Musician's Friend: Gibson Les Paul 1959 Reissue - Limited Release

Gibson Custom 1959 50th Anniversary Faded Lemonburst Les Paul Electric Guitar Faded Lemonburst


Faithful reproduction of this fabled, faded beauty in limited quantities.

The 1959 50th Anniversary Faded Lemonburst Les Paul has the appearance of a 1959 Les Paul that has spent the last 50 years in a display case in a museum. While the instrument retains the high gloss finish of a new instrument, the color has faded to the warm glow of "Faded Lemonburst." There will only be 25 of these guitars offered worldwide.

All of the '59 specs are faithfully reproduced including the nitro finish, wireless ABR-1 bridge, bumblebee capacitors, CTS pots, and the correct materials and shape of the bridge posts and thumbwheels, truss rod cover, strap button, and pickguard.

Where did lemonburst come from?
In 1959, the Gibson Les Paul was offered in two standard colors: a cherry sunburst and a darkburst. Most Les Pauls were finished in a cherry sunburst. Others received a darker burst to conceal mineral streaks, worm tracks, or flecks in the maple top. Over the years, the red dye in the cherryburst Les Pauls faded to different degrees due to exposure to sunlight, temperature, humidity and other factors. Each relative color difference has been affectionately named by Les Paul aficionados. One of the most desirable of these variances is "The Faded Lemonburst."

Gibson Custom 1959 50th Anniversary Faded Lemonburst Les Paul Electric Guitar Specifications:

* Faded Lemonburst sunburst finish
* Rare select carved figured top
* New nylon nut material
* Thinner fingerboard
* Ultrathin nitrocellulose lacquer finish
* 24-3/4" scale length
* '59 rounded neck profile
* Trapezoid inlays
* Gibson BurstBuckers pickups
* Thin single-ply white binding on neck
* Nickel hardware

Faithful recreation to original 1959 Les Paul Standard specs
* Vintage correct body shape
* Taller, vintage correct neck heel
* 3 degree angle pickup route
* Lightweight aluminum stopbar tailpiece
* Wireless ABR-1 bridge
* Snug fitting brass bridge saddles
* Vintage correct thumbwheel material and shape
* Vintage correct bridge post material and shape
* Historically correct backplate and switchplate material and shape
* Vintage correct pickguard shape and placement
* Vintage correct strap button placement and screw size
* Back and top thickness
* Vintage tulip tuners
* "50s style electronic wiring
* Audio taper CTS potentiometers
* Vintage correct dial pointers
* Bumblebee capacitors
* 1" diameter jack hole
* Toggle switch nut knurling

Gibson Custom 1959 50th Anniversary Faded Lemonburst Les Paul Electric Guitar Features:

* 2009 R9 Changed Features:
* Nylon 6/6 nut
* Improved ABR-1 bridge (no-wire, tighter tolerances)
* Historically correct nickel-plated brass bridge saddles
* Correct alloy saddle adjustment screws
* Bridge height adjusting thumbwheels now steel, rather than brass and are thinner
* Neck profile changed - now has less "shoulders"
* Audio taper CTS pots
* 50's wiring
* Pickup routes adjusted so that pickups will be parallel to the strings
* Top carve changed to be closer to several original '59s that were scanned
* Body perimeter change - slightly tighter in waist, cutaway area refined to be more like originals
* The maple cap is very slightly thinner, the mahogany body is very slightly thicker
* The fingerboard is slightly thinner
* The step from neck heel to back of body is taller and more correct
* The taper of the "maple window" under the binding in cutaway is more accurate
* The maple spline (filler strip) in the tenon is more accurate
* The edge radius on the backside of the body is tighter (less rounded)
* The "mustache curve" of the headstock top has been flattened slightly
* The control cavity plate has been relocated, has the correct side taper, and now uses the correct ABS plastic
* The pickguard shape has changed slightly
* The pickguard bracket and screw have been changed
* The truss rod cover has been reshaped to be more accurate
* The serial number location is slightly lower and more correct
* Dial pointers are less sharp
* The strap button screws are longer
* The jack hole is now the correct 1" diameter
* The toggle switch nut has more correct knurled pattern

Gibson Custom 1959 50th Anniversary Faded Lemonburst Les Paul Electric Guitar Includes:

* Gibson Custom Shop deluxe black hardshell case and certificate of authenticity