SOLD! - 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty 3 x PAF

“Oh yes, it’s one from The Holy Year: nineteenfiddynine Baby!!!”
 
Here we have an incredible example of a 100% all original 1959 3-pickup “Black Beauty” Les Paul Custom that just screams Rock ‘n’ Roll! It is without a doubt a head turner and it is the cleanest Black Beauty I have ever seen.
 
The so called Black Beauty really is a piece of history, sporting the traditional Les Paul Custom "tuxedo" look that would become iconic in it's own right. These guitars were Gibson’s most expensive top-of-the-line model featuring a double-bound solid Mahogany body in a black finish, Ebony fretboard with block inlays, bound headstock, gold hardware and a trio of PAF humbuckers to finish it off. Luxury to the max...
 
And so, this specimen truly is a Black Beauty in 9/10 condition. Untouched solder, no cracks, no breaks, no repairs whatsoever and even the finish is all original with just some small marks and a cig burn on the bass side of the headstock. It has hardly any play-wear, no scratches, no weather checking, no nothing. It looks brand new and tidy under blacklight. It plays well with the original “fretless wonder” frets and the pickups produce a lively tone with lots of punch, dynamics and clarity. The original black pebble hardshell case with yellow lining is also in great condition. Original PAF stickered PAF's with Gold covers in pristine condition, solder untouched. Neck and middle PU rings stamped "MR 491 / M-69 7", bridge PU ring stamped "MR 490 / M-69 8", black bell tone and volume knobs, ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic non-retainer bridge with metal saddles and Stop tailpiece, Grover tuners, original fretless wonder frets are in fine shape.
 
Tonally, this incredible treasure is about as vocal and alive as it can get, with an ultra resonant body and very dynamic response, producing a loud and rich sound acoustically
 
When plugged, the neck position is super rich, warm and articulate, never losing composure or note definition under a heavy attack. The middle position provides cut and clarity, with the bridge and middle pickup out of phase, producing glorious "quack" and expressive push in the upper midrange, just as it came from the factory in 1959. The bridge pickup is exceptionally strong with a big rock punch and an extremely vocal high end, perfect for those soaring single note runs with waves of harmonic content.
 
A fantastic, collector grade guitar without a doubt and it's just a matter of time before these pass the 100k mark!