TOM WITTROCK | Gibson Les Paul Standard Burst 1958 1960 1959

[johncartelli]

in mid 70s i bought a 68 lp custom cherry burst of the wall at the local shop for $425. sold it 3 months later cause it was too hvy for $375

[macdaddyblues1]

Used to go in Tom's shop back in the early 80's in Springfield, MO when I was a college student. He had 15 of these back then. 15! I think it has been a good investment, eh? He

will probably be buried with them if he hasn't sold them by now :-)

[1Doz]

Funny how that 1958 has a bright red finish -- unfaded. I thought Gibson went to the UV resistant red dye in '60. More proof that there are few absolute rules when it comes to these guitars.

[johncartelli]

@1Doz or that guitar hasnt seen much direct sunlight?

[danne9501]

whats the song called played at the begining of the vid

[edwina9]

Boy he's old.

[theguitarczar]

Yeah and I see all these ESP's, etc., with bound 'boards but it doesn't cover the fret ends; which is the whole reason I like Gibson over a lot of others (I was a kid when I first got one and didn't realize they were easier to play because the scale length is 3/4" shorter!) But the ends being bound make a HUGE difference. A Fender Player will generally be a thin-wire, unbound type player. -which works well for a 'thumb over' type player. If you keep your thumb on the back mostly (I do) Gibs work

[iamismehellyeah]

les pauls are like playing on a tree, I LOVE IT

[gamerbri]

Id punch a baby for that guitar:D

[cms6795]

its my biggest fantasy to find one of these old clunkers at a dinky little local yard sale for cheap. id probably have a heart attack before i could get my hands on the guitar. lol

[gibsongold1970]

the closest i have ever played to an older gibson was a original 57 gold-top,

and the tone was IMMEDIATELY different then the overpriced newer re-issues.

the newer ones just sound "young",but like alot of you guys out there have already

said it best! the old guitars have "the sound". great post!

[RevisedTV]

That was a thick bridge pickup ring

[GibsonLesPaul1319]

whoa, thats one ugly 59!, its almost a clown burst...

the 58 though, is smokin!!

[fraterlucifer888]

vintage prices are pretty obscene across the board but like the guy says gibsons have never been super consistant and thats what makes some very special, I played a 68 goldtop reissue that friend of mine has and was full of mojo played some from the 70s even that are great gtrs, mine is 2006 54 reissue in iceteaburst instead of goldtop, and its rigoddamndiculously cool, the closest ive played to a 50s burst was a 55 fretless wonder, had p90s init had the same tunematic as a burst,still droolin

[seerattan]

this guitar is out of reach of us and thats a shame.

[guitargonzo]

@seerattan no it isn´t a shame because if everyone could have one... it wouldn´t something to collect, nothing special... I am not a communist... Let the collectors have their fun. I enjoy having a modern les paul guitar that has the looks, a close sound and playabillity of an old (well as close you can get with a new Gibson of course). A ferrari would not be special if it were at the price of an Volkswagen as well.

[seerattan]

instruments are made to be played,not as an endorsement,do you think that gibson made these les pauls so that tom wittrock and company would get rich,thinkin that he´s a les paul expert by just saying a few words,back in 1988 he used to sell these sunburst for 5000 to 10000 dollars,i´m fortuned to say that i played a 1959 sunburst 9 years ago and of course i cannot buy it cause thats crazy,but i still wake up at mornings remembering the sound,feel and the looks of that les paul that i played.

[fraterlucifer888]

I agree, the sad thing is that 20yrs ago it was just a used gtr,a late 50s burst is a magical thing any of the golden era gibsons have just something that you can feel, its sad to see something that could bring music to life instead being used as 401k and rarely played, when they just beg to sing for us,Jimmy Page still plays his ,when I win the lottery Im gonna buy one play it and love it,the reissues are close and still somewhat expensive,it would be nice to have more ppl playin inspiring gtrs

[murfdog19]

@fraterlucifer888 I don't know man. Even 20 years ago a 1959 Les Paul went for around $15,000!

[fraterlucifer888]

@murfdog19 yeah you know with the money I was makin 20 yrs ago a burst might as well have been a million dollors,and apparently its the same now might as well be a million dollars, sadly these guitars are out of reach for most of us,and probably always will be,but we can dream and we might get lucky,but for now i am very very pleased with my reissue

[lespaulrock1998]

that guy is from the lpf

[mullbenkt]

Thank you Tom for laying out the truth and puncturing a bunch of myths!

[murfdog19]

Can you imagine having all of those Bursts sitting around your house? If he were to sell all three of those guitars, he could buy a house, all new furniture, a Ferrari, and still have money for a vacation to the Bahamas.

[JeffersonDinedAlone]

@murfdog19 If he's not selling the three guitars, then he probably has all of that, already.

[shaindaman13]

@murfdog19 Yes! I would keep one, sell the other two and get a blow job from a different high dollar call girl every day.

[jurgenbono]

@murfdog19 I rather have a Gibson les paul than a stupid mansion, a stupid ferrari or a stupid trip to the bahamas

[murfdog19]

@jurgenbono That's sad.

[jurgenbono]

@murfdog19 it's just that nothing of that I like, I don't like mansions I like little cabins, I don't like Ferraris I like trucks, and I don't like the Bahamas I rather go to France or Japan...but I would give up any trip for a Les Paul anyways I don't even care about a real vintage one I just one a VOS, I don't have that much money so instead I just ordered a different guitar and an amp for right now.

[murfdog19]

@jurgenbono Na. Don't buy into the hype. I've been playing Gibson guitars since I was a teenager. I currently own a Les Paul Traditional Plus. Any of the Les Paul guitars will get you the sound, even a $800 Studio. The vintage craze was put on by old men on the internet. I wouldn't buy a vintage Les Paul even if I were a millionare. It just doesn't make sense to me.

[Smakutus]

Cool stuff Tom..