Gibson '59 Flametop Les Paul

Everbody knows the features of a good les paul by now

Good sound this guitar. Very on the money tone. Articulate in the bridge pickup, good tones when volume backed off, perhaps a little muddy in the neck, but hey, this is inherent on a Les paul. However, lets face it, Gibson Do NOT make the best pickups now to suit these guitars. Many are better

Very well set up guitar straight out of the case, great looking guitar, perhaps not as spectacular and well built as a PRS, but for Gibson, it is neat. Good weight, gibson should use this weight of guitar for it's standard factory models as well. It can be done, Hamer can do a good weight every time.

Will Last forever

Gibson not too keen on too much working class customer support, it is contact the distributor scenario. But if you are Slash or the like, you will be treated like a king and also get free guitars.

I like to sort of thro a curveball at the major companies, but hey, to be honest this is a good guitar, but wait for it. I have just recieve a Tokai LS70F with WCR Wagner pickups and upgraded hardware. The Tokai blows my 59 reissue away in tone and playability. I know it is not made with as high quality timbers as the 59 but this guitar feels SO right and it sounds like a vintage guitar does with the Wagners, I can get the best Mark Knopfler Brothers in Arms tone you could ever hear and vintage Paul Kossof is right there. Carlos is there too. Gibson is fantastic, but get a Tokia for a fifth of the price. They really are that good !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'03 '59 reissue Les Paul, nito finish, a very light 8 pounds.
carved flitch matched flamed maple top, solid mahogany body and neck, vintage specs, resonant and lively.

straight-ahead Les Paul

very versitle guitar, a good tube amp brings out it's best.
can be jazz, blues, or even country. Powerful tones.

perfect balance but very generic set up from the factory, you will need to personalize your R9 to your preferences before it will really change your life. A little sloppy at the binding but perfect neck joint and hardware.

solid as a rock, these last for decades.

gibson can be very helpful if you are patient.

40 year player, it gets no better than this. the neck and fret board are perfect and the resonance and tone is incredible.

big bucks but if this is you dream guitar this is the way you have to go. Beats the Standard in every way.

Firstly, I hope I'm writing in a right place. I've checked out Gibson's record then I found out my guitar is called "Les Paul Reissue". Then I read some article and found my guiar actually is what they called "Les Paul Reissue". But back to 1991 when they offered a thinner neck version, the thick neck version became to called '59 Flametop Reissue. Refer to this link: http://www.gibson.com/magazines/amplifier/1999/1/mainevent2.html

Okay, after all. I bought it from a fomaus blues player here in Hong Kong. The guitar was made in 1990. S/N 0 0018. It should be fitted with 2 '57 classic pickups but I found it had been changed to 2 Duncan SH-55 Seth Lover Model although the seller mentioned he never changed anything on it.

The guitar sounds a little bit different to my friend's production model. It's not extreme bassy. Although it's bassy than other my SG'61 Reissue. But it won't bassy to blow you away. It has a warm sound which I love but if possible I'd like the 1st string sounds a little brighter. One thing I have to mention is the sustain. The sustain is good. It's not super long but you know "enough is good". It does good enough.

As other Les Paul does. It can handle from Blues to Rock, Metal. And sometimes it can play some jazz I guess.

I bought it just a month and I didn't have much time and chance to plug it to an amp (sadness living in Hong Kong). I didn't figure out the sweet spot yet. So I could only rate it 8 at the moment.

The action set at low position. I love it. But ask I change the string set to .011 I have to adjust the nut.
It's not a bookmatched top. But the flame on it was beautiful. The tiger stripes is not thin. I love the flame not just lines. I like it wild!!
The finish is very good. Especially when compare with current production... Sadly it's an used guitar and the former owner was gigging with it anywhere. Many scars all over the guitar (neck, back, headstock, even on the top...) But a guitar was born to be play. The scars shows the history behind it.

The scars made it rate 7 but it originally should have a 10. What do you ask for a 15 years old guitar?

It lives for 15 years. I guess it's not hard for another 15 years to it. I can't see any problem on it yet.

I sent e-mail to Gibson to check the id once I received the guitar. They're very friendly and helpful on the matter.

Two double black PAF humbuckers, volume and tone controls for each, extremely flamed maple top, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard. Just your run of the mill Paul, although worth noting, one of the very last made at the old Kalamazoo factory. Nicknamed "Lester", because this guitar was received the same week legendary rock journalist Lester Bangs passed away. S/N 9 0023.

A lot of the "old versus new" debate definitely has to be taken with an enormous grain of salt, but there really, REALLY is something special about original PAF's. The tone of this guitar is what all other guitars are judged against.

This category is easy. Since I received this, not a single adjustment has been made. Action and neck were, and remain, perfect. The finish and fit are beyond flawless.

Lester has had the living bejeezus played out of him, and simply carries on his merry way. Since new, I've graduated from .008's to .011's, back and forth, finally settling on .010's. Not even a whimper.

Twenty-one years old this year. Never had a reason to contact them.

Oddly enough, I have always been a hardcore Stratocaster man, but this is the one that I will be buried with. I honestly would not trade this guitar for an original '59 Burst. Been playing since '71, if I listed the rest of my gear, this would turn into "War and Peace". If this were stolen, I would first congratulate the person on getting through the pit bulls, the alarm system, and the other various and sundry ballistic safeguards that are in place. One rumor I would like to put to rest, the first 25 of these built came with original Gibson PAF's. Period. End of debate. Vintage Guitar can print all the articles and letters it wants stating otherwise, but that don't make it so. Should you wish to argue the issue, give me a holler at tifosi@mindspring.com. We may not agree, but we'll at least have some fun.