2002 Gibson Les Paul ’59 Historic

I walked into a vintage guitar dealer here in Sydney who had recieved a shipment of Gibson Les Paul Standard ‘Historic’ guitars a few weeks prior. These Gibsons looked stunning, and played really well, much better than the old Les Paul Deluxe I had owned previously. This was a big turning point for me, having been a Fender man my entire life. 

I was pointed towards this particular guitar out of the twenty on the wall, because it was a cancelled order for the one and only Andy Summers of The Police. He had been in the store a week or so prior, and tried them all, then picked this one to put on hold. After leaving the store and heading to the USA, Gibson caught wind of his impending purchase and offered to custom make him a Les Paul instead. Thus, the order was cancelled, and the guitar was up for sale…right when I walked in the door.

Naturally, I had to have it as it played so well, and sounded amazing acoustically. It seems to ring like a bell, as the original 1959 guitars do. Then of course there is the amazing flamed maple top. A very classic flame with tight stripes in classic cherry sunburst.

I have actually taken this guitar for a one off gig in a Pub in Penrith, out in Sydney’s western suburbs. I was playing it through a Mesa Boogie Mark V amp (not the Express 5:25 shown in the pictures) and it was a monstrous sound. This guitar has made me a huge fan of the classic 1959 style Les Pauls, and for that reason, I am still hanging onto this one, so it has yet to get away!