a totally different platform; as the true booted variant of the Maestro was the larger and more upmarket Austin Montego. The Orion was launched around the same time as the Fiat Regata, saloon and estate versions of the Ritmo (sold under name "Strada" in the UK), although the Regata was aimed further upmarket at cars like the Ford Sierra.

The Orion was a strong seller in the UK, peaking as the seventh-best-selling car in 1987 and 1988 with over 70,000 sales each time.

Orion Mark II (1986–1990)

March 1986 saw the Orion getting the same facelift as the Escort. Internally within Ford it is regarded as an updated model (Apollo-86) rather than a new generation, although it is popularly known as the Mark II. The Mark II brought the option of anti-lock-brakes (ABS) and a heated front windscreen to the range. The CVH engines were upgraded and were now "lean burn units" and various models in the range could run on unleaded fuel without modifications to the cylinder head or to the fuel system. Improved locks were fitted across the range initially being of the Chubb AVA design but soon after replaced with the Tibbe type; same as with the Escort, and a number of other improvements were carried out including new suspension and gearbox mounts, updated interior and trim changes, improved soundproofing and revised steering and suspension settings. Trim levels now included the entry-level L, Biscane (special edition) LX, Equipe (special edition) GL, GLS (special edition), Ghia, Ghia Injection and from 1988 the 1600E (special edition).

Orion Mark III (1990–1993)
The third and final version of the Orion was launched in September 1990, but received the same criticism from the motoring media that the fifth generation Escort endured at the time for its lack of design flair as well as the disappointing refinement of some of its engines — particularly the 1.3 and 1.4-litre CVH petrol units. As with the Escort, the arrival of the 1.6 and 1.8 litre Zetec 16 valve engines and suspension changes in late 1991 and late 1992 improved the Orion's dynamic qualities. The Mark III was identified at the front by clear indicator lenses and by a chrome bar that ran through the radiator grille. The range topping Orion Ghia Si (sports injection) had 130 bhp out of its 1.8L DOHC Zetec unit, making this the fastest production model Orion that Ford produced through the car's ten-year production life, with a top speed of 126 mph. A facelift to the Escort and Orion range including side impact bars, front seatbelt pretensioners and a safety cage as well as body colour door handles and the new Zetec engines in September 1992 for the 1993 model year also saw many major improvements.

This incarnation of the Orion was considerably less popular than the pre-1990 versions, just missing out on a place in the top 10 best-selling cars in Britain in 1991 and 1992.

Trim levels were:
 * L (1992–1993), 1.8 diesel
 * LX (1990–1993), 1.3, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 16v petrol, 1.8 diesel
 * GLX (1990–1991), 1.3, 1.4, 1.6 petrol (dropped after 1991)
 * Ghia (1990–1993), 1.3, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 16v petrol, 1.8 diesel
 * Ghia Si (1992–1993), 1.8 16v petrol

On 19 September 1993, 10 years after its launch, Ford retired the Orion nameplate, and the Escort nameplate was used on all bodystyles. This was a move that Vauxhall had previously taken with the Belmont name back in September 1991. Sales of the Escort badged saloon were not as strong as those achieved by the Orion, as saloons of this size continued to fall in popularity throughout the 1990s. The slow-selling Escort saloon was eventually discontinued in October 1998, along with the convertible model after the launch of the Focus saloon, although the 5-door hatchback and estate versions lasted until July 2000 and the van lasted until 2002.

title: Ford Orion


text:
Porte de Pantin station

Porte de Pantin (Parc de la Villette) is a station of the Paris Métro, serving line 5. It is named after the nearby avenue de la Porte de Pantin, on the edge of Paris leading to the town of Pantin. It was in turn named after the nearby Porte de Pantin, one of the former gates of Paris. The station's name has been subtitled Parc de la Villette since the creation of the eponymous park in 1987 on the site of the former slaughterhouses of La Villette to the north of the station which closed in 1974.

History
The station opened on 12 October 1942 when the line was extended from Gare du Nord to Église de Pantin.

As part of the "Renouveau du métro" programme by the RATP, the station was renovated and modernised on 4 September 2003.

In September 2005, in partnership with the RATP and STIF, the Institut pour la ville en mouvement (IVM) installed relief tables at the station as well as at Porte de la Villette on line 7 and Basilique de Saint-Denis on line 13. They are relief maps of the neighbourhood surrounding the station. It is intended to help the blind and those who are visually imparied have tactile information at the exits of the stations on the surroundings as well as nearby cultural sites.

In 2024, it will be served by line 3 of the T Zen network, a bus rapid transit system, serving as its western terminus. It was originally slated to open in 2018, then postponed to the end of 2022, then again to 2024.

In 2019, the station was used by 5,615,256 passengers, making it the 69th busiest of the Métro network out of 302 stations.

In 2020, the station was used by 2,336,476 passengers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the 97th busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

In 2021, the station was used by 3,374,733 passengers, making it the 89th busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

Access
The station has four accesses:

 * Access 1: avenue Jean Jaurès Parc de la Villette (with a lift)
 * Access 2: sente des Dorées (with an ascending escalator)
 * Access 3: rue Adolphe Mille
 * Access 4: rue Eugène Jumin

Platforms
The station has three tracks and two platforms, with the centre track not being used in revenue service. Along with Porte de Bagnolet on line 3, Porte d'Italie on line 7, and Porte Dorée on line 8, it is one of the four stations on the network built at the former gates of Paris without having originally served as its terminus, although it has a platform configuration with three tracks with the centre track leading to a siding. This enables it to serve as an intermediate terminus for trains on short-working trips to turn back towards Place d'Italie.

After the opening of the Cité de la Musique in 1995, the platforms were renovated with a theme of music. The elliptical vault was painted white, while the walls were covered with white tiles with five grey horizontal lines of tiles, serving as the music staff. It was decorated with red, blue, green, orange, and yellow tiles forming musical notes, mimicking a music score.

The name of the station is written in faience on the abutments of the station and with the Parisine font on enamelled plates on the island platform.

Other connections
The station is also served by tramway 3b since 15 December 2012 along with lines 75 and 151 of the RATP Bus Network, and at night, by lines N13, N41, and N45 of the Noctilien network.

Nearby

 * Cité de la Musique
 * Conservatoire de Paris
 * Église Sainte-Claire de Paris
 * Fontaine aux Lions de Nubie
 * Grande halle de la Villette
 * Le Trabendo
 * Le Zénith
 * Parc de la Villette
 * Porte de Pantin, one of the former gates of Paris

title: Porte de Pantin station


text:
Just as I Am

Just as I Am may refer to:

Literature

 * Just as I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham, a 1997 book by Billy Graham
 * Just as I Am, a 2021 book by Cicely Tyson

Music

 * Just as I Am (Bill Withers album), 1971
 * Just as I Am (Brantley Gilbert album), 2014
 * Just as I Am (Guy Sebastian album), 2003
 * Just as I Am (Paul Brandt album), 2012
 * Just as I Am (Yolanda Adams album), 1987
 * Just as I Am, an album by Andy Griffith, 1999
 * Just as I Am, an album by Dee Harvey, 1991
 * "Just as I Am" (hymn), an 1835 hymn by Charlotte Elliott
 * "Just as I Am" (Ricky Van Shelton song), 1993
 * "Just as I Am" (Rob Hegel song), 1982, covered by Air Supply
 * "Just as I Am", a song by Debelah Morgan from the album Light at the End of the Tunnel, 2005
 * "Just as I Am", a song by Dee Harvey, 1992

title: Just as I Am


text:
Ourcq station

Ourcq is a station in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, served by line 5 of the Paris Métro. It is named after the nearby rue de l'Ourcq, which in turn was named after the river Ourcq, a tributary of the Marne (river). It rises in Aisne and flows into Île-de-France. It is connected to the Seine via the Canal de l'Ourcq.

History
The station opened on 12 October 1942 with the commissioning of the extension of line 5 from Gare du Nord to Eglise de Pantin. It was then located not far from Belleville-Villette station on the Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture line which closed in 1934. A bridge the line used to run on still exists on avenue Jean-Jaurès around 200 m away from the station.

On 9 October 2019, some of the nameplates on the station's platforms were temporarily replaced by the RATP to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the popular comic series Asterix and Obelix along with eleven other stations. It used the characteristic typography of the comic strips by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, its creators. It was humorously renamed "AbraracOurcqcix", a reference to one of the characters in the comics, Abraracourcix, the chief of the village where Asterix and Obelix belongs.

In 2019, the station was used by 3,763,663 passengers, making it the 131st busiest of the Métro network out of 302 stations.

In 2020, the station was used by 2,064,168 passengers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the 118th busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

In 2021, the station was used by 2,862,337 passengers, making it the 116th busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

Access
The station has three accesses:
 * Access 1: rue de Lunéville
 * Access 2: rue de l'Ourcq
 * Access 3: rue Adolphe Mille

Platform
Ourcq has a standard platform configuration: it has two platforms separated by metro tracks and an elliptical roof. It is decorated in the Ouï-dire style in red. The lighting strips are supported by curved shaped fake consoles. The direct lighting is white while the indirect lighting, projected on the vault, is multi-coloured. The white ceramic tiles are flat and cover the walls, the roof, and the outlets. The advertising frames are red and cylindrical, and the name of the station is written with the Parisine typeface on enamelled plates. The platforms are equipped with red Motte-style seats and grey "sit-lean" benches.

Since the late 1980s, the station features a Thierry Grave sculpture exhibit made of limewood in a niche on the walls of the platform towards Bobigny-Pablo Picasso. It represents the joint of a fabled animal.

Other connections
The station is also served by lines 60 and 71 of the RATP Bus Network, and at night, by lines N13, N41, and N45 of the Noctilien network.

Nearby

 * Canal de l'Ourcq
 * Cimetière de la Villette
 * Darse du fond de Rouvray
 * Pont levant de la rue de Crimée

title: Ourcq station


text:
Laumière station

Laumière is a station of the Paris Métro on line 5 in the 19th arrondissement. It is named after the nearby avenue de Laumière, which was in turn named after Xavier Jean-Marie Clément Vernhet de Laumière (1812-1863), a general killed during the French intervention in Mexico in the 19th century.

History
Laumière opened on October 12, 1942 during the extension of line 5 from Gare du Nord to Eglise de Pantin.

Between 1974 and 1984, like a third of the stations on the network, the station was renovated and modernised in the Andreu-Motte style. As part of the "Renouveau du métro" programme by the RATP, the station was renovated and modernised on 31 May 2002.

On 1 April 2017, the nameplates on the station's platforms were temporarily replaced by the RATP as part of April Fool's Day for the second consecutive year, together with 10 other stations (including 2 RER stations). It was humorously renamed "Qui a éteint la Laumière?" (Who extinguished Laumière?).

In 2019, the station was used by 4,325,317 passengers, making it the 106th busiest of the Métro network out of 302 stations.

In 2020, the station was used by 2,107,812 passengers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the 115th busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

In 2021, the station was used by 3,258,568 passengers, making it the 94th busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

Access
The station has three accesses:

 * Access 1: avenue Jean Jaurès Gymnase
 * Access 2: avenue de Laumière
 * Access 3: rue de Meaux (with an ascending escalator)

Platform
Laumière is a standard configuration station with two platforms separated by metro tracks under an elliptical roof. The decoration is Andreu-Motte style green, with two light canopies, flat tile benches and Motte seating in the same colour. In contrast, the tunnel exits and outlets of the corridors as well as the walls and the vault, are covered with white bevelled ceramic tiles. The advertising frames are a faience honey colour and topped with the letter "M". The name of the station is also faience in the style of the original Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris (CMP). These same frames are present in only seven other stations of the Paris metro and the two following stations of Line 5, Jaurès and Stalingrad. With the latter two, they are the only two stations married in the Andreu-Motte style and these advertising of frames.

Other connections
The station is also served by line 60 of the RATP Bus Network, and at night, by lines N13, N41, and N45 of the Noctilien network.

Nearby

 * Bassin de la Villette
 * Église Saint-Jacques-Saint-Christophe de la Villette
 * Canal de l'Ourcq
 * Collège Édouard-Pailleron
 * Mairie du 19e arrondissement de Paris (Town hall of the 19th arrondissement)
 * Pont levant de la rue de Crimée
 * Square Marcel-Mouloudji
 * Square Serge-Reggiani
 * Théâtre des Artisans

title: Laumière station


text:
Jacques Bonsergent station

Jacques Bonsergent is a station of the Paris Métro, serving line 5 and located in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.

History
The station was opened on 17 December 1906 as the northern terminus of Line 5 from Place d'Italie, replacing the temporary terminus of Quai de la Rapée, before the line was extended to Gare du Nord on 15 November 1907. The stations original name of Lancry is after proximity to the Rue de Lancry and its former local owner, Sieur Lancry. The station kept that name until 1946.

The current name refers to the Place Jacques Bonsergent, named after Jacques Bonsergent, an engineer who became the first Parisian (and possibly first French) civilian executed by the German occupation in 1940. Bonsergent was born at Malestroit, in 1912 and was condemned to death by a German military tribunal on 5 December 1940 after being accused, and found guilty, of an act of violence against German soldiers during the night of 10 November. The execution was carried out on 23 December 1940 at the Bois de Vincennes; the commanding officer was Général Otto von Stülpnagel. Bonsergent's remains lie in the cemetery at Malestroit, Brittany.

Access
The station has two access points, each consisting of a fixed staircase:
 * Access 1 - Boulevard de Magenta / Place Jacques-Bonsergent - embellished with a mast with a yellow "M" in a circle;
 * Access 2 - cnr. Rue de Lancry / Boulevard de Magenta, adorned with a Dervaux candelabrum.

Platforms
Jacques Bonsergent station has a standard configuration. It has two platforms separated by the metro tracks and the vault is elliptical. The decor is the style used for most of the metro stations. The lighting strips are white and rounded in the Gaudin style of the metro revival in the 2000s, and the white ceramic tiles cover the walls, the tunnel exits, and the outlets of the corridors, while the vault is painted white. The advertising frames are metallic, and the station name is written both in Parisine typeface and in capital letters on enamelled plates. The Motte style seats are orange. Access is via the south-eastern end.

Bus connections
The station is served by lines 56 and 91 of the RATP Bus Network and, at night, by lines N01 and N02 of the Noctilien network.

title: Jacques Bonsergent station


text:
Oberkampf station

Oberkampf is a station of the Paris Métro, serving Lines 5 and 9 and located in the 11th arrondissement of Paris.

History
The station was opened on 15 January 1907, a month after the opening of the extension of Line 5 from Quai de la Rapée to Lancry (now called Jacques Bonsergent) on 17 December 1906. The Line 9 platforms were opened on 10 December 1933 with the extension of the line from Richelieu–Drouot to Porte de Montreuil. The name refers to Rue Oberkampf, named for Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf, an 18th-century German-born French industrialist.

Access
The station has four accesses, all of which consist of fixed stairs:
 * access 1 - Boulevard Voltaire - Cirque d'Hiver, adorned with a Dervaux candelabrum, opening on Boulevard Voltaire cnr. Rue de Crussol;
 * access 2 - cnr. rue Jean-Pierre-Timbaud / Boulevard Voltaire;
 * access 3 - no. 19 Boulevard Voltaire close to cnr. of Rue Amelot;
 * access 4 - cnr. Rue Oberkampf and no. 43 Boulevard Voltaire.

Station layout

 * Notes: The two République-bound tracks run in the same direction on the same level, and the line 5 and line 9 platforms are offset.

Platforms
The platforms for the two lines are of standard configuration, two at each stop point, separated by the metro tracks in the centre and the arch is elliptical.

Line 5 is decorated in the style used for most metro stations: the lighting strips are white and rounded in the Gaudin style of the 2000s Metro revival, and white bevelled ceramic tiles cover walls, tunnel exits, and outlets in the corridors. The vault is coated and painted white. The advertising frames are in a white ceramic and the name of the station is written in Parisine typeface on enamelled plates. The seats are Akiko style yellow.

The platforms of line 9 are arranged in a similar style. The lighting strips are of the same model, and the white ceramic tiles cover the walls, the tunnel exits as well as the outlets of the corridors, but also the vault. In contrast, the advertising frames are in a faience honey colour and the name of the station is also faience, in the original CMP style. The seats are Motte style orange.

Bus connections
The station is served by lines 56 and 96 of the RATP Bus Network; and, at night, by the lines N01 (inner circular starting from the Gare de l'Est) and N02 (circular outside starting from the Gare Montparnasse) of the Noctilien bus network.

Nearby

 * Rue Oberkampf: popular and well served, it enjoys a liveliness popular with Parisians.
 * Bataclan Theater

title: Oberkampf station