I bought it new in 2011 from world renowned vintage Les Paul expert Vic DaPra who owns and operates Guitar Gallery in Canonsburg, PA. Vic is THE expert on vintage Les Pauls (he has authored three books look up his Burst Believers series on Amazon). In 2011, Vic had the Gibson Custom Shop make him a limited run of 25 DaPra Caramel Burst Fade R9s (this is #19 out of 25). He based the color on a real 1959 – and he has seen them all! Hardware is VOS but the guitar has a gloss finish. When Vic ordered these R9s he made sure every detail was period correct (he even switched out the tuning knob tips to match his real 1959 LPs – the greenish ones are included too in case you want to put them back on). This guitar is a monster! Biggest sounding LP I’ve ever played. Vic also personally selected the maple tops and this one is an outstanding example of wide 3D flame (something you dont see every day). Beautiful and resonant one piece mahogany body under the maple top. Guitar weighs 9.25 lbs. This guitar is so beautiful that I have hardly taken it out of the case for fear of dinging it. Because of this I have only played it for about 10 hours over the last 5 years. This baby deserves to be in the hands of someone who can make it sing. Ive tried to include lots of photos in various lighting conditions so you can judge the beautiful color (scroll down for more pics). I just put a fresh set of 10s on it. Plays like a dream. Brian Ray (guitarist for Paul McCartney) plays one of the other 24 DaPra Caramel Burst Fades see this link to verify. An autographed copy of Brians CD is included with this guitar as part of the case candy. Feel free to contact me if you have questions. The item “2011 Gibson Les Paul 1959 R9 DaPra Carmel Burst Fade No Reserve” is in sale since Monday, July 25, 2016. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Electric Guitars”. The seller is “wht1″ and is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This item can be shipped to United States.
- Brand: Gibson
- Body Type: Solid
- Model: Les Paul 1959 Standard Reissue
- String Configuration: 6 String
- Dexterity: Right-Handed
- Body Material: Solid Wood
- Model Year: 2011
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States