How Many Les Paul Bursts Did Gibson Really Make? | Reverb

Gibson Les Paul "Bursts" have been worshipped by vintage guitar fans so emphatically they have become nearly mythical (and their price tags certainly reflect it), but...how many of them did the guitar giant actually make? Joe investigates.

[BellTunnel]

Approximately 1, 400 were made; today, only 2, 000 exist!

[khkartc]

The real intrigue is how many bursts might still be out there in closets or garages. One would think at least a few more of them are extant, but, like Stradivarius violins, the passage of time renders it increasingly unlikely.

[innocentoctave]

As an explanation of why a 'Burst is so expensive, 'it just is' isn't good enough. The real answer is the same as for any collectible: wealthy potential buyers competing over a small number of desirable status objects. I wonder how many of these instruments are now owned by people who don't even play, but have bought them as investments, or for bragging rights?

[Thelonious]

I bought my 2004 Les Paul Standard probably very influenced by all those big names that have had that guitar in their hands. My record collection was suspiciously full of photos of that artifact. I have to say that it is a wonderful instrument. I took out the burstbuckers that I had brought and simply put in two 57 classic. It's a perfect sunburst guitar. In looks and sound. He will go with me to the end.

[JIMJAMSC]

I was 17 when Van Halen 1 dropped in 78 which was a momentous day in itself. But the really incredible thing was my guitar pal Joey wanted to sell his Gibson his father gave him. It was "nerdy" and old fashion". I ended up buying a Explorer and he got a SG. I later found out that LP was a 58 or 59 and his dad sold it for $1500. He wanted 2 grand but it needed new strings and the case was scratched up.

[markmarsh]

My Custom Shop '59 Burst Reissue was expensive as hell, but I've amortized it -- the 9000 times I've played it have only cost me a dollar each. .... fair enough

[davedger]

I love these videos with Joe. We really need for the Coffee Talk with Joe videos to make a comeback.

[gregwilson]

as for value, do the math, everyone that has bought a burst since 1970 and later resold it make a good sized profit. people will still be saying they arent worth the money when these guitars are selling for a million five. and later 5 million. i watched them go from 10k in 1990 for an all original flametop to 350k now 31 years later. someone do the math for me for a value 31 years from now?

[BoozyBeggar]

I have a 2004 USA made PRS McCarty, a 2014 Korean SE245, a 2019 Chinese Epiphone Les Paul Plus Top, and a 2016 Jackson Indonesian Soloist. They're all great. Some needed a bit of adjustments here and there, but I really can't tell you that the McCarty objectively sounds better than the others. I do prefer its tone a little over the Epi, but that's just taste in pickups near as I can tell, and I wouldn't change the ProBuckers in the Epi to a set of old McCartys, because then I'd lose the PB tones.
There's never been a better time to buy a more affordable guitar than right now, and next year it'll be the same. They'll probably start bringing rosewood back to the lower end fretboards, too, since CITES removed it from endangered.

[punkmusicmetal]

Thanks for making this video. Jokes about Joe Bonamassa aside, this is a great piece of history. Great for us Gibson nerds. Do more videos like this!

[shaft]

*pre-Norlin* should be in the title, as Gibson has been making bursts every year since the late '60s.

[modestoney]

i love my 900€ Edwards Jimmy Page Les Paul. And i don´t need a safe or bodyguards for it.

[george.kollaros]

“Value has a value only if its value is valued.”
-Bryan Dyson (Coca Cola CEO, 1986-1991)
The value of an item is determined by how much people are willing to pay for it.

[ViddyWellBrother]

Nice video, but what about all of the other fascinating bits of information — i.e, all bursts began as Cherry Sunburst and then faded or darkened (depending on many variables) to create at least 8 different, unintentional but welcome finishes (Honeyburst, Lemonburst, Tobacco, Bourbon, etc), before the red pigment was finally stabilised in 1960. And, what about mentioning why the 'Burst was introduced in the first place (to make them more desirable), and why the model was actually discontinued in 1960 (because sales were still declining). All of these bits of history are part of the incredible story of what has become one of the most coveted, most expensive, and most desirable electric guitars in the world.

[gryzew]

I think doing a video on them and not mentioning that almost every part of the whole is not possible to reproduce today is crazy. You can't get Brazilian rosewood, they can't get a set of PAFs replicas to pass a blind sound test, even the bridge and tailpiece are made with different metals and sound different when replaced on same guitar. And there's all the potentiometers, capacitors, wood glues, nut nylon, wire alloy etc. etc. The moment a replica is commonly available that looks, sounds and feels as the real deal when compared side by side, the Burst bubble pops.

[thezosokid]

This by far the most interesting math problem I ever encountered.

[OspreyEye]

I think Reverb should make a similar video about the Pussy Melter distortion pedal from the band Steel Panther. It would be a good way for them to apologize to Glenn Fricker for them being such petty little jerks and pulling out of a fundraiser for dying animals because he was there. I might consider buying off reverb again as well.

[satinwhip]

A lot of goldtops were stripped and refinished sunburst.

[SDPickups]

Except the tops were NOT "hand carved." Gibson used a large carving machine that used a physical 3D carving template. They were automatically carved this way, THEN hand sanded and finished.

[_RLP]

Cool video. Would've enjoyed it even more if it were longer, with a little more depth, but still very cool. Do more like these: pre-cbs strats and Teles, dumbles, klons, 80s tubescreamers etc...