Every once in a while Gibson Custom comes up with something that makes you stop and say, “Okay, THAT is different.” This Limited Edition 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue is one of those guitars. Finished in the exceptionally cool and unusual Molten Amber Burst, this is not a color you’re going to confuse with the sea of Cherry Sunbursts, Iced Tea Bursts, and Bourbon Bursts out there.
And the finish is only the beginning.
This is a true Gibson Custom 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue, built with the historically-minded construction that makes the R9s so special, then sent through the Murphy Lab for a Heavy Aged treatment. Gibson selected a particularly nice two-piece AAA figured maple top for this run and paired it with a lightweight, one-piece, non-weight-relieved mahogany body. The result is exactly what you want from a great ’59: substantial, resonant, and alive.
The Murphy Lab Heavy Aged treatment takes the visual and tactile experience considerably further. The nitrocellulose lacquer has been aged to look and feel like a guitar that has already spent decades being played, rather than a brand-new guitar wearing a costume. The checking, wear, and softened feel are part of the appeal—and on a Les Paul like this, it really works.
The neck is Gibson's Authentic 1959 profile, which means this is not the place to come looking for a skinny neck. It has the substantial feel associated with the legendary Bursts, paired with a 12" radius rosewood fingerboard, 22 reissue medium-jumbo frets, and a nylon nut. The long-tenon neck joint is another important piece of the historically accurate construction.
Then there are the pickups: a pair of Gibson Custombucker Alnico 4s. These are among our favorite Gibson pickups for capturing the character of an old PAF—open, dynamic, touch-sensitive, and wonderfully responsive to the guitar's volume controls. Roll the volume back and they clean up beautifully; dig in and they have plenty of authority without turning into a wall of mush.
The rest of the recipe is pure late-'50s Les Paul: ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge, Stop Bar tailpiece, Kluson Deluxe tuners, aged nickel hardware, cream plastics, gold Top Hat knobs, and a single-ply top binding.
And then there's that finish.
Molten Amber Burst is what makes this particular Limited Edition so interesting. It's familiar enough to look like it belongs on a vintage Les Paul, but different enough that it immediately catches your eye. Gibson created this as a special Limited Edition finish rather than another standard production color, and only 100 of these guitars were made worldwide.
If you've been looking for an R9 that isn't just another R9, this is a pretty spectacular way to go. You get the construction, pickups, neck, and Murphy Lab Heavy Aged treatment that make the 1959 Reissue such a serious instrument, but with a finish you're simply not going to see hanging on every other Les Paul.
