Gibson pays tribute to another guitar legend with the limited run Paul Kossof 1959 Les Paul Standard.
Paul Kossoff is known for his iconic playing with the band Free and as a solo artist. Having been raised to legendary status, it naturally follows that a signature guitar is in order.
With the help of Kossoff estate, Gibson Custom got a hold of the original 1959 Les Paul Standard that Kossoff left to his friend. In an effort to capture the genuine look, feel and tone of Kossoff’s guitar, Gibson Custom applied digital scanning, tests and measurements to recreate the guitar in intimate detail. This special Les Paul tribute to Paul will be reproduced as just 100 hand-aged guitars, and a further 250 more will be aged via Gibson’s VOS process.
Many claim that the best Les Pauls were created between 1958 and 1960, and the cream of the crop is said to come from 1959 as exemplified by Paul Kossoff’s original guitar. The Paul Kossoff 1959 Les Paul Standard will bring back this golden Les Paul era as close as is humanly possible. Like the Les Paul bursts of the late ’50s, its core is made of two-piece carved maple top married to a one piece solid mahogany body. It also features a long-tenon neck joint and a quarter-sawn mahogany neck carved to the same profile of Paul’s guitar.
Gibson Custom mirrored every detail including the correct dish carve on the top of the guitar along with the faded original cherry sunburst finish that gives off a “Green Lemon” hue. Even the figured maple tops used were carefully selected to reflect the unique grain on Paul Kossoff’s guitar. The Gibson Custom guys then meticulously hand-aged the finish and hardware of 100 guitars to accurately reflect the condition of Kossoff’s guitar, while the other 250 were processed through Gibson’s VOS technology.
Even the pickups were copied in detail, each guitar carries a set of Custom Buckers wound with the same 42-AWG plain enamel coated wire and has Alnico III magnets. All the other parts are also aged in detail to match the battle scars of the original.
The Paul Kossoff 1959 Les Paul Standard is as close as you can come to owning great vintage Les Pauls. Each includes a black Gibson Custom hardshell case and a certificate of authenticity.
The MSRP for the hand-aged version of this guitar is $15,292, while the VOS version is priced at $10,351.
For the complete specifications and details, you can visit Gibson.
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