To counteract the sharp decline in sales of the Goldtop since 1955 - 598 models sold in 1957 against 2245 in 1953 - in 1958 Gibson unveiled the Les Paul Sunburst. The idea was not new: already between 1950 and 1951 Gibson had made some Les Paul prototypes in Sunburst finish and over the years Gibson received some custom orders for Les Paul Cremona Sunburst, such as the Les Paul 6 12292 of 1956, which was probably the first Les Paul equipped with humbucking pickup - although it was the version used for lap steel.
To revive the Les Paul market, the obvious solution seemed to look back at tradition with the Sunburst finishes the Kalamazoo-based company was famous for, showcasing the beautiful maple tops with a transparent finish. Unfortunately, Gibson’s log books have many parts missing for 1957, so it is impossible to follow up on all the experiments done in the search for a new finish. On February 21, 1958 in the log book there was an "LP Cherry Red 8 1689", with a completely red top, while on the 25th there was a Les Paul Sunburst, number 8 1641 (with a lower serial number than the previous one!) sent to CMI’s sales manager Clarence Havenga. This Les Paul had the classic "tobacco" finish, but had been completely repainted Cherry. However, over the years, the red started to fade showing an asymmetrical top with the original brown/yellow finish. On March 28, another Les Paul appeared on the register, number 8 1742, with a monochrome interpretation of Cherry Sunburst finish.
To revive the Les Paul market, the obvious solution seemed to look back at tradition with the Sunburst finishes the Kalamazoo-based company was famous for, showcasing the beautiful maple tops with a transparent finish. Unfortunately, Gibson’s log books have many parts missing for 1957, so it is impossible to follow up on all the experiments done in the search for a new finish. On February 21, 1958 in the log book there was an "LP Cherry Red 8 1689", with a completely red top, while on the 25th there was a Les Paul Sunburst, number 8 1641 (with a lower serial number than the previous one!) sent to CMI’s sales manager Clarence Havenga. This Les Paul had the classic "tobacco" finish, but had been completely repainted Cherry. However, over the years, the red started to fade showing an asymmetrical top with the original brown/yellow finish. On March 28, another Les Paul appeared on the register, number 8 1742, with a monochrome interpretation of Cherry Sunburst finish.

Finally, in the log book on May 28, the numbers 8 3097 and 8 3096 appeared, indicated as "2 LP Spec Finish'', with the beautiful Cherry Red Sunburst finish. The first one had a three-piece top and was probably originally built to be a Goldtop. It was purchased at the end of 1958 by 14-year-old Tom Griffths in the O.K. Houck in Memphis and was kept away from the news and stage lights. The second one, which became famous thanks to Yasuhiko Iwanade's book The Beauty of the Burst, now belongs to Slash. It had a two-piece top almost symmetrical, so it is considered the first Les Paul Standard ever built. The new instruments were introduced at the Music Industry Trade Show in Chicago in July 1958.

The December 1958 Gazette, in which Gibson did not yet refer to the new guitars as "Standard", stated: “A beautiful red cherry sunburst finish is the news here! This guitar now has a rich, rubbed appearance that cannot be equalled at any price, and the new look that is tops with today's guitarist! If the illustration above were in color, you would see exactly what we mean - this instrument is a true beauty. In the future, all Les Paul guitars will be shipped in cherry sunburst finish.”
All new Les Paul guitars, often nicknamed "Burst" by guitarists, had a unique top, just like fingerprints, made of two symmetrical "book-matched" boards, obtained by cutting a maple board in half and opening it as if it were a book. However, it was not always possible to use both sides of the board because sometimes one of the two had imperfections. The remaining board could not be wasted, so other tops were obtained by "flitch-matching", that is, cutting a long and narrow board in half and placing the two halves side by side exposing the two external surfaces, or by "color-matching", placing two similar, but not adjacent, boards of the same trunk side by side. Even these two methods could lead to surprising results.
Depending on the cut, the boards could be more or less figured. Some tops showed streaks or bands that gave exceptional three-dimensional optical effects depending on how the light was reflected. The terms ribbon curl, tiger-striped, pin-striped, fiddleback and flamed used to refer to tops became more and more common. However, only a small fraction of Standard tops were very figured, so the term "curly maple" was never used in Les Paul advertising. Generally, particularly flamed tops were reserved for other models, such as the Super 400 and the L-5, but it was possible to find them scattered quite randomly throughout the Les Paul Standard production as well. However, there were two moments of high concentration during 1959, corresponding to the 600 series (9 06xx) and the 2000 series (9 2xxx) - but particularly beautiful tops were found even before (1800-1900) and after (2100-2200). In fact, most likely, particularly figured maple matches arrived during some periods, so much so that many were also used for Les Pauls. “The curl connects the Burst to the world of fine violins and it gives each guitar its own identity. So you never get tired of looking at them,” said Walter Carter, Gibson writer and historian.
The wood used for the top was usually acer saccharum, also known as hard or rock maple, but sometimes Gibson also used acer saccharinum, known as silver maple, or acer rubrum, known as red rum maple.
Ted McCarty said that he and John Huis, Gibson's factory manager, were among the few people who could figure out which tree, once cut, could be curly maple. They would select the trees to be cut down in a forest in East Lansing, Michigan, and have them cut at a sawmill owned by the Forestry Department of the Michigan State University. According to Ted, quilted maple was common in Oregon forests, but Gibson wasn't interested in that effect: “We used to stay away from it. It wasn't traditional,” he said. Ted was convinced that it was necessary to study the wood in order to understand it: “If you cut it across this way, flat-saw it, you're going to have a different figure in the maple than if you quarter it. It's a very interesting thing. Wood itself is a study - a study all by itself.”
All new Les Paul guitars, often nicknamed "Burst" by guitarists, had a unique top, just like fingerprints, made of two symmetrical "book-matched" boards, obtained by cutting a maple board in half and opening it as if it were a book. However, it was not always possible to use both sides of the board because sometimes one of the two had imperfections. The remaining board could not be wasted, so other tops were obtained by "flitch-matching", that is, cutting a long and narrow board in half and placing the two halves side by side exposing the two external surfaces, or by "color-matching", placing two similar, but not adjacent, boards of the same trunk side by side. Even these two methods could lead to surprising results.
Depending on the cut, the boards could be more or less figured. Some tops showed streaks or bands that gave exceptional three-dimensional optical effects depending on how the light was reflected. The terms ribbon curl, tiger-striped, pin-striped, fiddleback and flamed used to refer to tops became more and more common. However, only a small fraction of Standard tops were very figured, so the term "curly maple" was never used in Les Paul advertising. Generally, particularly flamed tops were reserved for other models, such as the Super 400 and the L-5, but it was possible to find them scattered quite randomly throughout the Les Paul Standard production as well. However, there were two moments of high concentration during 1959, corresponding to the 600 series (9 06xx) and the 2000 series (9 2xxx) - but particularly beautiful tops were found even before (1800-1900) and after (2100-2200). In fact, most likely, particularly figured maple matches arrived during some periods, so much so that many were also used for Les Pauls. “The curl connects the Burst to the world of fine violins and it gives each guitar its own identity. So you never get tired of looking at them,” said Walter Carter, Gibson writer and historian.
The wood used for the top was usually acer saccharum, also known as hard or rock maple, but sometimes Gibson also used acer saccharinum, known as silver maple, or acer rubrum, known as red rum maple.
Ted McCarty said that he and John Huis, Gibson's factory manager, were among the few people who could figure out which tree, once cut, could be curly maple. They would select the trees to be cut down in a forest in East Lansing, Michigan, and have them cut at a sawmill owned by the Forestry Department of the Michigan State University. According to Ted, quilted maple was common in Oregon forests, but Gibson wasn't interested in that effect: “We used to stay away from it. It wasn't traditional,” he said. Ted was convinced that it was necessary to study the wood in order to understand it: “If you cut it across this way, flat-saw it, you're going to have a different figure in the maple than if you quarter it. It's a very interesting thing. Wood itself is a study - a study all by itself.”

The official color of the top was Cherry Sunburst, but there could be small differences in the colors (the same shade of red was not always used, but over the years slightly different varnishes have been used), and in the way the color was sprayed. For example, some spray painters, who usually put finish on archtops, didn't like the Les Paul's new Cherry Sunburst and faded it by adding the more traditional Dark Brown, resulting in a finish that was called Darkburst. In 1958 there were many Les Pauls painted with a very light red, in 1959 others were reminiscent of the Cremona color of the ES-175, often called Tobacco Burst in, reference to Les Pauls.
In addition, most of the different shades of the Burst that we admire today are due to the discoloration of red when exposed to ultraviolet rays, a phenomenon known as fading, particularly evident in the models of 1959 and the first Burst of 1960, and the yellowing of the clear coat. The consequence was all those shades that today we know with the various terms Caramel, Tea, Honey, Lemondrop, etc.... as well as Burst whose top also showed a slight green halo, due to the discoloration of the red.
In addition, most of the different shades of the Burst that we admire today are due to the discoloration of red when exposed to ultraviolet rays, a phenomenon known as fading, particularly evident in the models of 1959 and the first Burst of 1960, and the yellowing of the clear coat. The consequence was all those shades that today we know with the various terms Caramel, Tea, Honey, Lemondrop, etc.... as well as Burst whose top also showed a slight green halo, due to the discoloration of the red.

The effect was so evident that Gibson sold Les Pauls with a "Mr. Dealer card" reminding not to expose the instruments to direct sunlight: "In order to preserve the delicate coloring of this beautiful instrument, avoid displaying it in show windows where it will be subjected to direct or excessive sunrays."
At the beginning of 1960, to counteract the fading of red, Gibson experimented with a new Tangerine Red varnish, also known as Tomato Soup, which discolored much less, but over time showed an orange hue, not very appreciated by collectors.
However, it is possible to find some custom ordered Les Paul Standard models with a completely different finish such as the Green Sunburst by Bob Summers, Mary Ford's brother, or the All-Cherry by Al Hendrickson, or other Natural or Black ones.
At the beginning of 1960, to counteract the fading of red, Gibson experimented with a new Tangerine Red varnish, also known as Tomato Soup, which discolored much less, but over time showed an orange hue, not very appreciated by collectors.
However, it is possible to find some custom ordered Les Paul Standard models with a completely different finish such as the Green Sunburst by Bob Summers, Mary Ford's brother, or the All-Cherry by Al Hendrickson, or other Natural or Black ones.
Few Beautiful Tops
The body (top excluded, of course) and neck of the Les Paul were made of mahogany from Honduras often referred to as "old growth", obtained by cutting hundreds of year old trees. Its pores and grain were filled with a natural filler, a paste to which aniline, a reddish dye derived from indigo plants, was added. After the excess filler was removed, the sealer and the clear coat were applied.
Gibson used to glue the woods of the Burst with Hide Glue that soaked the wood leaving a subtle layer between the two joined surfaces that hardened over time and tended to vitrify, resonating with the instrument. In this way the joined woods behaved as a single body. However, it seems that on some models a formaldehyde based glue was also used.
From the point of view of electronics, the Les Paul Standard was equipped with the famous PAF humbuckers, discussed at length in the chapter dedicated to them, and CentraLab 500K potentiometers, although rarely 250K were used. The Sprague .022 400V capacitors, known as "Bumble Bee" for their colored bands, ended in early 1960 and were replaced first by Astron and then by the new Sprague "Black Beauty".
Gibson used to glue the woods of the Burst with Hide Glue that soaked the wood leaving a subtle layer between the two joined surfaces that hardened over time and tended to vitrify, resonating with the instrument. In this way the joined woods behaved as a single body. However, it seems that on some models a formaldehyde based glue was also used.
From the point of view of electronics, the Les Paul Standard was equipped with the famous PAF humbuckers, discussed at length in the chapter dedicated to them, and CentraLab 500K potentiometers, although rarely 250K were used. The Sprague .022 400V capacitors, known as "Bumble Bee" for their colored bands, ended in early 1960 and were replaced first by Astron and then by the new Sprague "Black Beauty".

The neck of the 1958 Les Paul Standard was large and rounded and the fingerboard had small frets. In 1959 the size and shape of the neck did not vary much - it could only be slightly smaller - but the frets used by Gibson were the larger medium jumbo. At the beginning of 1960 there were no big changes, but, around the series 0 0700, Gibson, probably encouraged by the requests of dealers and musicians, began to produce Les Paul with thinner and flatter necks, making it more player-friendly, but losing something in sustainability. In the same period the reflector knobs replaced the bell knobs.
The tuning machines of the Les Paul Standard were Kluson Deluxe GS-320-V. Apart from the 320 Les Pauls with oval plastic buttons, the Burst models had the "tulip" button. However, after about 20-30 years the plastic they were made of began to lose stability, becoming darker and more brittle. So much so that sometimes it broke.
The bridge was usually the Tune-O-Matic (which has already been discussed at length in the chapter dedicated to Les Paul Custom) associated with the stopbar. However, some Les Paul Standard, such as Keith Richards' 9 3182, came out of the factory with the Bigsby.
The tuning machines of the Les Paul Standard were Kluson Deluxe GS-320-V. Apart from the 320 Les Pauls with oval plastic buttons, the Burst models had the "tulip" button. However, after about 20-30 years the plastic they were made of began to lose stability, becoming darker and more brittle. So much so that sometimes it broke.
The bridge was usually the Tune-O-Matic (which has already been discussed at length in the chapter dedicated to Les Paul Custom) associated with the stopbar. However, some Les Paul Standard, such as Keith Richards' 9 3182, came out of the factory with the Bigsby.
The Les Paul Standard, built between 1958 and 1960 are certainly the most sought-after instruments by collectors around the world, but their success was a delayed one. Sales didn't go up as Gibson wanted - 1712 Les Pauls were produced and sold between 1958 and 1960 - and the Kalamazoo-based company decided to completely redesign the Les Paul, which from that moment on would have a double cutaway and a flat body, no longer a rounded one. The design we now call SG (i.e. "Solid Guitar"), would become, in time, Gibson's greatest commercial success.
This would have been the end of the story if a British guitarist, named Eric Clapton, hadn’t changed the history of rock by buying, in 1965, a 1960 Les Paul in Lew Davis’s store, in Charing Cross Road, London, for £130. With that guitar, which had gone out of production just five years earlier, and a 1962 Marshall combo, which went down in history as the Bluesbreaker, he recorded, with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, the 1966 Bluesbreakers album nicknamed "Beano".
This would have been the end of the story if a British guitarist, named Eric Clapton, hadn’t changed the history of rock by buying, in 1965, a 1960 Les Paul in Lew Davis’s store, in Charing Cross Road, London, for £130. With that guitar, which had gone out of production just five years earlier, and a 1962 Marshall combo, which went down in history as the Bluesbreaker, he recorded, with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, the 1966 Bluesbreakers album nicknamed "Beano".
This led to the rebirth of the Les Paul, which was no longer in production, and was probably the start of the vintage phenomenon. Many other guitarists went in search of the Les Paul Standard and began to use it in their studio and live work. Musicians such as Jeff Beck, Peter Green, Jimmy Page, Peter Frampton, Steve Jones, Mick Jones, Mark Knopfler, Paul Kossoff, Mike Bloomfield, Duane Allman and Billy Gibbons, just to name a few, contributed to the creation of the myth and the "Burst mania".
This pushed Gibson to reformulate the endorsement contract with Les Paul and the model came back to life successfully in 1968, with the new models.
This pushed Gibson to reformulate the endorsement contract with Les Paul and the model came back to life successfully in 1968, with the new models.
Antonio Calvosa