Gibson Custom Collector’s Choice #39™ 1959 Les Paul "Minnesota Burst"

A classic example of the ever elusive "closet find", this incredibly clean example of an original 1959 Les Paul Standard was brought to a dealer in Minnesota by its original owner where it was soon sold to a private collector. It wasn't long after that the guitar made waves through the vintage collector community as one of the more pristine original Bursts to re-appear out of obscurity. Now owned by Andrew Raymond of the UK, it remains a well cared-for and exceptional guitar with much of its original color intact, very little wear, and a top that exemplifies the word "flame": deep, moving, pronounced and consistent from side-to-side. "Minnesota Burst's" neck feel is beefy, with mid-'59 cheek and a substantial, playable feel that eases into your hand. For tone, its slightly off-balance pickups exhibit a unique mid-tone that's dark and sweet, while the highs cut through for clarity and the lows maintain that classic "woman tone" that barks beautifully with aggressive string attack and purrs when you back off. Collector's Choice #39, the Andrew Raymond 1959 Les Paul Standard "Minnesota Burst", nicknamed for the state in which it was rediscovered, will be offered in a very limited run based on the difficulty of sourcing its specific top character. Every aspect of the guitar's look, feel and tone are hand crafted after extensive hands-on analysis and measurement of the original, to deliver a guitar that's as close as possible to owning the real thing.