1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard 'Burst' - 0 0299
By Gibson
£285,000.00
Stunning, incredibly clean example of what is considered to be the Holy Grail of solidbody electric guitars, the 'Burst.'
This guitar has been with its current owner since 2010. Prior to this it was part of another collection having been purchased from a well known, reputable UK dealer in the early 90s. It has been featured in a few of Vic da Pra's "Burst Believers" books, specifically Burst Believers 1 (Page 127), Burst Believers 3 (Page 47) and Burst Believers 4 (Page 141.)
Visually, the guitar is in excellent condition as the photos show. It has been very well cared for throughout its life. The red aniline dye in the sunburst has almost completely faded leaving an attractive "unburst" top. The Maple has a subtle and very attractive flame to it with almost no mineral streaks. Rotating the guitar highlights the subtle areas of 'flame' and there is a beautiful grain on the upper bout which gives it an understated class and character. There is also a feint shadow from the original dealer hang tag which would have hung from the pickup switch.
The serial number is 0 0299 making it part of a small category of Bursts known as "double-0's." These early 1960 models are exactly like 59’s in every way, most notably retaining the desirable '59 neck profile and sunburst finish (which is subject to fading.) They are very unlike the later 1960 models which feature slimmer neck profiles and a sunburst finish with a different red dye that doesn't fade, making them look and feel very different from "00's" and '59 models.
The original double-white PAFs are chimey, woody, airy, open and very well balanced. There's a fantastic top end and bite to the bridge pickup that really cuts without being harsh, and in contrast the neck pickup offers a rich mellowness and warmth.
The pickup covers have been off at some point and the magnet on the neck pickup has been flipped to achieve the Peter Green out of phase sound. Pickups measure 8.28 at the bridge and 8.13 at the neck. In general this is one of the best sounding Bursts we have played.
The neck has the ultimate '59 profile that sits perfectly in the hand, and the original frets although dressed in the past have plenty of height remaining. The nut is original as is the ABR-1 bridge, tailpiece and all other hardware.
It weighs in at a comfortable 8.8lbs and comes complete with the original 5-latch Lifton brown case. A Stunning guitar worthy of its status as one of the best models of all time.