Unplayed mint condition. Comes with original hardcase, COA and case candy. #104 of 300.
The 1959 Les Paul is considered by many serious guitar players, aficionados, and collectors to be ultimate holy grail of the electric guitar. Melvyn Franks is a noted collector who currently owns a superb original 1959 Les Paul that once belonged to both Gary Moore and Peter Green. The Collectors Choice #1 Melvyn Franks 1959 Les Paul Electric Guitar is an incredibly detailed rendering of this historic guitar. Features that are unique to this fabulous guitar included a reversed neck pickup (with adjustable pole pieces facing the bridge), an "out of phase" middle position tone, missing silver inserts on the top two "top hat" control knobs, Schaller tuners, and a luscious butterscotch finish.
Other period-correct features of the Melvyn Franks 1959 Les Paul include a gorgeous 2-piece "bookmatched" flamed maple top, solid mahogany back, and a one piece mahogany neck with a long mortise & tenon neck joint, a rounded '59 neck profile, and a 17-degree back-angled headstock. A 22-fret rosewood fingerboard has mother-of-pearl trapezoid inlays that match the size and color of the originals.
Two of Gibson's legendary BurstBucker pickups deliver all the subtle variations of true, classic "Patent Applied For" humbucker tone with "unmatched" bobbin windings and Alnico II magnets. A BurstBucker 3 is in the neck position, and a BurstBucker 2 is fitted in the bridge position. A Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece provides tuning stability and contribute to the tonality of this very special guitar.
The Gibson Collector's Choice #1 Melvyn Franks 1959 Les Paul Standard was produced in a limited run of 100 "aged" and 300 VOS (vintage old spec) versions. Comes with a Custom Shop hardshell case, Certificate of Authenticity, owner's manual, and warranty.
The handbuilt Collector Choice series are replicas of famous '58-'60 Sunburst Les Pauls that have been immortalized in the book The Beauty Of The Burst by Yasuhiko Iwanade. These instruments are among the finest examples of Gibson guitars from the private stashes of noted collectors. Best of all, these amazing reproductions are offered at a fraction of the value of the original guitar.
Body
- Style: single cutaway solid body
- Top: flamed maple
- Back: mahogany
- Binding: cr¨me
Finish
- Type: "VOS"
- Color: butterscotch
- Sealer: nitrocellulose lacquer
Neck
- Neck: 1-piece set mahogany
- Neck profile: rounded '59
- Neck joint: long mortise & tenon
- Joint angle: 17°
- Neck joint location: 19th fret
Fingerboard
- Fingerboard: rosewood
- Fingerboard radius: 12"
- Scale length: 24-3/4"
- No. Of frets: 22
- Nut width: 1-11/16"
- Neck inlays: mother-of-pearl trapezoid
Hardware
- Plating: chrome
- Bridge: ABR-1 Tune-o-matic
- Tailpiece: stop bar
- Knobs:
- Tuners: Schaller
Electronics
- Neck pickup: BurstBucker 3 (reversed) - 8.28 kΩ
- Bridge pickup: BurstBucker 2 - 8.27 kΩ
- Controls: two volume, two tone, 3-way toggle pickup selector
Accessories
- Case: custom shop hardshell
- Includes: certificate of authenticity
Weight: 9.12 lbs