Gibson Les Paul Standard Solid Body Electric Guitar (1959)
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Item # 11610
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Gibson Les Paul Standard Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1959), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 9-1854, sunburst top, dark cherry stained back and sides finish, mahogany body with flame maple top, mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original brown hard shell case.
What can one say about a "Burst" that has not already been said? Almost universally considered the finest rock guitar ever and avidly sought and collected since the late 1960s, the original 1958-60 Sunburst Les Paul Standard is without peer despite decades of re-issues and re-creations. Along with the early Telecasters, Stratocasters and Gibson's ES-335, the Sunburst Les Paul is simply the most iconic of all electric designs. Only 643 of these shipped in 1959, generally considered the most classic year for the model.
This 1959 example #9-1854 is a well-documented guitar, pictured in its current state in the 1996 book "The Beauty Of The Burst" by Yasuhiko Iwanade pages 88-89 with the top described as "very strong figure with distinctive character". It relatively clean overall but is not a pristine instrument; it has been neatly and correctly refretted, and there is a very discreet "smile" repair to the throat of the neck on the bass side with a thin clear overspray on both sides of the headstock. There was a Bigsby tailpiece fitted long ago, the top shows hardly any fade mark but the "Bigsby Bite" screw holes are visible in the top and rim, filled but not heavily touched up.
These points aside, this is a simply spectacular instrument. The top has some fabulous figuring with the "dancing flame" effect when viewed from different angles. The 'burst itself is lightly faded, with a deep amber glow and enough red remaining to give it between a "Honeyburst' and a "Teaburst" in LP afficionado parlance. All hardware is original including the untampered-with PAF pickups, which do not appear to have ever had the covers removed. All wiring is original with the Sprague "Bumblebee" caps. The bridge, tailpiece, plastic parts and even all screws are original as well.
The neck is the perfect '59 style, round but not too chunky or deep. Some players consider this the most perfect guitar neck of all time. Playability is exactly as it's cracked up to be, and the sound is simply sublime at everything from a discreet Peter Green whisper to a full Paul Kossoff roar. This is one vintage instrument that really does live up to its endlessly hyped reputation, a truly fantastic piece of Gibson and music history.
Overall length is 39 in. (99.1 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 in. (5.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.)., 8.63 lbs.
As noted this is a beautiful and very original guitar with some caveats. The most notable is the small and almost undetectable "Smile crack" repair, in the area of the throat of the neck on the bass side. This has been beautifully sealed and concealed, only plainly visible under UV light examination. The back of the headstock has been lightly oversprayed down to around the first fret area, this does not extend further down the back of the neck. The face of the headstock was lightly oversprayed as well, the silkscreened "Les Paul" logo is faded but intact. There a few chips to the headstock edges incurred subsequent to this work.
The inked-on serial number remains original, with a small "2" impressed in the wood above. This indicates the guitar was originally sold as a factory second, though we can see no obvious reason why. There are a few tiny red spots in the finish near the fingerboard extension, it is possible that is the flaw Gibson's inspectors found in 1959.
Apart from the headstock the original finish is unaltered and intact with typical checking, small dings and dents and spots of belt buckle wear to the back. The previously removed Bigsby vibrato left small screw holes now neatly patched in the top and rim. There is no further added finish over the fantastic 3-D flame top, which seems to move as the viewer's angle changes. A previous owner etched his name in both control cavities, only visible when the cover plates are removed.
The guitar retains ALL of the original hardware including two very strong untouched PAF pickups, pots, caps and wiring. There is some minor typical plating wear but no heavy loss. The guitar has been neatly refretted with the correct style wire and plays exactly as it should, with the sound of the ages built right in. It lives in the five-latch case that is definitely original to this guitar; it has marks on the inside from when the Bigsby was fitted. Overall Very Good + Condition.
What can one say about a "Burst" that has not already been said? Almost universally considered the finest rock guitar ever and avidly sought and collected since the late 1960s, the original 1958-60 Sunburst Les Paul Standard is without peer despite decades of re-issues and re-creations. Along with the early Telecasters, Stratocasters and Gibson's ES-335, the Sunburst Les Paul is simply the most iconic of all electric designs. Only 643 of these shipped in 1959, generally considered the most classic year for the model.
This 1959 example #9-1854 is a well-documented guitar, pictured in its current state in the 1996 book "The Beauty Of The Burst" by Yasuhiko Iwanade pages 88-89 with the top described as "very strong figure with distinctive character". It relatively clean overall but is not a pristine instrument; it has been neatly and correctly refretted, and there is a very discreet "smile" repair to the throat of the neck on the bass side with a thin clear overspray on both sides of the headstock. There was a Bigsby tailpiece fitted long ago, the top shows hardly any fade mark but the "Bigsby Bite" screw holes are visible in the top and rim, filled but not heavily touched up.
These points aside, this is a simply spectacular instrument. The top has some fabulous figuring with the "dancing flame" effect when viewed from different angles. The 'burst itself is lightly faded, with a deep amber glow and enough red remaining to give it between a "Honeyburst' and a "Teaburst" in LP afficionado parlance. All hardware is original including the untampered-with PAF pickups, which do not appear to have ever had the covers removed. All wiring is original with the Sprague "Bumblebee" caps. The bridge, tailpiece, plastic parts and even all screws are original as well.
The neck is the perfect '59 style, round but not too chunky or deep. Some players consider this the most perfect guitar neck of all time. Playability is exactly as it's cracked up to be, and the sound is simply sublime at everything from a discreet Peter Green whisper to a full Paul Kossoff roar. This is one vintage instrument that really does live up to its endlessly hyped reputation, a truly fantastic piece of Gibson and music history.
Overall length is 39 in. (99.1 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 in. (5.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.)., 8.63 lbs.
As noted this is a beautiful and very original guitar with some caveats. The most notable is the small and almost undetectable "Smile crack" repair, in the area of the throat of the neck on the bass side. This has been beautifully sealed and concealed, only plainly visible under UV light examination. The back of the headstock has been lightly oversprayed down to around the first fret area, this does not extend further down the back of the neck. The face of the headstock was lightly oversprayed as well, the silkscreened "Les Paul" logo is faded but intact. There a few chips to the headstock edges incurred subsequent to this work.
The inked-on serial number remains original, with a small "2" impressed in the wood above. This indicates the guitar was originally sold as a factory second, though we can see no obvious reason why. There are a few tiny red spots in the finish near the fingerboard extension, it is possible that is the flaw Gibson's inspectors found in 1959.
Apart from the headstock the original finish is unaltered and intact with typical checking, small dings and dents and spots of belt buckle wear to the back. The previously removed Bigsby vibrato left small screw holes now neatly patched in the top and rim. There is no further added finish over the fantastic 3-D flame top, which seems to move as the viewer's angle changes. A previous owner etched his name in both control cavities, only visible when the cover plates are removed.
The guitar retains ALL of the original hardware including two very strong untouched PAF pickups, pots, caps and wiring. There is some minor typical plating wear but no heavy loss. The guitar has been neatly refretted with the correct style wire and plays exactly as it should, with the sound of the ages built right in. It lives in the five-latch case that is definitely original to this guitar; it has marks on the inside from when the Bigsby was fitted. Overall Very Good + Condition.