In the brief period from 1957-1960, Gibson rolled out a line of guitars that would change music, and consequently the world of guitar collecting, forever. The Les Paul Standard in a sunburst finish. Wielded by an elite roster of rock icons and now touted as the crown jewel of any collection, the 'Bursts are considered by many to be the best electric guitars ever produced.
This 1959 example lives up to every ounce of the hype. It looks surreal. The two piece maple top is highly figured, catches the light in remarkable ways at all angles and is paired with a lightweight, incredibly resonant mahogany back. The dark, rich Brazilian rosewood fingerboard sits atop the ever-elusive perfect "C" shape neck with the slightest shoulder, and the decades have produced gorgeous finish checking throughout the whole instrument. It sounds like the best of them too. The double Zebra PAF pickups are phenomenal with a responsive and creamy neck pickup combined with a crystal clear and defined bridge pickup. They're hot too, measuring 8.4K and 8.9K respectively. All the electric components are original, however the solder joints for the pickups have been redone.
With any vintage piece of this caliber, the first question is typically "what kind of shape is it in after all these years?" And fortunately, on the whole this 'Burst remains impressively original and undamaged, with just a handful of repairs and replacement parts. The truss rod cover and switch tip have been replaced with identical reproductions. The nut has been replaced and the fingerboard has benefitted from a fantastic refret and slight level, making it more than a collector's piece, but a guitar that high-caliber players won't want to put down. Its most notable repair comes in the form of a neck crack extending from the treble side wing to the 6th fret. This was repaired long ago, oversprayed, and remains totally stable and hardly noticeable to the touch. Additionally, at some point the back of the body and headstock had been buffed.
Cosmetically, it has some notable wear including a small spot of buckle rash slightly larger than a quarter in the center of the back, a chip out of the top of the treble side headstock wing, and several smaller finish dings and nicks on its top and around the edge of the body. The neck is worn-in nicely as well, with the bare mahogany exposed in several spots.
It's an exciting time whenever a 'Burst walks through our doors, especially when one checks both the boxes of a work of art and unrivaled player, and this one does just that.
Includes OHSC (5 Latch Brown w/ Pink Lining)
