Gibson '59 Les Paul Standard Reissue

'04 '59 reissue. Cherry burst, off balance flame. 8 pounds 2ounces, great C shape neck. carve maple, solid mohagony body and neck.
replaced gibson burstbuckers with vintage humbuckers.
set up from the factory was crap. I had to do all the final se up work myself.

This is vintage Les Paul and is very versatile. It does what I need it todo very well. ZZ, Allmans, three Kings etc. it is the most vibrant and organic sounding guitar I ever played.

everthing was perfect except for the final set up of the nut and neck, bridge and saddles.

It's solid as a rock and wil be around long after me. I need this one on every gig.

Gibson is Gibson

Honestly, The best thing I ever played or owned. My guitar shpopping days are over.

My R9 is a 2001 version, AAAA flame top with cherry sunburst. 57 classic P/U's. The flame is stunning and in certain light, almost 3 dimensional! The finish can only be rated as outstanding, even the sunbursting is very even with no blems anywhere including the sides and back. Came with the brown authintic case and documents. THe nut was very well finished and handles the regular Slinky's with a lower than average action with no buzz anywhere. The whole guitar has beautiful ringing sustain(31 seconds...most LP's are good for maybe 20...)acoustically which tranlates into great clarity when playing clean or dirty through my Mesa Mk 1.

Killer tone without the mud! the mid and high mid cut through especially well when playing both PU's and backed off slightly on the tone and vol. The bridge pickup cuts like a knife with the volume above 8 while the neck gives a warm jazzy feel at less than 7 on vol and tone. Killer sustain(you have to have the volume down around 5 to really play CLEAN...). Great for Blues/rock!

I bought the guitar very slighty used. It was perfect except for the bridge height which was a simple tweek. I play with a pretty low action and this guitar is clean and clear with no buzz anywhere even when I'm romping on it pretty hard...No flaws and the nut was perfect for each of the six strigs. Mine has the baseball bat neck, which fits my style of playing very well. The finish, as stated above is unbelieveable...

I've played this several times live and it is built like arock. Even the tuners, which everone else says is a weakness, have not been a problem. I own a LP Custom Black Beauty as well, and this guitar is as versitle and solid as the Custom. I don't plan on using it alot for live work as it will need to be carefully taken care of to preserve the finish..the Black Beauty is my workhorse...

Never had occasion to deal with them

This is the best guitar I own and I've owned several Les Pauls of different vintage. The Gibson Custom Shop instruments I have experienced are of excellent quality and playability. I also own a 59 ES 335 re-issue that is outstanding. Along with Black Beauty, I own a 1954 40th Anniv. Strat(the limited edition) from the Fender custom shop that is a spectacular guitar as well. I also have a 1988 American Standard Strat that is another workhorse and a blonde Tele. Play all of them through a Mesa Boogie Mk1 1X12 with a rack of Boss effects and a Mesa V-Twin pre-amp(which is really KILLER!!!)

59 Historic, plain top, washed cherry. Made in 1999, mine has 57 PAFs, great medium fat neck (MAYBE a bit slimmer than my beloved 58), and medium jumbo frets, which is the biggest difference from its predecessors. Otherwise, it's the same as all other reissue 59s.

The Les Paul sound is, in my opinion, THE sound, and the 59 nails it. I also own a 58, and the 59 is maybe a bit brighter, but both ooze that chalky, expressive, bluesy driving tone which made LPs what they are. I've played several modern versions and they somehow fall just short of that vintage vibe. Somehow these reissues manage to produce a woodier or earthier tone which is closer to that I've heard from many vintage LPs. Played thru my Carr Rambler, the sound can go from a moan, to truly thunderous. This is a blues machine, and if you play blues, or anything based in it, there is just no other choice. Accept no imitations. In reference to THAT one, obviously disgruntled entry here, if you want to be EVH, get something else. I'm sure your Peavey Wolfgang is a fine axe, but ITS sound doesn't suit me at all.

Mine was set up, say 95%, but with just a bit of tweeking, it was rendered perfect. Like most others I've tried, the neck was straight and stable, and these LPS need VERY little relief to play fast and well. The frets were perfect and well polished, and the nut was perfect (this is the only area where I've seen less than perfect on others as far as cosmetic issues go, but the function is always spot on). All else is nicely fitted, tight, and smooth, and this one has the most spectacular back I've ever seen. Mine is about 8 1/4 lbs., thankfully on the light side, which seems to be prevalent among the historic reissue series.

Just pick up nearly any LP, and you immediately get the impression that these are tanks, and this one follows suit. Seems that it could withstand years of hard use (I shudder at the thought), but I'd buy a modern, less expensive version to gig with. These things are works of art, and the thought of some drunk asshole knocking it over or bathing it in beer will keep mine away from live use. Enjoy these at home or in the studio, get a used USA LP Standard for road use...they still sound very LP. In addition, these reisues all have a fantastic thin coat of nitro, which undoubtedly is another factor in their superior tone, but is a bit more subject to wear than the thicker coating found on modern production LPs.

I've read about some owners' frustration with them, but I've gotten a quick and courteous response each time I've emailed or called. Haven't presented any tough issues to them, but they did seem to care about any question or request.

I've been playing for many years and owned or own most of the top brands, as well as the more esoteric s/a Anderson, PRS, National, and the like. I currently own 3 LPs (a 'road' LP, as well), a couple of Fender Custom Shop Teles, and a cool National Reso. All of these axes have a soul. PRS, et. al. are great products, but are missing something more life-like, that is obvious, at least to me, when played. The 59 is the epitome of this quality. It may seem like a lot of hype, until you really play one. It's only a great value if you come to understand that point. I'd pay even more, if I had to.

2000 '59 Les Paul features - Classic 57's - basball bat neck and great flame - Darkburst (all hail Duane!) - Honduran Mahogany body. (I think the Mahogany used is no longer Honduran)

Yes - finally a clean pickup sound on a Gibson. The "hot" pickups Gibson usually puts out are a little too much for my taste. I like my overdrive at the tube/amp level not at the pickup level. It sounds like every Les Paul I have heard on recordings, but not like every Les Paul I have ever owned (6 since 1973) - the rest never quite had the sound I was wanting - so they were sold as fast as they came in. I am satified and not looking for "that" one anymore. I understand that 2000 was a Hallmark year for the '59 reissue (best flame so far ? Honduran Mahogany) and I have to say mine is prett' good.

Every thing was cut well. Pickups were perfecly adjusted. Action was normal low - I like it it a little higher for sustain and my personal feel. Have to say, these 59s rock, if you dig tone and sustain. It really does cause you to ignore your other guitars. So be kind and play 'em all. But, you'll go to #1 for a tone fix.

The HumVee of guitars. Baseball bat neck and heavy grained Mahogany is beefy. Solid as a tank.

A little stand offish on details. They don't like to give out too much history on a year's model - Like what woods etc. - I had to use other reosurces to get details on my particular serial number and Model year. Didn't answer a couple e-mail questions. But found other Gibson resources.

Played since 73. Have had many guitars and many amps. I still have favorites. Telecasters, Strats and Les Pauls. This is my favorite Gibson so far, and as of late, my best electric. And one of the better ones I have played. I played a couple in the 70's that I wish were mine, but alas. This is cool - I may save up for a 2004 '59 if they come out with good woods (flame etc.) I like the BB2s too guys. I just dug the flame on this 2000 which came with 57s.

Something was eating away at me about these after my review of 9/21/03 so I kept looking till I found one with a nice top and decided to give it a go.

Having got one through my own amps I'm ashamed to admit that I was totally wrong about the pickups and they actually have unbelievable definition. I found with the neck pick up and a clean amp I can strum chords and sound almost like an acoustic.
Add these to the constructional properties of this guitar and after many, many guitars I am only now able to nail that combination of tone and sustain. Ocasionally I wonder if they should have put BB2 pickups in both neck and bridge position but they probably got it right.

This guitar came with factory set up, deliberately with a highish action, unlike the ones I tried previously. Set up like this it makes a lot more sense for the kind of music you're likeley to play on one of these. There are still more human signs of construction than on, say, a PRS but the nut on this one is fine. I'm giving 10 to acerage out my 6.

You know what you are getting with this - no more, no less.

Having got a nice one and using it for a while I have to say this Les Paul is going to put pressure on some of the other guitars I own. I'm suddenly wishing I could afford a back up!

2003 Model with Brazilian Fretboard. Has all of the features of its genre.

I have tried 4 of these with 3 different amps and try as I did I could not get a sound I liked from those Busrstbuckers. Far too middly and not enough harmonics for pull offs. The guitars had fantastic sustain and I really don't think the pick ups allow the wood tone to come through sufficiently. I really think that Burstbuckers are over hyped and that the Classic 57 is a better all round design. I have a pair of original PAFs and the Classics sound much closer. This is a sad conclusion because I really wanted to like these pickups.

A well made instrument with a few observed quirks. On 2 samples the mahogany body had knots which went diagonally through the back to the sides and on one the nut slots were far to narrow for the factory strings. Tops have been weak on all of the available ones (bear in mind its September 2003 after the good ones have gone - reflected in the prices) and the washed cherry and faded tobacco are both colors that failed to inspire me. The best example was a Tom Murphy faded one but that was out of my league.
Apart from the above I found the frets too low. These new examples seem to have lower frets than any example I've tried before.

I really, really wanted one of these but not being able to get a stunning looker, low frets and the middly pick ups has left me dissappointed. The Brazilian Rosewood fretboard is something I can easily live without and it looks like I will have to find a pre 2003 model. What a shame.

The 1959 Les Paul Standard reissue. Made in 2003 by Gibson's Custom Art & Historic Division in Nashville, Tennessee. 22 frets. Mahogany body. Solid 2-piece AAAA bookmatched flamed maple top on this one. It's a beauty. Most have an AAA top. Cream binding. Brazillian rosewood fretboard --- LIKE WHO CARES IF IT'S from BRAZIL????!!!! Ebony would be better anyway! No, not historically correct, just BETTER!...Basic 3-way toggle switch, Pickups: Burstbucker 1 (rhythm), Burstbucker 2 (treble). Krummy Kluson tuners---bleh. Needless to say, it has a '59 profile neck--not slim and tapered like a 1960, not a baseball bat like a 1957. Lifton hard case. No humidifier, dishwasher, or lawnmower. If you need more info on the features, go to...

http://www.gibsoncustom.com/Historic/LesPaulSeries/59LPStd.htm

Ask Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton. Seriously, I own a ton 'o Les Pauls, and this '59 sounds the best of them all, despite my skepticism. Sustain, of course, until Kingdom Come. The Burstbuckers were well chosen for the bridge and neck positions. Definitely the right combination. Just as the weight is eve distributed on this guitar, so is the tone. My '57 Black Beauty Custom will give the '59 a run for its money...the '57 is pretty close, but not quite the resonance over the full range of tones. The pickups may have something to do with this however. Maybe one day I'll put Burstbuckers in the '57 and give it a whirl.

This guitar has one of the nicest, tiger-striped flamed maple tops I have ever seen. That's why I bought it. Yes, bookmatched very nicely indeed. But also wide and deep...gotta love it. But don't take my word for it, check out...

http://www.volckmann.com/guitars/93751-4.JPG

...it's even better in person. As with all Gibsons, about 8 coats of nitrocellulose lacquer. Highly unstable chemically, the finish will eventually check all over many years from now. And if I played it enough the finish would rub off in spots. That's the way it is, but hey, it's 'historically correct' (oh boy)!

Great low action, basically set up from L&M Music when I received it. I needed to make some minor intonation adjustments, but no big deal. The workmanship is not immaculate, but close. There is a very slight amount of finish bleed adjacent to the binding in a couple of places. Personally, I think if I am spending $4K on a guitar, I should not see anything at all like this, but I do. And anal as it may sound, it rather pisses me off. And I'll bet no one gives a rat's ass what the strap buttons are like, but yes, they're fine. Another thing that's great about the 1959 is the balance. Yes, it's somewhat heavy, but I really don't care about that. What matters is they way it sits either suspended on a strap or sitting in your lap. And the '59 feels completely well-balanced either way. A light guitar can strain your body if the balance is not right.

I expect the Kluson tuners to absolutely disintegrate within my lifetime---as they always have because they are cheesy and cheap. They are no different now from when they started making tuners before I was born---no improvements whatsoever, and now they are made in Korea I believe. Otherwise, I'd say the guitar is a rock. Still, I would not even consider taking this guitar out and getting a scratch on that fine figured maple top. Maybe after I make my first $ million I won't care. Or if I know I have like a week to live or something, I'll go on a whirlwind tour and grind this axe until only a mahogany stub is left.

Anyway, a nitrocellulose finish is just simply delicate. It will scratch if you breathe on it wrong. Just the way it is. Oh but its HISTORICALLY FREAKING CORRECT!!!!! Slap on some verithane clearcoat and I am just as happy---really.

Never had to use Gibson on this guitar, because it is nearly perfect. I have used Gibson support in the past and I would give them both a rating of "10" in some cases (yes, incredibly kind and helpful), and "minus- 20" in other cases (worse than worthless). It's a mixed bag with these guys depending on who you are dealing with there at Gibson. The warranty lasts a lifetime---which may be how long it takes to get a freaking replacement screw from Gibson's Custom Art & Historic Division.

I've been playing 34 years total, including sort of an extended hiatus. I have an insane amount of guitars, all of them great. Some expensive, some inexpensive. This '59 is definitely 'up there' cost-wise. As with most '59 reissue owners, this one ain't leaving the bedroom! When I go gig out it will be with my workhorse of choice: a G&L Comanche. If it were lost or stolen, I would freak. I would be depressed. I would be suicidal. You wouldn't want to be around me for a few days. I guess the thing I hate about this guitar, as with all 'historically correct' Gibsons is the God-awful cheesy Kluson tuners. They bite, they suck. I REALLY hate these tuners. They slip, they get stuck, they don't turn worth a damn. Grovers or Schallers would be a huge improvement. In fact why stop there? When will Gibson get hip to locking tuners? Probably never. And if they ever put different tuners on a historic reissue, you can bet all the whiney little 'correct' bastards would scream their bloody heads off. What do I love about the '59 reissue? It gives me a hard-on holding a $4000 piece of gorgeous wood in my hands, and the truth is, it sounds like the Holy Buddha himself when I plug it in to my Mesa Boogie. But then again, so does my $1100 G&L. So you see my friends, there is no cure for a guitar addict. I simply won't be happy until I own 'em all.

What I was able to get is a 2001 '59 reissue flametop. Everyone knows the details (i.e. wood, electronics, tuners, etc.) Beautiful flametop, tiger in a very great cherry sunburst. I could never buy the real deal, but this guitar is great. Gibson did it again.

The sound is "LES PAUL" no other sound around. I own 8 other Les Pauls, and the 59 kicks them all in the butt. Great Humbucking sound.

I got it used, but I raised the bridge a little and it plays great. The top is a great flametop and bookmatched. Be used, I found one very small ding, on the top, but you really have to look for it.

This is the guitar of my choice.........All of my others have taken a backseat. The finish is superior and the tiger top is fantastic. Thsi instrument you can depend on it day or night.

Support has been great. I depend on one rep for all of my questions and he has been outstanding in getting back to me.

Nothing else can be said. It is a great keeper......

2003 1959 Les Paul Reissue with Brazillian Fretboard. These 2003 are going to be the most highly collectable since the 1998's which featured the best wood. Gibson just announced that they will not make anymore '59 Reissues with Brazillian rosewood boards......result will be a limited amount of these 2003's. Get 'um will you can! Also in 2003 Gibson introduced the most authentic electronics yet, the sound is unbelievable. You can get pretty close to Slash and Clapton Cream era tone through a marshall.

I was somewhat sceptical about how these would sound and the first test for me when playing any quitar is how it sounds acoustically. Wow is all I can say. These 2003 are the best sounding LP's ever to come out of the custom shop. I have used this one with a Fender Hot Rod deluxe and a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 401 and both sound unbelievalble. The tone on the marshall is all about Clapton Cream era and Bluesbreakers. Oh yea, throw in Peter Green and Slash.

The action was excellent right from the factory. I use 10's and it has nice low action. The neck is big and beefy but not so much that your hand gets tired playing it. The top is nicely faded cherry with a wavy curly flame top. Looks very authentic and close to a lot of the 98 reissues I have seen.

I really don't think this will ever be played enough to truly test it's reliability and durability. My other LP's and strats will have to stand the test of time. This one will be stored away and admired from time to time

Have not had any experience with Gibson customer support.

I have been playing for 35 years and own several vintage strats and telecasters. Have been a fender guy most my life but couldn't resist these 2003 '59 Reissues. If it were lost or stolen, I would kill myself. Don't want to think about it.

This beauty is a 1986 Re-issue of the 59 LP. 6 digit s/n but I cant remember what it was. Apparently this was the first trial time/era that they started tinkering with the re-issue phenom. AAA top tiger stripe. with 57 humbuckers, but they were replaced by the guy whom I bought it from from Ebay. Actually I won the auction, but did not meet the reserve price. We did everything by phone, and privately from Seatle to Toronto. I still have all the original pick guards and pick ups ,but apparently the '86 models' p/u's were not that accurate(?).He put '96 model 57 re-issues in it ,and it sings beautifully.
This guitar is lite ,about 8.5 lbs, but a thinner neck than i think
the 40th anniversary ones are.(by the way if anyone else out there has an'86 re-issue pls email me, with info you may know about it.)

What can I say. its a paul, and it sounds like heaven through a marshall. the hellish sustain, and creamy sound is enough to make you get a boner!

When I took it to my local music shop, the owner told me that this piece had a great finnish on it. Just like the the Murphy aged ones have these days(murphy?). Action and finish is excellent. Not like the shyte their puttin out today. For 2000$u.s this was a steal. I've been offered $3500 FOR IT BUT NO WAY HOSE'.

When I bring this puppy to a gig, i use it all night. perfect tuning.
the strat stays in the stand, cause i cant put it down. A few dings in it here and there but who cares. Its a beaut.

I emailed gibson, and the guy couldnt tell me a whole lot about it when i told him it was an '86 re-issue. Nevertheless a quick response to emails

playing for 20 years. have a PRS Custom 24 ten top. a Squier SQ serial # telecaster, a yamaha AP-800(complete rip off of a 335, and better made). Play Santana, Page, Clapton, jeff beck kinda style.

I have a Marshall Valvestate 265r which this thing sounds killer from.