Electric Guitars

There have been many great guitars throughout Gibson’s long and storied history as a maker of musical instruments, but only one remains the definitive pinnacle of electric solid body guitar design. The Les Paul Standard electric guitar is undoubtedly the most famous electric guitar in the history. This 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. As a commemoration of the occasion, the Gibson Custom shop is putting together a run of 500 Gibson 50th Anniversary 1959 Les Paul Standard electric guitars, which seems to be as true as it could be to the original Les Paul.

A legendary guitar:

Guitar legends such as Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield and Billy Gibbons, to name only a few, have forged their musical pathways utilising the incredible tonal characteristics and playability created by the artistry of the Gibson 1959 Les Paul Standard. As an icon throughout the music industry, not only has this guitar become a legend, it has attained the highest most acclaimed value in quality and investment.

The history behind:

The Gibson Les Paul was not that popular when it was introduced in the year 1959, but ever since its release, the Les Paul was a constantly evolving guitar. In the first few years, the evolutions were done is some pretty significant ways. In 1953, the trapeze tailpiece was replaced by the superior wrapover bar bridge. In the next couple of years, the Tune-omatic bridge and separate stopbar tailpiece enhanced the Les Paul. Then, in the year 1955, a couple of more developments included left the Les Paul Standard electric guitar, identified as the most celebrated electric guitar of all time. The first one being the addition of the humbucker pickup in the year 1957 and the second one has nothing to do with the technology. It was purely cosmetic, which was the introduction of the semi transparent cherry sunburst finish.

Then, Luthiers, the master of Gibson examined the original ‘59 Les Paul Standards in thorough detail through digital methods to determine how to recreate these guitars as closely to perfection as possible.

Nitrocellulose finish:

Applying a nitrocellulose finish to any Gibson guitar is one of the most labour-intensive elements of the guitar-making process. For starters, a nitro finish dries to a much thinner coat than a polyurethane finish, which means there is less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument, allowing for a purer tone. A nitro finish is also a softer finish, which makes it easily repairable. You can touch up a scratch or ding on a nitro finish, but you cannot do the same on a poly finish. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous in nature, and actually gets thinner over time. It does not “seal” wood in an airtight shell as a poly finish does and allows the wood to breathe and age properly.

Les Paul Standard features:

The Standard is outfitted with the new Burstbucker V pickups with Alnico V magnets producing slightly more output than any previous Standard pickups with more bite and a seductive “airy” tone with both pickups on. The Les Paul Standard has a Carved AA maple top and mahogany back. The neck is again made of mahogany having a profile of the early ’50s rounded. The fingerboard is made of rosewood and has 22 frets. It has a Pearl trapezoid and Single-ply top and fingerboard binding. The controls include 2 volume, 2 tone and a 3-way switch.

This 2009 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Standard 1959 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Rust Burst Gloss is limited to only 59 for a worldwide market. It is brand new and comes complete with a Gibson Custom case, a certificate of authenticity, and a custom care kit. The colour is perfect, dark and daring and inspired by the “Beauty of the Burst”. The flame is wide and wonderful. The pickguard was never installed, but is included. The open-coil zebra humbucking pickups look cool and sound better.

What can you expect?

This 50th Anniversary 1959 Les Paul Standard’s guitar fixtures include everything you would find on an authentic 1959 model. The list includes a figured maple top, one-piece lightweight mahogany body, gold top-hat control knobs with dial pointers, nickel ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge and nickel stopbar tailpiece, period-correct pickguard, single-ply creme top binding, nickel tuners with green buttons and a molded, bell-shaped truss rod cover.

Conclusion:

Coveted by both players and collectors as the ultimate example of playability, attractiveness and tone, the iconic 1959 Les Paul Standard simply has no equal. If you are a guitar collector, you certainly would not want to pass this opportunity. The brand speaks for itself. So hurry to grab one of the pieces. The cost of the guitar is relatively expensive but, will appreciate in value over the years to come.

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50th Anniversary 1959 Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar - Specification Table

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