Vintage Vibes: The Bursts

Right now, at this very moment, we have three authentic Bursts. We thought we'd take the time to tell you about them, and just what makes these beautiful guitars so important. To celebrate the occasion we're giving away a Gibson Custom Shop 60th Anniversary beauty! Check out the demo and enter to win below!

VINTAGE VIBES: The Bursts

The Burst evolved out of Gibson's very first solid-body guitar, the 1952 Les Paul. Issued initially as a Gold Top, the Les Paul got a new look in 1958, when Gibson introduced a new model with a sunburst finish: the Les Paul Standard. Coloring the solid Honduran mahogany bodies with aniline dye, Gibson's Les Paul Standards featured a deep red hue that, with time, would react to ultraviolet light and other environmental conditions to bleed, fade, and otherwise change. Our '59 Burst, '60 Burst, and '60 "Scarface" Burst are excellent examples of this landmark guitar and beautifully illustrate how each early Burst is different from any other, both visually and sonically.

While the Les Paul was changing with almost every year since it's initial release, the debut of the Les Paul Standard in 1958 is perhaps the most significant and substantial change to the legendary model, made more so by the 1957 introduction of the humbucker.

Gibson Les Paul Standard "Burst" 1959

Gibson Les Paul Standard "Burst" 'Scarface' 1960

Gibson Les Paul Standard "Burst" 1960

Designed to "buck the hum" of the P90 single-coils Gibson installed on all Les Pauls until this point, Seth Lover's "PAF" humbucking pickups ditched the noise altogether, contributing a signature, high-output tone that is generally agreed to be the essence of the Les Paul sound.
Sadly, the Les Paul Standard didn't sell. Gibson discontinued the model as we know it in 1961, changing the body shape to what later became the SG.

By its reintroduction in 1968, the Les Paul Standard had already made its mark. From Zeppelin to Clapton, Bloomfield, and Beano, The Burst is inseparable from rock and roll and an invaluable part of our cultural history. To celebrate having not one, but three genuine Bursts under our roof, the Chicago Music Exchange will be giving away a 60th Anniversary Gibson Les Paul, built to commemorate its impact on western music–and the world.

SHOP CME EXCLUSIVE CUSTOM SHOP LES PAULS
AND MORE GREAT GIBSONS

Our CME Exclusive Les Pauls are constructed in collaboration with the Gibson Custom Shop, these period-correct reissues of some of the most famous early models offer players the chance to own what is essentially a real ‘58, ‘59, and ‘60 down to the nut, but without its nearly insurmountable price tag.