Gibson '59 Les Paul Standard Reissue

Well if you've been looking into '59 reissues you know the drill. I'm not an expert but from talking to one of the largest Gibson dealers in the US I got the impression that Gibson varies it's tops (AA, AAA, AAAA, and AAAAA) maple, and I've seen other woods now as well. The key is that according to the top you'll pay more. I just purchased a new 2008 '59 LP Reissue with what looks like AAAA flaming maple top in Lemon Burst. This is not a Vintage Original Spec (VOS) since it has the gloss top and it was about $1000 more than the VOS. This looks, smells, tastes like a brand new Paul. The theory is that it should be no different had I purchased it new in 1959. So what do you get for almost $6000 out the door? Well you get a mahogany solid body, one piece Les Paul, with a rosewood neck (probably Indian Rosewood-certainly NOT Brazilian), vintage style tuners, burstbucker Pro I&II pickups and "vintage" style elecronics (means the capacitors are bumble bee type that were common in the 50's). I know this sounds like blah, blah because you've heard it all before but I'm just reporting what I have right in front of me. Yes the website is accurate. So if you've had a Les Paul then you know what the features are and that's what you get! Lastly the reissue does come with all the "goodies" (COA, strap, care kit w/guitar cable, etc)--but this is true of all Gibson Custom Shop Reissue guitars.

Tonally this guitar is great. It has a very rich and resonant body that produces a very deep and throaty midrange. This is very noticable when you play through the neck/rythym pickup on the clean channel of your amp. However with distortion on the amp (and depending on how much gain you use) the neck pickup gives you a nice break up ala Eric Clapton in the Bluesbreakers to that very saturated "woman sound" in "Sunshine of Your Love". The lead pick is heaven on earth. It's thin on the clean channel but that's my opinion of just about any pickup (especially the single coils) in the lead position without any distortion or gain on the amp. However, if I were to compare the tone of my $6000 Les Paul to my $2800 Anderson Cobra S (same specs as a Paul) the tone is pretty much on par yet the Anderson pickups are a tad bit hotter (more gain) than the burstbuckers for less than 1/2 the price. I should note that the Anderson rythm pickup has a brighter, more open tone than the Paul. (I personally like this more since it's tonally closer to the lead/bridge pickup.)

The finish is NOT the best if seen. It seems pitted almost as if the wood was not sealed before being sprayed on. This may be true of "real" 59's but I've never had a "real" 59 so I can't say. The top is beautiful and the Lemonburst is different and very attractive. The action is exceptional. The strings bend by sheer will alone! I love this. But comparing to my other, MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE, custom hand built Tom Anderson Hollow-T and Cobra S, I'm having trouble rationalizing the additional $3000 for the recreation of 1950's technology because we're employing US labor.

It's 2 days old! What can I say?

Does Gibson have customer support? I haven't used them for the '59 yet but on a new ES-5 Historic Reissue I purchased 5 years they left me a bit cold with the support. But in fairness to Gibson after weeks of letters and phone calls they did the right thing, fixed the guitar (the finish was goofed up!) and installed a Bigsby free of charge.

I started playing guitar when I was in hish school for a few years then dropped when I turned 40 and I've been at it pretty much consistently since then. So doing the math I come up with roughly 11-13 years of playing. The last 9 have been semi-professionally in blues and rock bands in San Diego. I've had numerous Gibson's, SG, '61 SG Paul Custom 3-pickup Reissue, '54 LP Custom Reissue, '57 Goldtop Reissue and a ES-5 (T-Bone Walker type) Reissue. In addition to this slew of Gibsons I'm also an Anderson nut, but you can tell by my previous reviews. I've been the same way with amps and cabinets but the rig right now is a Fuchs 50watt ODS Supreme (to die for head!) running through an Avatar (yes! Avatar) 4x12 with Celestion Heritage 30's and new Marshall 1987x Plexi reissue 1/2 stack with 25W Celestion Greenbacks, a Boogie Rocket 440 with Tone Tubby speakers, a Maven Peal Zeeta 20w (AWESOME amp), and a '73 Blackfaced Super Reverb. Why any of this is important is beyond me but I'm answering the questions. So what are the conclusions?

1. I have more money than brains and maybe talent.
2. I have a boat load of gear (hopefully a good ear to provide a valuable comparison)
3. My Tom Anderson's cost 1/2 as much as sound, in many ways, just as good as the '59 and in some evern better.
4. The '59 RI gets an 8 because it's not $6000 worth of instrument but it does sound and play great but would be a 10 for $2000 less. 5. Maybe this is all rubbish and you should go back to playing your guitar and BE HAPPY!!!

2007 R9 Washed Cherry. Just over 8 lbs.
Your typical R9 with VOS finish and gorgeous flame!

Vintage...need I say more?

The action was great right out of the box.
Guitar is flawless and the finish is incredible.

This guitar will last a lifetime. Personally, I wouldn't take my R9 out of the house. Too much money to replace it.

Gibson customer support gets a 10 as fas as I'm concerned.
They've always answered my questions.

I have a several other Gibson guitars, this is my only reissue.
It's absolutely incredible. If you can justify the cost, it's defininetly one of the best, if not THE best, guitar on the market.

Just make sure to play a few of them, some are better than others.

This is a 2007 Murphy with darkburst.Big neck weighing at 8lb and 5oz.

Put tom holmes in.And tone pros bridge and tuners aged from RS.Run through Matchless Jorgenson. Killer.

Beautiful realistic aged guitar.

Probably only need this one. Cant believe Clapton put this guitar down.

Great service.Period.

Simply fantastic.

Cherry burst, nice flame but not too 'over the top'. brazilian board, all the normal 59 specs, slightly aged metal parts, etc. Very very nice to look at. A bit heavy at over 9 lbs.

Clean: Excellent+. Mild overdrive: Excellent+. Wild gain: Excellent+. All pickup settings: Perfect. Never heard a better sounding guitar. And it begs to be played. I now know what a real "10" means.

Very very nice all around. No complaints.

Been playing too many years. My first real electric was a 74 deluxe LP. Sold it in 78 and swore I'd never go back to a Gibson. It was a nice guitar, but heavy and a cliche amongst guitar models. So what did I do? Fell for the opposite cliche, fenders. Having finally caved in and bought the 59, I can't believe what I've been missing all these years. One perfect LP, and one perfect Telecaster would be the full lineup for me now.

I DO love this LP, but at 9.5 lbs, that's a lot of mass on the shoulder. I'm looking for a lighter weight one, but may end up keeping this one for the tone alone. Score of 9 only because of the sheer mass of this beast. Else perfect.

2005 Faded Cherry Flame top with burstbuckers. '59 medium thickness neck. The Lifton case is poor. Be careful or you will break the p/u selector switchtip if you are not careful when you close the case. Weighs 8lbs. 5 oz. The Kluson tuners on this guitar are working OK, but in general, they are crap. I've replaced them on my old SG and Les Paul and probably will have to on this guitar at some point.

I've played the same '74 Les Paul (a Deluxe special ordered from the factory with big humbuckers) since I bought it new. I've pretty much thought that guitar was the "end all to beat all" for all those years. When I first played the '59 RI it had 10s from the factory. The action was higher than my '74 which I have strung with Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkys (.009 e-string, heavy bottom) since they started making them. My first impression was that the 59RI had punchy mids and was slightly louder than the '74. I was able to harmonic pull-offs with the '74 but not with the 59RI. The '59 RI had an interesting sound but I couldn't make it sing like my old friend. I have since re-strung the '59 with the Hybrid Slinkys, adjusted the action and the pick-up height and played the thing more and more over the past 6 months. After having had the '74 in the case for a few months, I was thinking that I was really starting to like the RI and decided to do a quick comparison. I was shocked at how much better the '59RI sounded at any amp setting. I've played through the same Twin Reverb a/b'd with a Peavey 2x12 for clean sound since '74 and never felt the need for any thing more when playing hard rock or blues. I've recently started playing through a Cyber-Deluxe (which sounds unbelievably good.This guitar sounds as good(if not signicantly better) as any thing you can find for a blues & rock lead sound with the aforementioned amps.

As I said above the factory set up did not allow for the best performance of the guitar but the action can be perfect after adjusting the set-up . It does have the bleed over of the red dye into the binding that someone complained about in another review. This is actually supposed to have been the case with the orginal 59's and done on the RI for authenticity. The finish is stunning. The construction quality is top-drawer (as would be expected for an instrument of this cost).

This guitar should played, not kept in the closet. Wipe it down after playing, clean & lube the mecahnical parts and polish it when you change change strings and it will outlast you. The machine heads will probably need to be uppgraded. Strap Locks are always a good idea.

Never really needed much support.

I have played the guitar since I was eight(42 years). I was about 16 when I figured out that Gibson Humbuckers and Fender amp with a gain channel would serve me well in just about any application. I bought this guitar because I wanted to see if it was truly superior to my 70's Les Paul and I have to say it is. The neck is thicker but I like it just as much as the 60's neck. It is much lighter than the '74 LP, which is nice. I also own a '71 SG (my first love), a custom built strat (I put it together in '85) and three telecasters(each set up for a specific application). They all have something unique to offer and I really enjoy them all. If I could only have one guitar it would be almost impossible to choose. The strat would be the most versatile, but I am really emotionally attached to the '74 LP; incomparison to those two, the '59 RI is a truly jewel that has grown on me over the past six months.

Made in 2004, amazing maple top with superb rosewood fingerboad of the highest quality.

The best blues/classic rock guitar I ever heard. The reason I bought this guitar was the sound,I heard guitar virtuoso Zlatan Ivancic from Minnesota playing some Hendrix songs. The sound was to die for.

Cannot imagine any better. It matches PRS and Tom Anderson.

I do not know.

Did not deal with them.

2000 made 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue, Heritage Darkburst (The best color, you ask me). No need to explain all the features, although I will say that I can't stand Kluson tuners....Gibson should put Sperzels on their stuff, but then it wouldn't be a 1959 guitar, eh? LOL! Case candy for mine came with a cable, Vintage Reissue 10-46 strings (I'll stick w/ Elixir), gloss polish, cloth, fretboard conditioner, and a bunch of picks. The case is nice, but I have to put a lock on it, because a kick could easily break the one that's on it now.

Well, it's MAGIC. I played this guitar through a Mesa Dual Rectifier, and a Fender Hot Rod, Diezel VH4, Mesa Mark I. I wanted to hear it through as many different amps as possible. The Classic 57 pickups are my favorite anyway, so the sound is very warm and the highs when playing clean are outstanding. The wood is (of course, for the price) resonant, and picks up on the slightest attack nuances. I play rock;
our originals lean towards the southern/classic rock vein, so this guitar is the best for my sounds. I use it with an MXR Wylde Overdrive Pedal (for boost), EHX Small Chorus, and at times the Line 6 Uber Metal on Pulverize, high gain. But this git is best plugged straight into my Mesa Boogie Lonestar 1X12. That amp brings out the best in bluesy guitars. An excellent guitar.

Beautiful guitar, but I gave this a 10 for looks; we all know Darkburst is the most coveted finish!!!! However, as with comments from other axe-slingers here on this site, I NEVER trust a factory-sent guitar to be properly intonated. I had mine set-up, of course, after purchase. I believe that's the player's responsibility. For the cash, of course it is made fabulous. I only wish it had a metal jack shield instead of plastic.....

Again, player's responsibility. a 4K guitar should be taken care of, should last many gigs, if you do the right thing. Straplocks are mandatory for Gibbys; take the risk and don't put 'em on, see what happens: SNAP! The hardware is solid, but Klusons are crapola. The finish will bleed, but I look forward to it getting a funky well-worn look. Hell, it's a reissue, not the real thing, so it doesn't belong on a wall!

Gibson seems cool in my opinion. I have lived in Japan for almost 13 years, and the company that directly imports Gibsons here is lousy. ONE YEAR WARRANTY. Gibson in the USA is lifetime. Makes me miss my country. American-made is always best, folks. People here in Japan love Gibsons, so they should get the same warranty. waste of money.

Have been playing 17 years. Went though too much gear and $$$ trying to find the guitars I like.Now I'm down to four guitars; three are Gibsons. I am very satisfied with their products, although many people hate on them for whatever reason. I played a total of five of these R9s before settling with this one. I can honestly say that with Les Pauls, you have to play a lot of them until you find the one that suits you. I was in love with a used R9 that was banged up and cost more than this one, which is "new" (2000). But I finally decided that this one would age with me, and there were problems with the tone pots on the used one, as well as the jack output. If it were stolen, I'd be bedridden because I wouldn't be able to get THIS ONE BACK! I agree with the haters that the price is steep, but this is TOP QUALITY, and people know it. I don't agree with people buying cheap guitars just to "stick it to the man": make an investment instead of spending too much money on stuff you have to buy again. ESPs are cool, but they are just the Flavor of the Metal Month. PRS is FANTASTIC, just not my style, same with Ernie Ball. I say any US made guitar will be a great investment, but these are treasures. If you have the dough saved, go for it, but PLAY THE DAMN THING!

Early 2005 production. Custom Shop Historic 1959 reissue. The usual specs. No Brazilian rosewood board, but very fine grain none the less. I would call it a future Iced-Tea burst as it is not as cherry red as many I have seen. Very nice 3-D top, not the tiger stripe, chevron, perfectly bookmatched top that amny people look for-a bit more authentic to what would appear in the BOTB book.
This one has the beautiful grain space from the center line going out to the edges of the body, not sure if this is termed "quarter-sawn" or what, but the rings of growth are evenly spaced all the way out and in a killer pattern. Nice stain on the back also. All the features as far as appearence goes.

I will say out front that I like the 57 Classic buckers, a little more open tone, looser. The burstbuckers are a bit muddy at lower volumes-but I would not switch them out. I did, of course, tweak the factory set up on the poles and height.

The responsiveness of the tone pots is very good, you can really get a good clean sound in the middle position with just the right volume/tone balance of each. I may consider a coil tap for the neck pick up to have some more flexibility as well.

Good, strong output from both postitions. That awe-inspiring sustain you get from Les Pauls. The higher end pauuls that Gibson has been truning out of the custom shop in recent years is as good as ever, I think.

This is a key category for these '59's. You need to shop and play as many different ones as you can. Neck shape will vary quite dramatically. As will fret work and general "palyability". Kind of suprising considering it is a $4000 plus instrument.

Don't get sucked in by one with a killer top and forget about everything else. In fact I would say it is the exception when you get one with the top and one that rates well in the fit and finish department. I found that the cut on the nut was the main area where they did not do as well as they should.

The other thing to look for is the applied finish around where the neck jois the body on top, near the neck binding; and around the nut where the headstock black finish tnds to bubble up and not be real smooth. also the nibs on the fret ends can be sub par. right after I got mine, i took it to my guy who smoothed out the edges of the neck binding-rounded it off a bit for the played-in feel. He also corrected the nut, as it was not cut low enough for proper set up with 10's. Again, shop around to get a 9 or 10 in this category. Mine was a 9.5-with the nut issue.

Bought it to play, not collect. Very solid, not as solid as the 80's type 12 pounders, but no issues here. In 25 years, my son will love playing it.

The Gibson site is great. Whether you are surfing for info or have a question, it will have all you need. A lot of devotees on there to pitch in if customer support does not give you the full answer. They get plenty of oddball requests and questions.

I always wanted a LP. Been playing since 1983. I had a 80's factory second back in the day when you could find such a thing from Gibson. Now I just look for the quinessential examples of classic guitars. I own a 1969 SG Custom, a CS 1960 relic Strat, a pre-CBS era Tele, Guild 12 string JF-30 made in Westerly, RI and some others.

Amp-wise the LP goes through either a DR Z Carmen, Savage amp (Macht 6 or Blitz 50, incredible amps, by the way!) or an older Groove Tubes Soul-O 75 head and 2x12 cab. It sounds great through any of them. I do not know why it took me so long to buy it, but these '59's are great instruments, good investment too.

**Get a better case for it-the blotchy-brown "period correct" case Gibson sends it out with are $%^&!@. Get it because it comes with it, but spend a few bucks to get a good one if you are leaving the house with it**

Flametop Cherry Sunburst 2005 Model. Burstbuckers with Bumblebee caps.
59 neck and historic specs. Straight forward simple elegance

All I can say is if you have ever played a '59, none of them sound less than from heaven...These have tone, cut, richness, a sound so wide you don't need a band and just pure gibson les paul balls!

The only complaint i have it the guitar came with 10's. I put on 9's after beating it up hard with 10's to break it in and the 1st fret of the g string buzzes and now I have to pay for a setup.
As for the rest, they set up the guitars pretty standard.Anyone who buys one of these can afford a set up from a pro anyways.
As for the quality of the guitar - simply awesome. I would not have Paid $4000 for a guitar that wasn't absolutely stunning. Gibson has it down! The custom shop makes the best guitars on the planet. I love fender custom shop too but Gibson has it down!

I can't see a les paul breaking down. The nickel bridge does have sweat abouse where my palm rests over the low e string but that is the salt in my sweat.

I have had another 59 repaired as the trapziod inlay was slightly up on the fretboard. I took it to a repair shop in Los Angeles and it was fixed in one day at no cost to me. What is not to like?

This is my most favorite guitar I have ever owned. I have 5 historic Les Pauls and this one is the most elegant, lightweight 8.0 lbs and just pure tone from heaven. If you have never tried one, go play one.
The 59 is the best of the best. You are paying for the best wood and lightweight. Plus I can not see these going down over the years in price. That is why I own 5 of these babies.
I feel so cool everytime I pick this baby up. When I play live, people always want to look at the guitar up close. Talk about flametop! Gibson Custom Shop rules

Les Paul 1959 reissue Custom Authentic in Iced Tea (Wide tiger wavy flame). Weighs 8.8lbs Big C neck other than that traditional wood appointments. Nitro finish on body and back of neck not buffed to look like new pickups covers, bridge are aged as is headstock and switch.

Not to thrilled about the pots on this guitar which I believe are linear taper (nothing really happens till 3 or 4 and then you get a sudden drop in volume or tone). This guitar has Burstbucker 1 and a Burstbucker 2. One change that is imminent is switching these pots for audio taper pots.

R9 come with a reissue Lifton case which is a nice discrete brown however the cas has only one neck support and no padding inside. It is a nice item to have but it is a really bad case and many complain about it (you have to keep the foam donut and headstock protection to avoid damage). Here is the great thing about this case if you sell the case to get a decent one your guitar will lose value so I'll just have to stock mine and get a better TKL case.

This is a beautiful sounding guitar it is loud and resonant you can really feel the vibrations thru the neck when playing and slightly less through the body. It has a great traditional woody les paul sound somewhere along the lines of what you hear from the Allman brothers, and ZZ top and some Led zep. It also sounds great for Jazz or blues. The variety of sounds you can get from really depends on your amp and effects set up as well as your playing but for blues and classic rock nothing comes close to the sound of this guitar. When you manage to set the sound right it is bordeline divine.

There is nothing that I don't like about this guitar because I know exactly what it can and can't do. It won't sound like a strat or a tele so pointlessing looking at one of these if that is what you expect.

The laquering was beautifully done as were the frets.

The set up of this was really poor ultra high action, bad intonation, pickups set up too high making it impossible to get true clean sound, the neck needed a truss rod adjustment. These issues aren't serious but they are not the kind of stuff you expect from a 4000 USD guitar. In fact I've seen 300 dollar korean guitars with better factory set ups.

After getting it I sent it for a set up and it made a world of difference the guitar plays like a dream with a straight neck. The only thing I had to tweak when it came back was the pick up height which was a little too low on the neck (lacked richness) and a little to high on the bridge (too harsh)

This is indeed a truly fine instrument however it is not like a strat you cannot disrespect a les paul cos it will break real easily especially at the headstock which is a reputed damage point. 59 les paul reissues also have nitro finishes which is thin and dinges easily. That being said if you treat Les Paul with respect they are really reliable. I would comfortably gig with this guitar but be careful of greedy looks.

Never had to deal with them never want to, I have some friends who have absolute horror stories to tell about Gibson customer support. Unless you are famous you are a number and a pot of money and that's it. If you want great support and people who attach value to client relations deal with a smaller company but they don't make Les Paul do they? Hmm An eternal dilemma.

I've been playing on and off for about 5 years and I am lucky enough to also own a Musicman Luke, a Mexican Strat and a Collings D2H. My amp is a Rivera Suprema and I have a couple of nice effect pedals (RMC 3, Sweetsound Mojovibe, Prescription Yardbox, MXR EVH phase 90, Ibanez TS9, Line 6 DL 4).

If you are into buying a les paul and you can afford it go with a Custom Shop Historic they are the better instruments and if you can afford an R9 and want a flame top go for that. However, you really need to research les pauls on the net and check a few out before laying down your hard earned cash.

I would definitely buy another Gibson Shop Les Paul they are like owning old british sports cars a pure joy and half the excitement is knowing if they are going to work. Before buying my R9 I had tried PRS McCarty and Singlecuts and although they are great guitars in their own right if you are looking for a Les Paul only a real own will do a McCarty is more an SG on steroids.

This guitar is so beautiful it makes my other electric guitars seem like toys and they are already nice guitars.