From the first year of the double cut body style, we have this remarkable 1959 Gibson Les Paul Special.

In an attempt to breath new life into the cheaper end of their Les Paul family, in late 1958 Gibson changed the deisign of the Junior to a Double Cut and introduced a cherry finish which increased sales immediately. 1959 saw the introduction of the Double Cut Special with the same Cherry finish with similarly impressive results.

This guitar looks stunning. The top has faded when compared to the back but as with many cherry Gibsons, what is left is a fine showcase for the mahogany grain. There’s a little wear to the front with the odd ding, the same story on the back, but overall this guitar has been well looked after. The neck is smooth and the fretboard looks un-used, the frets being in almost entirely free of any wear. 

The heel has sustained a little damage but the minuscule crack has been repaired very well and can only really be seen under UV light - have a look at the photos in the gallery page and you will see what we mean… Have a go at ‘spot the repair’ and we think you will find that compared to most heel repairs, this one is as slight as you could hope for and is not anything you would notice unless we told you it was there. The headstock is surprisingly free of too much wear. This guitar also has a 5 digit serial number (after the year digit) as Gibson ran out of 4 digit number in 1959.

The plastics are in great condition as is the nickel hardware. The electronics are all straight too with undisturbed solder joints.

The guitar comes with a hardshell casen which is later than the original one would have been.

The feel of Gibsons from this year is quite special (no pun intended), the hype surrounding the neck carve being (in my opinion) justified. This guitar feels very comfortable to play with a wonderful resonance and sustain. The pickups, as you’d expect, run the gamut from smooth to bitting. The neck pickup, arguably in the optimum position even if it does compromise the neck joint, has a full tone which really excentuates the sustain of the guitar without sounding woolly. The bridge pickup delivers that penetrating, attitude filled sound that we want from our slab of mahogany. You will not be disappointed!

These guitars don’t always make it. The neck joint (as was the case here) is vulnerable, a factor that lead to design changes later in the year. This guitar is in great condition and delivers in so many ways, the neck profile alone should be enough. You will kick yourself for missing out.