2012 1959 Les Paul Standard Full Gloss Electric Guitar

This very limited edition of the Gibson Custom Shop, the 1959 Les Paul Standard Full Gloss Electric Guitar features several special touches created by our guitar buyer. First, he hand-picked the individual pieces of figured maple that would form the tops of each of these guitars. Each piece has a unique and especially vibrant character that really makes each of these guitars pop. Then he specified the special rare and unique finish that appears on the cover of "The Beauty of the Burst" book by Yasuhiko Iwanade (and again on page 75) and asked for it to be completed in a full-gloss to re-create the guitar as it would have appeared fresh from the factory in 1959. The sum of this collaboration is a stunning Les Paul with serious historic mojo.

The only major change to the Les Paul Standard in 1959 was the addition of wider, fatter jumbo frets which facilitated more dramatic bends. The real force of this change was not felt until the late 1960s when rock and blues players like Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, and Peter Green began to discover the fat, warm voice of the '59 Standard. This moment in history marked the beginning of the idealization of the 1959 Les Paul Standard as the quintessential guitar in the minds of guitarists and collectors everywhere.

Using a combination of traditional hand craftsmanship and modern technology, the luthiers of the Gibson Custom Shop painstakingly reproduce the key elements that define cool, vintage instrument-stunning looks, flawless playability, and unsurpassed tone. Solid mahogany back, historically accurate long neck tenon for superior strength and sustain, period correct neck profiles, hardware and electronics, and 100% nitro-cellulose lacquer are all part of this special Gibson Custom Shop guitar.