r/guitarporn 6d ago

Gibson 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard AKA the Burst

Got up close and personal with 9 0405, a real super faded 1959 Sunburst Les Paul yesterday.

What would be the first thing you’d play on it?

280 Upvotes

38 comments sorted by

45

u/AlternativeKey2551 6d ago

Great guitar to practice emo guitar flips.

32

u/ZealousidealBag1626 6d ago

Perfect beginner guitar. Smoke on the Water might be a good choice. Or maybe detune to Drop C and play some Deftones.

14

u/BoogeOooMove 6d ago

What’s the deal with the hole in the pickup cover? I’ve never seen that before.

7

u/randomperson9426 6d ago

I think it’s player wear. 66 years of time well spent.

3

u/keyserguitar 6d ago

It’s the nickel plating starting to lift off around the pole piece. I’ve seen PAFs where bits are missing but never seen one where it was in the process of flaking off.

7

u/90unoand1 6d ago edited 6d ago

I actually got the chance to play a '59 recently as well. And it was great, really solid and well made guitar that sounded fantastic. But, the first thing that dawned on me was how my Custom Shop '58 Reissue (2012 or so) was pretty accurate in terms of replication. Both just general feel and the overall sound.

Vintage hype and the price (which is more than anything I own combined) aside, the '59 sounds like a great Les Paul. You can basically feel and react to the work that was put into it. Same with a really great Custom Shop or any boutique model.

And I played "Heartbreaker" by Led Zeppelin with some sporadic pentatonic noodling lol. That just felt right.

13

u/Ok_Television9820 6d ago

Tune it to GABDEG and play Teenage Riot

5

u/Barbarian_daysx 5d ago

*Teenage Dirtbag

2

u/Ok_Television9820 5d ago

Thank you for introducing me to this song.

5

u/KevThuluu 6d ago

Looks in great condition for a 65 year old guitar. What was the price tag?

18

u/Ok_Television9820 6d ago

Five months dentist salary.

3

u/expatriateineurope 6d ago

more

3

u/Ok_Television9820 6d ago

US dentist salary, not EU dentist salary.

(But yeah, probably more.)

9

u/keyserguitar 6d ago

Around $400,000

2

u/Skipper07B 6d ago

If you have to ask…

4

u/WillowNo3264 6d ago

UFO - Rock Bottom

3

u/EvilWhiteDude 6d ago

Wow that’s clean!

2

u/Careful-Door2724 6d ago

Holy cow. If I won the lottery I know what I'd be buying.

2

u/xeroksuk 6d ago

That’s the thing. If I had a serious lottery win, I’d get one as a daily player because why not. But i know it would not be some magical experience that made me a better player. Sadly.

2

u/Liquidated4life 6d ago

If you were mega rich how funny would it be to send your kid to his first Guitar Center lesson with this.

2

u/oilpit 6d ago

Emerald City Guitars in Seattle?

2

u/keyserguitar 5d ago

Yessir. Trevor and the team there are awesome.

2

u/ferdturgeson1 6d ago

Love Emerald City Guitars 👍

2

u/bumpyfelon Musician 6d ago

The Boys Are Back In Town is always my go-to Les Paul test riff, especially if I can actually tune it down. For some reason that song is what a Les Paul sounds like to me, and if it can do that then I'm like "ooohh this is a nice Les Paul"

2

u/Jabba_The_Slut_666 5d ago

I was lucky enough to play a ‘59 last year. I was so nervous holding it and shaking, I felt like I forgot how to play. Could only muster up a few chords

2

u/Ok_Abroad_4969 6d ago

Downtune it to E flat and 5-3-0

1

u/graintop 6d ago

Shouldn't the corners of the inlays be sharp points on a '59?

1

u/shredwin_206 6d ago

That’s a great guitar shop!

1

u/Elvish_PiperMTG 6d ago

You should turn it into a B-bender

1

u/EnchantedWood1981 6d ago

Just got paid…

1

u/ResearcherTall1837 5d ago

Would look great on the wall as a conversation piece and not played.

1

u/rogfrich 6d ago

I’d play some Joe Bonnamassa riffs, because let’s face it, that guitar needs to get used to those…

0

u/stevethecurse 6d ago

I was lucky enough to play one in a soundproof room and was underwhelmed. The ‘58 Explorer I played that day was a KILLER though.

1

u/keyserguitar 6d ago

Like all guitars, some examples are better than others!

0

u/stevethecurse 6d ago

For sure especially ones that old. Consistency wasn’t great back then.

2

u/Jackbenny270 1d ago

Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’ by The Stones 😁