This Gibson Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul Standard Murphy Lab Heavy Aged Golden Poppy Burst weighs in at 8 lbs 11 oz, super light for a Les Paul! This is as good as it gets! After just hearing this guitar compared to a couple of Collectors Choice models, this is a worthy Les Paul for anybody looking for an LP with a little more brilliance and a more open and airy top-end. I must say, these are the most dynamically expressive humbuckers I have EVER heard in any Gibson. Without adjusting the amp and just adjusting how hard you play, it goes from clean to heavily overdriven!
The phrase "Holy Grail" and the 59 Les Paul have been tied together for decades. Considered the best Les Paul many players and collectors alike, the astronomical prices tied to any Vintage 1959 Les Paul Standard cements its legendary legacy. The 59 LP is now available with aged or distressed finished thanks to Aging Expert Tom Murphy and his crew of detailers. These aged guitars range in looks from barely played to used and abused. The Heavy Aged tier offers the Fender equivalent of a Relic.
Golden Poppy Burst is a subtle sunburst that looks a bit faded. It is the perfect choice to match the Heavy Aging done by Murphy Labs. An all Nitrocellulose Finish compliments the gorgeous figured maple top perfectly. This guitar will age along with its owner, showcasing just how and where its player plays. A 1 Piece Mahogany Body is married to a stunningly figured Maple top. This tonewood helps add body and articulate mid-range to the mix. The classic tonewood combo of mahogany and maple is time-tested, player-approved, and utilized by just about every manufacturer.
The neck is also made from mahogany which aids in the uniform transfer of resonance from the body to the neck. The Long Neck Tenon design, in which the end of the neck actually ends underneath the neck humbucker instead of at it. The also increases transfer of resonance, sustain, and inspiration. Hey, it's these little things that add up, making one guitar better than another! The neck is carved to the 59 Medium C Profile. The fingerboard is made from Rosewood and carries a 12" fingerboard radius along with 22 medium jumbo frets. The neck and fingerboard are glued together with Hot Hide Glue, considered to be the best, most toneful glue in existence, this stuff is very hard to work with! Nut width of 1.69" and 24.75" scale length combine for a classic feeling Gibson Neck.
The pickups are a pair of Custombucker 3 Humbuckers, constructed with Alnico 3 magnets. These pickups are not wax potted so they can get squealy in some circumstances. However, the benefits of the unpotted pickup are hard to ignore. If you like increased dynamics, a less congested or compressed sound, or a little more of an acoustic-like top-end since the pickups are actually acting as lil' microphones, then unpotted pickups are worth placing your ears upon. Each pickup gets a volume and tone control, along with a 3-way pickup toggle switch.
