'59 Les Paul Flametop Reissue stirs controversy; Custom Shop answers the call

The Editors: The release of the Gibson's 40th Anniversary '59 Les Paul Reissues and Vintage Replica flametops has created a firestorm of interest, questions, and controversy. Our Gibson Customer Relations Forum has featured serious debate among its users regarding it's accuracy, authenticity, and celebrated, thoroughbred status.

Following is a response posted by Edwin Wilson, Historic Program Manager, from the Gibson Custom Shop. For further information regarding the history of '59 Les Paul Reissues to 1998 read "Keeping the Flame Alive" by noted writer and former Gibson historian Walter Carter in the March, 1999, issue of The Amplifier right here. To read about the 1999 release of the 40th Anniversary '59 Les Paul Reissue and Vintage Replica flametops check out "'Aged' '59 Les Paul Vintage Replica debuts; the ultimate Flametop". Just click here.

by Edwin Wilson, Gibson Custom Shop

This sounds like some of my conversations at Vintage Shows. Lets start with the neck pitch and knob location. When we started the Historic Les Paul in 1993 (late 1992) we used several original guitars both 1959's and 1960's that we borrowed from individuals and stores (Norm's Rare Guitars and Gruhns just to name a couple). At that time we made the changes most requested by players and collectors that we were dealing with. The major changes at that time were people wanted a larger more rounded neck, a lower neck pitch, a flame top, and the correct dish carving in the top. We knew that there were other things that needed to be changed but these appointments were where we started. We even took things a little bit further by adding a holly head veneer, a tapered peghead, more of a weight restriction and focusing in on the color and the burst pattern.

We have never claimed that this instrument was issued as a replica.What we have continually said is that the LPR-9 is a work in process. As far as the neck pitch goes as a manufacturing specification it never was 3 degrees on a 1959! On SG's it was 3 degrees, but on LP's with a wraparound TLPC or a bridge/tailpiece combination and a carved maple top a 3 degree pitch wound put the bridge on to the maple top of the guitar! I have seen this especially on ES style guitars from that time, but it was not the norm.And on 1952/53 LP's with a bale tailpiece the original Gibson specification is 2.5 degree's not 1 degree. 1 degree on that model would once again not only put the string bar into the top of the instrument but it would not allow the adjusting feet of the string bar to even fit on the guitar.

Since 1992 we have "blueprinted" numerous Les Pauls from 1952-1960 and as with all handmade instruments there are variations from instrument to instrument, but the one thing that we have confirmed is that the neck pitch on 1959's and 1960's ranges from 4 degrees to 5.5 degrees with 4 being the majority. Another factor that plays into this is not every top is sanded to the exact same thickness and pattern we noticed that on later 1960's there were some differences in the carving around the control area like the carving template was starting to get slightly worn a little. Knowing how production works I can only imagine that they tried to compensate for this in the next operation, slack belt sanding. When you are talking about the pitch of a guitar and how high or low the bridge is all of these things go into play and many times these get overlooked when talking about pitch.

As far as the knob placement, since the 70's the pickups and knobs have not been the same as in 1959. This year what we have done is shortened the space between the pickups, closed the gap in the pickguard and consequently put the tailpiece in the correct place in correlation to the rhythm volume control. Once again there is not too much variation to where the controls are routed but the variation comes in with the rear pick up, the bridge, & tailpiece. When the necks are fit it is done by an individual at a bench with a chisel just like it always has been done. There are slight variations ranging from .005 to .035 thousands of an inch to the depth that the neck is installed. It all depends on what is necessary to get the neck to fit properly. With this in mind since the routing and drilling locate off of the 12th fret you will some variation.

Just a couple of more points. We do still make 1960 Les Paul Reissues, we have never stopped making them since 1993. As far as using Brazilian rosewood goes, we feel that for all of the problems from a manufacturing, to consistent quality supplies, to it being illegal to ship into many other countries, to it being one of the woods listed in the Cites treaty it just is not worth the hassle of dealing with. Plus it does not make or break the sound or playability of this guitar. Especially when there are so many other factors involved.

About the neck shifting with time changing the pitch: If a neck on one of these instruments does shift with time, it is on its way out of the guitar. Plus with string tension on it the chances of it shifting to a + degree are none.

As far as owning the prototype, that's pretty cool. We originally did 4 "prototypes" the first 2 were done in November of 1992. The 1st one went to Slash, the 2nd one went to Bryan Adams. As far as the "prototypes" from 1993 go, one of them went to an individual locally that helped us tremendously with this project and the other went to one of Gibsons owners David Berryman. The actual production #'s started with # 9 3003.

There are many things involved in re creating these instruments and unless you have worked in a manufacturing environment dealing with all of the potential variations in a product like these instruments on a daily basis, it becomes very easy to focus on one thing instead of understanding the whole. I feel very confident in saying that the 1999 Les Paul Reissues are the most consistent and scrutinized reissue of a 1959 Les Paul done to date. Every guitar ever made has some variation to the one made before it or after it. That is the nature of a "handmade" instrument and to compare 1 original or even 2 or 3 to a picture or just one reissue from a certain time is a totally incorrect and unfair evaluation of the product.

After being involved with vintage guitars and working for Gibson for some time, the one thing I can tell you is that today's product is 100% more consistent than ever before and as far a vintage originals, anything is possible but not necessarily the norm.

For more information call 1-800-4GIBSON or contact your nearest, authorized Gibson Custom, Art, Historic dealer by searching our dealer database right here