FEATURE
1960 LES PAUL BURST Bruce Adolph
[CG] Trevor, tell us about this special guitar ups. It was unbelievable! The case was in as There seems to be a pattern that every time a
that graces our CG calendar page and how it good condition as the guitar was. Everything burst changes hands, it goes up a little bit in
came into your hands at Emerald City Guitars looked perfect and untouched. I flew the guitar value.
in Seattle. back to Seattle and hand delivered it to my guy
[Trevor Boone] First, Joe Bonamassa is one
who bought it! He was happy to add it to his A lot of people think the sweet spot for bursts
collection. is the ‘59. And they are right - it’s iconic. But
of my favorite guys ever and is a dear friend of
I personally have a lot of affinity for these
mine. I have sold some instruments to him and A couple of years later, after my guy had 60’s. I have found that a thinner neck really
sold some for him. Joe was making room for purchased a few more things, he discovers that complements the qualities of the PAF pick-
a purchase, and we kicked around the idea of he liked ‘59 bursts. So eventually I helped him ups. Where the ‘59’s have that round feeling,
finding a home for this 1960 Gibson Les Paul find a ‘59 Les Paul, and in that deal we took this a ‘60 has that little bit less wood and a thinner
burst that he owned. 1960 burst in as a trade. neck backing it up, which makes for a more
aggressive, biting, mid focused guitar. I have
Meanwhile, I have a customer turned friend This guitar is largely uncirculated. Joe has probably played 35-40 bursts and the ‘60’s
who lives up here in the NorthWest who was played it and it is featured on some of his DVD’s. have more and more become my favorites.
getting into Les Paul bursts himself. He wanted It is a magnificent example of the cleanest They are a little bit lighter and they also have
to find the best one. burst I have seen. I was asked by Paul Allen to a little lesser of a price tag (laughing). I feel like
appraise another 1960 burst, just a couple of they are mean guitars and deliver what I want
Now Joe is not only a great player, but to me, months apart from this one, which appraised to hear in a Les Paul burst.
he is an authority on Les Paul bursts. He has for $300,000. That one was not as clean. They been able to travel around and pick them up had an identical neck profile. This one’s top has When you are dealing with old growth wood, all
from interesting places and he thrives on an a richer red to it and the back looks untouched! of these guitars are different. Each instrument
instrument’s originality and
provenance.
has been exposed to different
Trevor Boone with the '60 burst
things, the wood finish soaks
up the elements of what they
So, I knew about this 1960 were exposed to… different
guitar that Joe had bought rooms and bars they were
in middle America from the in… it all affects the sound.
original owner. Joe sent us I come from a Telecaster
some pictures and I talked perspective and I appreciate
with my client/friend and the twang and brightness that
told him that since Joe was Tele’s have. So, to my ears,
now willing to sell it, we the 1960 Les Paul's are really
needed to look at it. Next I fun guitars. This super clean
flew out to Joe’s place in Los one has an asking price of
Angeles to see the guitar $325,000.
in person, and it blew my Then
mind! It was the cleanest Bonamassa play a ‘59 and it
burst I had ever seen! Built cripples you, you know? It also
in later 1960, it was super has a lot to do with how you
clean and had an unfaded are playing the guitar. Coming
top. It had a thin neck, it from a ‘52 Fender blackguard
was light weight and had Tele, the ‘60’s Les Paul’s have
really aggressive PAF pick- a crossover appeal for me.
26
Jul Aug 2017
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