2013 Gibson Custom Joe Perry '59 Les Paul Standard VOS, Sunburst
Stunning Gibson Custom Joe Perry ’59 Les Paul Standard. Released in 2013 and Limited to only 150 instruments these highly accurate reproductions of Perrys fabled Dark Burst were an instant hit with players and collectors alike and rarely come to market thanks to Perrys enduring appeal and in part to the original ‘bursts backstory. Finished in a glorious faded Tobacco burst with Historic “Vintage” aniline red and dark walnut dye on the back, sides, and back of the neck, just like the original with the VOS process displaying a gently-aged patina in the finish and hardware.
Widely regarded as one of the finest Sunburst Les Pauls, the story of 9-0663 and Perry’s ownership over the years is equally amazing. Boston-area guitar legend Billy Loosigian, Eric Johnson and Slash have all owned number 9-0663 over the years with Slash even using the guitar for the legendary November Rain video before graciously reuniting Perry with his old guitar at his birthday party.
Featuring a solid, lightweight, single piece mahogany body, with a two-piece maple top hand-selected to match the look of the top of the original guitar. A one-piece mahogany neck carved to the precise rounded C profile of the original Les Paul and topped with a one-piece dark Indian Rosewood fingerboard inlaid with aged cellulose trapezoid position markers for a vintage-correct appearance. The pickups are a set of the fantastic sounding Gibson CustomBuckers with Alnico III magnets and wound to replicate those in the original ’59. Both pickups are fitted with gently aged nickel covers. A traditional hardware set completes the look of the Joe Perry 1959 Les Paul. The ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge with brass saddles and a lightweight aluminium stopbar tailpiece display the same patination through Gibson Customs VOS ageing process. A set Kluson Deluxe tuners are fitted as is the current spec of the guitar although the original was fitted at some point with Grover Rotomatics. Vintage-correct cream reissue binding, gold bonnet knobs, cream pickup rings and switch ring, and a period-correct two-ply “bell” truss-rod cover complete the spec.
The guitar weighs a very impressive 8.4lbs, it feels lightweight in the hand and lively and resonant acoustically. The original frets show little wear and the guitar plays effortlessly strung with gauge 10 strings. The neck is one of the fuller ’59 profiles we have felt with a depth at the 1st fret of 22.87mm and 25.277mm at the 12th. The Alnico III CustomBucker pickups measure 8.08K in the neck and 7.91K in the bridge.
The guitars from Gibson's Artist range we have been lucky enough to have in the shop have never failed to impress and the Joe Perry ’59 Standard is a particularly great example in excellent, original condition the guitar comes with its original Gibson hard shell case with certificate and Hang-tags.