2010 Gibson Collectors Choice CC#1 VOS Les Paul Standard, Gary Moore, Melvyn Franks, Greeny ‘Burst
By Gibson
£17,995.00
£19,995.00
Stunning, rare and highly sought after Gibson Custom Collectors Choice #1 VOS Melvyn Franks/Gary Moore 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue. Released in 2010 and produced in strictly limited numbers with only 300 released in Gibsons proprietary VOS finish. A painstaking recreation of the 1959 Les Paul Standard with the serial number 9 2208. A storied guitar and perhaps the best known Burst of them all. Bought by Gary Moore in the mid-seventies from Fleetwood Mac legend Peter Green who had used the guitar as his primary instrument throughout the Fleetwood Mac years, and subsequently extensively used by Moore until retired and eventually sold to UK collector Melvyn Franks in 2006.
The original has been replicated in every way with Collectors Choice #1 featuring a highly figured top and a beautiful, faded "unburst" Butterscotch finish. The neck has the classic ’59 profile so desired by many players, accurately carved to mimic the original. The neck is topped with a wonderfully dark, almost Ebony-black, Indian Rosewood fingerboard with pearloid trapezoid inlays and 22 medium-jumbo frets. The headstock is back-angled to the traditional 17 degrees, and glued with the period correct long neck tenon. The pickups are a set of bespoke Gibson BurstBucker humbuckers voiced to replicate the tone of the original instrument and sharing it’s interesting configuration with the wiring and orientation of the neck pickup reversed to create a unique, out of phase, middle switch position. The pickups are wired through high-quality CTS pots for volume and tone, with "bumblebee" tone capacitors and a Switchcraft three-way toggle switch. The hardware, sympathetically aged to match the original guitar combines a nickel-plated Tune-o-Matic (ABR-1) bridge and stopbar tailpiece with a set of nickel plated Sperzel tuners and just like the original the Pickguard is absent.
This guitar is number 144 of the run of 300 and is an excellent condition with one of the nicest tops we’ve seen from this run, and a great approximation to Greeny thanks to its tight wavy figure pattern. Bought to be a working guitar, it has been gigged and has picked up a couple of small marks along the way most noticeable a pin head of missing lacquer from the front of the guitar and faint bruises by the input jack.
As Les Pauls go this guitar is a really good one. Weighing a scant 8.9lbs it feels great in the hand with a supremely comfortably neck profile. The guitar has a loud acoustic voice and plays effortlessly. The neck measures 23.25mm and 25.65mm at the 1st and 12th frets. The nut width is the standard Gibson nut width and measures 43.21. The Burstbucker 2 and 3 measure 8.38K in the neck and 8.37K in the bridge. When amplified the guitar really comes alive; its loud, zingy acoustic voice translates into a chimey and open bridge pickup position with plenty of presence and a pleasant rounded treble. The neck pickup sounds warm but retains a woody clarity. The Middle position is very special - the out of phase tonality gives the guitar a quack that is almost Stratocaster like and very authentic to the original. Whether plugged into a small Fender Combo or a 100-Watt Marshall stack this guitar has that sound.
9 2208 has continued to have a storied existence since the 2010 release of Collectors Choice CC#1 now being in the possession of Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett. CC#1 was the inception of the highly successful Collectors Choice Series that would go on to accurately replicate 40 different golden-era Gibson instruments in unrivalled accuracy. Collectors Choice #1 is the perfect tribute to one of the most important original Sunburst 1959 Les Pauls and has become possibly the most desirable reissue Les Paul Gibson have produced. The guitar comes with its original Gibson Custom case and certificate.
The original has been replicated in every way with Collectors Choice #1 featuring a highly figured top and a beautiful, faded "unburst" Butterscotch finish. The neck has the classic ’59 profile so desired by many players, accurately carved to mimic the original. The neck is topped with a wonderfully dark, almost Ebony-black, Indian Rosewood fingerboard with pearloid trapezoid inlays and 22 medium-jumbo frets. The headstock is back-angled to the traditional 17 degrees, and glued with the period correct long neck tenon. The pickups are a set of bespoke Gibson BurstBucker humbuckers voiced to replicate the tone of the original instrument and sharing it’s interesting configuration with the wiring and orientation of the neck pickup reversed to create a unique, out of phase, middle switch position. The pickups are wired through high-quality CTS pots for volume and tone, with "bumblebee" tone capacitors and a Switchcraft three-way toggle switch. The hardware, sympathetically aged to match the original guitar combines a nickel-plated Tune-o-Matic (ABR-1) bridge and stopbar tailpiece with a set of nickel plated Sperzel tuners and just like the original the Pickguard is absent.
This guitar is number 144 of the run of 300 and is an excellent condition with one of the nicest tops we’ve seen from this run, and a great approximation to Greeny thanks to its tight wavy figure pattern. Bought to be a working guitar, it has been gigged and has picked up a couple of small marks along the way most noticeable a pin head of missing lacquer from the front of the guitar and faint bruises by the input jack.
As Les Pauls go this guitar is a really good one. Weighing a scant 8.9lbs it feels great in the hand with a supremely comfortably neck profile. The guitar has a loud acoustic voice and plays effortlessly. The neck measures 23.25mm and 25.65mm at the 1st and 12th frets. The nut width is the standard Gibson nut width and measures 43.21. The Burstbucker 2 and 3 measure 8.38K in the neck and 8.37K in the bridge. When amplified the guitar really comes alive; its loud, zingy acoustic voice translates into a chimey and open bridge pickup position with plenty of presence and a pleasant rounded treble. The neck pickup sounds warm but retains a woody clarity. The Middle position is very special - the out of phase tonality gives the guitar a quack that is almost Stratocaster like and very authentic to the original. Whether plugged into a small Fender Combo or a 100-Watt Marshall stack this guitar has that sound.
9 2208 has continued to have a storied existence since the 2010 release of Collectors Choice CC#1 now being in the possession of Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett. CC#1 was the inception of the highly successful Collectors Choice Series that would go on to accurately replicate 40 different golden-era Gibson instruments in unrivalled accuracy. Collectors Choice #1 is the perfect tribute to one of the most important original Sunburst 1959 Les Pauls and has become possibly the most desirable reissue Les Paul Gibson have produced. The guitar comes with its original Gibson Custom case and certificate.