1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard [*Demo Video!]

This 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard is 100% original and includes the original hardshell case, and case candy. Weighing in at just over 9 lbs this guitar also features the highly desirable "Zebra" PAFS Pickups. Here are some thoughts on this specific Les Paul "Burst" from our head luthier & Burst expert Tyler Geske: 

"Malcolm Gladwell has very famously theorized that it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practice in order to gain true mastery over a subject. If that’s the case, I’d say that most of us are certified experts in the field of online descriptions of the Gibson Les Paul. What could I possibly say on the subject that hasn’t already been said, reworded, rehashed, and otherwise beaten to death on the websites of every dealer, manufacturer, and reseller under the sun? Sustain for days. Classic PAF tone. A tremendous example of an iconic model. All inescapable tropes used to advertise everything from original 50s models to $199 Epiphones, and everything in between. No matter how skillfully crafted or true they may be, these descriptions convey no meaningful information and leave us all with more questions about the instrument than we had when we started reading. It’s frustrating as hell and makes my occasional job as a copywriter a difficult task. In order for my assessment of this guitar to have any credibility at all, it’s important we acknowledge some uncomfortable truths:

Firstly, not all Bursts are great guitars. That being said, the clear majority of them are quite good. Per capita, I’d say a Les Paul Standard from ’58-’60 has a better shot at being an excellent instrument than just about any other golden era model out there. Even a slightly below-average Burst will still be objectively much better than virtually anything Gibson produced in the post-CMI years. Even so, we’ll intermittently come across a Burst that just doesn’t have a whole lot going for it, and we go to great lengths to avoid representing these guitars. John D’Angelico, widely considered to be the finest guitar builder the west has ever produced, once commented that his goal as a luthier was for 1 out of every 4 of his guitars to turn out excellent. For the most revered and prolific man in American lutherie, batting .250 was aspirational. No builder of instruments, be it a reclusive master or a sprawling factory, is immune to the occasional miss. In other instances, a Burst will come along that is truly special, outstanding even when compared to other excellent guitars from the same era. We do everything we possibly can for the privilege of representing these guitars. It’s true that we’ve had unanimously positive things to say about all the ’58-’60 Les Pauls that have come through our shop. This praise is not blind salesmanship, but rather the truthful result of extremely careful curation and vetting of our inventory.

Secondly, listening to a YouTube demo will give you exactly zero insight into the real-life experience of hearing, playing, or handling a Burst. This is the case for most vintage guitars and amplifiers, but is especially true in this context. Bear in mind, this is not a sleight on the quality of content available. Countless Burst videos have been published featuring excellent recordings, players, and production, and I consider our own to be the finest out there. The absolute truth is that no matter how perfect the recording setup, the viscerality of experiencing a vintage instrument cannot be conveyed remotely. The breadth of sensory information while in the room is simply too great. This is nobody’s fault, just the nature of the media. I understand that this assertion may come off as overly dramatic or romantic. All of us have seen The Last Waltz, yet it’s entirely ludicrous to suppose we’ve had the same experience as someone who sat in the front row of the ballroom in 1976. Demos are entertaining and worthwhile, but shouldn’t be mistaken for the real thing.

With these things kept in mind, here are my objective impressions of this particular guitar:

I’ve been in the room with hundreds of PAFs, and these are in the top percentile. Much like the guitars themselves, these hallowed dual-coils can vary greatly in quality. This set is immediately alarming. The high-end clarity is instantly apparent, decidedly closer in personality to a Telecaster than what we expect from a typical humbucker. I’d consider these a case study on the merits of unpotted pickups. Reactive, lively, bordering on volatile in their attack. There’s just nothing to hide behind. A tinge of dangerous instability makes the entire experience wonderfully exciting. For better or worse, the training wheels are off. Both pickups feature “zebra” coils, which some people think makes a difference. The theory is that white and black bobbins often show slight discrepancies in DC resistance between the coils, which adds some dynamic quality to the output. Whether or not that’s true, there’s certainly something special going on with this particular set.

To my taste, the top is aesthetically near-perfect. Despite what the R9 market may suggest, I don’t believe the majority of us are obscene flame junkies. Slash and his Appetite Les Paul are undeniably iconic, but I don’t think I’d like to wake up to either of them in my home every morning. At risk of doling out another Burst cliché, the pictures really struggle to do this one justice. The slightest change in lighting transforms this top from a relatively staid lemon burst into an intimidating fiddleback flametop and right back before you know it. The emotional range of the top is truly remarkable and endlessly fascinating.

Describing something as abstract as the “feel” of an instrument gets dicey pretty quickly, but I’ll do my best. Sitting with the guitar unplugged, it feels structurally rigid and airy. It weighs a touch over 9 lbs, with a dry and resonant quality characteristic of old-growth tonewoods seasoned to perfection. The original finish feels thin and crystalline under the hand, starkly contrasting the comparatively bulky and plasticized nitrocellulose of modern guitars. It seems to connect the player to the wood of the instrument rather than insulate him from it.

The neck is a full classic ’59 profile, not totally dissimilar to some of the finer reissues. The full depth of the C shape is complemented by a slight bulk in the shoulder, and sits at a happy medium between the baseball bats of ’58 and the overly dainty necks of ’60.

I’d rate the condition of this guitar somewhere around 8-8.5/10. For a Burst, I consider this to be as close to perfect as possible. Straying much below this number gets you into the territory of repairs, modifications, switched parts, etc. There’s nothing wrong with that, mind you, but originality is important to many of us. Guitars much cleaner than this one can come with their own issues too. Many of us would struggle to fully enjoy playing such a near-mint instrument, considering the implications of adding even the slightest scratch or ding. A played (but cared for) 8.5/10 is the ideal medium. The original frets have plenty of height and are crowned perfectly. The original case comes loaded with all the guitar’s factory hang tags and accessories. The unbroken original jack plate has been removed preemptively and tucked away in the case pocket, a wise move to make the playing experience even less stressful.

Does it have sustain for days? Sure. Classic PAF tone? Absolutely. But we’ve already acknowledged the futility of trying to convey a guitar’s experience through words or videos. Take me at my word, then, when I say that this guitar is special. A standout not only in the realm of vintage guitars but in the rarified air of original Bursts. The attempt to recreate some unquantifiable magic found in a handful of exceptional vintage instruments has fostered an entire subculture within the guitar industry. Examples like this are the reason why so many of us consider it to be a worthwhile pursuit."