A Rare '59 Burst — With One of the Most Striking Tops in the Game
There's a reason the 1959 Les Paul Standard is shorthand for "the greatest electric guitar ever made." The combination of mahogany body, figured maple top, PAF humbuckers, and that particular neck profile just landed exactly right — and Gibson Custom Shop has been chasing that formula with extraordinary precision for decades. This Limited Edition version takes the already-exacting '59 Reissue and dials it up further with a hand-selected birdseye maple top, Murphy Lab Light Aged treatment, and a Peach Tea Burst finish that gives each guitar its own visual fingerprint.
The "BOTB" designation — a nod to The Beauty of the Burst, page 151 — signals this is a collector-grade, purpose-built instrument rooted in serious vintage research. Every spec choice here traces back to Gibson Custom Shop's obsessive study of original Burst guitars from Nashville, Tennessee.
If you've been waiting for a '59 Reissue that checks every box — rare top wood, period-correct aging, historically accurate hardware — this is the one worth sitting down with.
A Birdseye Maple Top That Does the Talking
Most '59 Reissues wear a figured flame maple top. This one goes a different direction: its defining feature is its extraordinary birdseye maple top, hand-selected by the Made to Measure team for its dramatic figure and rare character. The swirling, three-dimensional grain of birdseye maple reads differently than flame — it catches light from every angle in its own way, and because it's hand-selected, no two tops are the same.
The body material is mahogany with no weight relief, paired with a single-ply top binding and a light aged nitrocellulose lacquer finish. The finish is meticulously rendered by the artisans of the Murphy Lab to replicate decades of gentle playwear — subtle checking, softened edges, and a broken-in tactile feel evoke the vibe of a cherished original without compromising structural integrity or performance. The Peach Tea Burst color (store-confirmed) gives the top a warm, golden glow that deepens toward the edges in classic sunburst fashion.
The Neck, Fretboard, and Feel of 1959
The neck is mahogany, carved to the Authentic 1959 profile, joined to the body with a long neck tenon. That tenon joint is a key part of the recipe — it maximizes the gluing surface between neck and body, which contributes meaningfully to sustain and overall solidity. The mahogany neck's Authentic 1959 profile grants you all the grip-filling chunk of an original golden-era Burst.
The rosewood fingerboard has a 12-inch radius, 22 reissue medium-jumbo frets, trapezoid inlays, and a nylon nut at 1.687 inches wide — all period-correct details that add up to a playing experience faithful to the original instruments. The 24.75-inch scale length keeps string tension in familiar Les Paul territory.
Custombucker Pickups and Period-Correct Hardware
Electronics include a pair of Custombucker Alnico 4 pickups — one at the neck, one at the bridge — wired to two volume controls, two tone controls, and a three-way toggle switch. The Custombuckers are Gibson's close-tolerance recreation of the original late-'50s PAF humbuckers, using Alnico 4 magnets to zero in on that particular blend of warmth, clarity, and dynamic responsiveness that made those originals so revered.
Nickel hardware, an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge, original-style cream plastics, gold Top Hat knobs, and a Stop Bar tailpiece complete the period-correct presentation. Historic hardware, including the ABR-1 bridge and Kluson Deluxe tuners, ensures rock-solid performance. Every detail here was chosen for historical accuracy, not just aesthetics.
Product Features:
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Body: Solid mahogany with hand-selected birdseye maple top cap, no weight relief
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Neck: Solid mahogany, Authentic 1959 profile, long tenon set neck joint
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Fretboard: Rosewood, 12" radius, 22 reissue medium-jumbo frets, trapezoid inlays
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Scale Length: 24.75" (628.65mm); Nut width: 1.687" (42.85mm), nylon nut
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Pickups: Custombucker Alnico 4 humbuckers (neck and bridge, unpotted)
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Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way toggle switch
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Hardware: Nickel finish — ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge, Stop Bar tailpiece, Kluson Deluxe tuners, gold Top Hat knobs, cream plastics
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Finish: Murphy Lab Light Aged nitrocellulose lacquer, Peach Tea Burst
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Edition: Limited Edition, Book of the Burst (BOTB) Page 151 reference
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Built by: Gibson Custom Shop, Nashville, Tennessee
Brand: Gibson
Model: Custom Shop Limited Edition 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue with Birdseye Maple Top, Light Aged
SKU: LPR5926LE23259
Condition: New
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