Taking a look back at 1996, some interesting events occurred. It would be four years before I attended my first guitar show and I was still comfortably ensconced in the warm cocoon of TV and VCR repair here in Douglasville, Ga. But it was also the year that Jimmy Johnson was announced as the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Ali Landry was crowned as the 45th Miss USA winner and Garry Kasparov defeated Deep Blue 4-2 in a man vs computer chess match. The new toll-free 888 area code was introduced and the US issued the newly-redesigned $100 bill. These were just a few of the many interesting things that were happening around the world, but something very special was coming out of the Gibson factory in the area of the Les Paul guitar. We saw the appearance of some exceptional, mega- topped axes and soon found ourselves in the middle of what would be known as the "Flame Wars". These mid- late 90s 'Pauls were adorned with some of the most beautiful maple tops ever to be harvested and using a double- stain method, Gibson accented their figuring to the fullest. This particular R9 features an older RS Guitarworks relicing job and their dedication to their craft simply explodes from the piece. The flame is tight, but not quite pin and every detail on the guitar leads one to believe it could easily be 54 years old! Every upgrade serves to enhance the appearance and tone of the guitar; Speaking of tone, this one is a heavyweight champion. We are under the belief that the pickups are Lindy Fralin humbuckers and I wouldn't care if they said "Toyota" on the back, the sound is pure creamy, Les Paul bliss.  These are the guitars we love to find, display and move to to the true aficionados of the aged Les Paul- please call or email to discover additional details and photos!