Gibson Les Paul Standard Burst 1960 in Illinois!

Check out this original Gibson Les Paul Standard Burst 1960 that I just picked up in Illinois! This amazingly clean original Les Paul Burst has remained with its original owner since it was new in 1960. I'm always a Gibson guitar collector for vintage guitars like this but especially when they are this clean with all the paperwork, tags, and matching amplifier. You can contact me here to sell a Gibson guitar. 

The Gibson Les Paul Standard was made with the Cherry Sunburst style finish, often called the Burst, in 1958, 1959, and 1960. Many Gibson guitar collectors and players consider the Les Paul Standard Burst to be the pinnacle of electric guitar design and production. The Gibson Shipment Totals book by Larry Meiners indicates that 1,712 Les Paul Standards shipped from Gibson during those years, but some of those are Goldtops from 1958 and likely a few from 1960 with the solid Mahogany SG body shape. It's estimated that less than 1,500 Gibson Les Paul Standards with Maple cap, single cutaway, and Cherry Sunburst finish shipped from Gibson during those golden years. 

This Gibson Les Paul Standard 1960 was given brand new to Rosie as a gift from her parents. Rosie played it in her three piece band The Rhythmettes for four or five years before getting married and having kids. The band broke up and she lost interest in playing guitar, so this Burst has truly been stored in its case since then. Her granddaughter was learning to play the guitar a few weeks ago and asked if she could borrow Grandma's guitar. Rosie was not fully aware of just how valuable a Gibson Les Paul Standard Burst 1960 was!

Rosie's granddaughter borrowed the guitar but quickly realized that this is not like all the reissues out there; this is the real deal! Rosie contacted me to sell a Gibson guitar and I was shocked when I saw its condition, paperwork, and story. I'm thrilled to have connected Rosie with a buyer for this guitar at a price that really blew her away.

How to date this Gibson Les Paul Burst to 1960

Gibson Les Paul guitar values are highly dependent on the year they were made it's important to know how to date a Gibson Les Paul accurately. It's important to have a Gibson guitar expert date a very valuable guitar like this one, but here are some of the steps I use to date them. Gibson serial number schemes changed throughout the decades and are even often line specific it's important to know both the number itself but also the style. Gibson Les Paul Burst guitars used an ink stamped serial number (as opposed to impressed) on the back of the headstock that begins with a prefix indicating the year and is follow by four or five additional numbers that are generally consecutive. The prefix number "0" like on this guitar indicates that it was made in 1960. 

We can also date this Gibson Les Paul Standard Burst to 1960 using the potentiometer codes. The potentiometers are the variable resistors that control the volume and tone output to the amp. The codes are visible on the back side of the pots located underneath the large black plastic plate. The potentiometer code in this guitar reads "134 5950" where 134 = Stackpole (manufacturer), 59 = 1959, and 50 = 50th week of the year. This is when the potentiometer was made but before the part was shipped to Gibson. The potentiometer codes are another important part of how to date a Gibson Les Paul guitar because we know that, if they're original, the guitar could not be any older than those dates. 

Gibson Les Paul Values

 The value of a Gibson Les Paul guitar is determined by the relationship between supply and demand, and it's no secret that original Bursts from 1958, 1959, and 1960 have limited supply and amazing demand. Their values rose above the six figure mark over 20 years ago and have never taken much of a hit during recessions. Still, there is plenty of variation in the value of a Gibson Les Paul depending on the exact year it was made, the color, top figure, condition, story, paperwork, and general provenance. If you're interested in learning more about the value of your Gibson Les Paul guitar from the 1950s or 1960s then you can contact me here: Where to sell Gibson guitars.

Check out another Gibson Les Paul Standard here: Gibson Les Paul 1958 Burst

Further reading for vintage Gibson Les Paul guitars: The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy.