Right now, at this very moment, we have three authentic Bursts. We thought we'd take the time to tell you about them, and just what makes these beautiful guitars so important. The Burst evolved out of Gibson's very first solid-body guitar, the 1952 Les Paul. Issued initially as a Gold Top, the Les Paul got a new look in 1958, when Gibson introduced a new model with a sunburst finish: the Les Paul Standard. Coloring the solid Honduran mahogany bodies with aniline dye, Gibson's Les Paul Standards featured a deep red hue that, with time, would react to ultraviolet light and other environmental conditions to bleed, fade, and otherwise change. Our '59 Burst, '60 Burst, and '60 "Scarface" Burst are excellent examples of this landmark guitar and beautifully illustrate how each early Burst is different from any other, both visually and sonically.

But every so often, something comes along that stops us all in our tracks and leaves us speechless. That's exactly what happened when we first opened up the brown Stone case and laid our eyes on the absolutely stunning top on this incredible Burst that we're ironically calling "scarface". It earned that nickname because a previous owner (who undoubtedly was a Jimmy Page fan) decided to add an onboard fuzz circuit to the underside of the pickguard which was bulky enough that it required the removal of a small portion of the top in order for it to fit. Fortunately, in July of 1988, a very skilled luthier did a tremendous job of reverting the beauty back as close to its original cosmetic condition as possible by placing a piece of maple which matched the surrounding grain very well into where it was once removed. This repair is completely invisible under the pickguard. No photograph really does justice to the figured top of this guitar, although it does look great in the popular book "Beauty of the 'Burst".

Equally as impressive as this guitar's gorgeous looks are its effortless playability, the impressive resonance of the aged woods, and the astounding sound of the PAF pickups through a good tube amp. It's no wonder why this guitar has become the "standard" that so many builders have based their solid body models on. It's also no surprise that this year and model instrument was used by seminal artists on timeless recordings such as "Blues Breakers" with Eric Clapton.

THE DETAILS

• Beautifully flamed maple top on Honduran mahogany body

• One piece Honduran mahogany neck with a medium-round profile, 1 11/16” wide nut, Brazilian rosewood fretboard, 12” radius, and trapezoid inlays

• Kluson Deluxe tuners, two PAF humbuckers (Rated at 8.3k ohms in the neck and 8.5k ohms in the bridge), three-way pickup selector switch, independent volume and tone controls. (All original. Although all solder joints look original and have aged the same we assume that a couple were touched up at some point because the guitar was played and had on board effects at some point. Original pots, black beauty caps, jack, switch, wiring, and PAF Pickups with unmolested stickers and covers.)

• All original except for small area of very old touchup on small headstock wing repair and small area under guard where "Jimmy Page mod" was done by original owner.

• This is an absolutely killer "burst" with a gorgeous 3D-like figured maple top that plays and sounds amazing. There is a faint “made in USA” in very small font above the serial number, indicative that this guitar was originally made for international sale. It is lightweight and has a well balanced feel. The finish looks great with only some minor dings and dents, and light scratches, on the top wood. There are some dents and blemishes around the sides but no structural damage to be found. The back of the body also has some average wear for its age including some light buckle rash that has resulted in some small dings and one small chip in the middle of the body. The neck has lost some of it’s gloss near the headstock and heel but the rest of it is mostly clean and glossy with hardly a mark on it. The headstock has some checking lines at the bottom as well as a repaired crack along the treble wing. Beside some minor dings and chips around the edges it looks stunning. This is a truly gorgeous "Burst"!