However, only a small fraction of Standard tops were very figured, so the term "curly maple" was never used in Les Paul advertising. The terms ribbon curl, tiger-striped, pin-striped, fiddleback and flamed used to refer to tops became more and more common. Some tops showed streaks or bands that gave exceptional three-dimensional optical effects depending on how the light was reflected. Even these two methods could lead to surprising results.ĭepending on the cut, the boards could be more or less figured. The remaining board could not be wasted, so other tops were obtained by " flitch-matching", that is, cutting a long and narrow board in half and placing the two halves side by side exposing the two external surfaces, or by " color-matching", placing two similar, but not adjacent, boards of the same trunk side by side. However, it was not always possible to use both sides of the board because sometimes one of the two had imperfections. In the future, all Les Paul guitars will be shipped in cherry sunburst finish.”Īll new Les Paul guitars, often nicknamed " Burst" by guitarists, had a unique top, just like fingerprints, made of two symmetrical " book-matched" boards, obtained by cutting a maple board in half and opening it as if it were a book. The December 1958 Gazette, in which Gibson did not yet refer to the new guitars as "Standard", stated: “A beautiful red cherry sunburst finish is the news here! This guitar now has a rich, rubbed appearance that cannot be equalled at any price, and the new look that is tops with today's guitarist! If the illustration above were in color, you would see exactly what we mean - this instrument is a true beauty. On March 28, another Les Paul appeared on the register, number 8 1742, with a monochrome interpretation of Cherry Sunburst finish.
However, over the years, the red started to fade showing an asymmetrical top with the original brown/yellow finish. This Les Paul had the classic "tobacco" finish, but had been completely repainted Cherry.
1960 les paul paf reading serial number#
On Februin the log book there was an "LP Cherry Red 8 1689", with a completely red top, while on the 25th there was a Les Paul Sunburst, num(with a lower serial number than the previous one!) sent to CMI’s sales manager Clarence Havenga. Unfortunately, Gibson’s log books have many parts missing for 1957, so it is impossible to follow up on all the experiments done in the search for a new finish. To revive the Les Paul market, the obvious solution seemed to look back at tradition with the Sunburst finishes the Kalamazoo-based company was famous for, showcasing the beautiful maple tops with a transparent finish. The idea was not new: already between 19 Gibson had made some Les Paul prototypes in Sunburst finish and over the years Gibson received some custom orders for Les Paul Cremona Sunburst, such as the Les Paul 6 12292 of 1956, which was probably the first Les Paul equipped with humbucking pickup - although it was the version used for lap steel. Playing delicate gets clear, responsive notes, but digging in with your right hand can get a howl of searing sustain that’s great for milking bends and playing less in improvised solos.To counteract the sharp decline in sales of the Goldtop since 1955 - 598 models sold in 1957 against 2245 in 1953 - in 1958 Gibson unveiled the Les Paul Sunburst. There’s also a tremendous amount of dynamics that the pickups highlight with the right-hand attack. Growing up as a Fender 250k potentiometer guitarist, the increased sweep is exceptionally noticeable. There are varying shades of tones in each position, depending on how far up the volume knob you are. This clarity isn’t only when going clean into the amp, either. The clarity on my Les Paul with just a clean tone is incredible, with each pickup position having its voice. Immediately, I noticed a difference in my playing and overall guitar tone. Even though they aren’t in a real 1958 Burst, I had them put in a PreHistoric R8 Les Paul for a more authentic experience. So, after a year of getting to play around with my set of vintage P.A.Fs, I’m not really sure how I managed to get along without them. Hey, if you’re anything like me, all these tech specs are cool and all, but what does any of this magnet and wire mambo jumbo mean for me, the average guitarist? Great question.