Gibson Custom Collector's Choice #3 1960 Les Paul The Babe Electric Guitar

A rare and unusual 1960 standard, recreated in intimate detail.




The entire premise of Gibson Custom's Collector's
Choice™ series revolves around the recreation of the most prized Les
Paul Standards. In a little over 52 years on this planet, this
fascinating "transitional" early 1960 Les Paul Standard has had only
four owners, three of whom prefer to remain anonymous, while one is very
much known to the guitar-playing public, Joe Bonamassa.
Collector's Choice 1960 Les Paul #3 0-0137, otherwise known to all as
"The Babe," is a marvelously well-preserved Les Paul Standard. It
presents an unusual combination of late-'59 features on an early 1960
model-year guitar, as well as being one of very few verifiable Standards
of the era produced with a factory-ordered Bigsby vibrato (called a
"Floating Bridge" at the time). In short, the Collector's Choice 1960
Les Paul #3 0-0137 "The Babe" is a precise recreation of what is an
unusual and extremely desirable Les Paul by any standards, and
production is strictly limited so it is destined to remain an extremely
collectible guitar.


While 1959 Standards were stamped with a
serial number with the leading digit "9" and 1960 Standards began with a
"0," the first digit of The Babe is actually stamped too faintly to be
read with total accuracy. The fact, however, that its trailing serial
numbers—0137—are low in the series, and that it was ordered by its
original owner in June of 1959 and delivered in August of 1959, indicate
that it would have been a very early 1960 model-year guitar, a detail
that has been verified by each of its owners as well as by Gibson
Custom. The original guitar currently in Joe Bonamassa's possession
exhibits a vibrant Cherry Red Sunburst finish (which has retained most
of its Aniline red dye, a rarity among vintage Les Pauls), although such
finishes would soon appear more orange-red on Les Paul Standards as
1960 progressed. The original owner of the guitar recounts that he
purchased this Les Paul from the proceeds of a bumper season's grain
haul, a financial decision that left him unable to buy an engagement ring.
When he ordered the guitar, he was asked whether he preferred a "more
red" or "more orange" sunburst finish, and opted for the former. Gibson
Custom has accurately recreated this "Cherry Tea Burst" finish on a
two-piece plain maple top carved from woods that have been hand-selected
to closely represent the grain pattern of the original, and the results
are hand-aged to recreate the gently aged patina of the original
instrument. The one-piece genuine mahogany body back and neck are
finished in an accurate dark Analine red dye, while the top and the
rosewood fingerboard are bound in vintage-accurate plastics.


Further
examples of its unusual "transitional" status, this Les Paul retains
the somewhat heftier neck profile of the '59 Standard. Recreated from
precise measurement of the original guitar, the one-piece, quarter-sawn
neck measures .920" deep at the 1st fret and 1.01" at the 12th, a depth
and shape that make it just about the perfect profile in the hands of
many players today. In addition to several other precise measurements,
Gibson Custom has accurately recorded the specs of the original PAF
humbucking pickups on "The Babe," and used them to recreate a pair of
Custom Buckers used on Collector's Choice 1960 Les Paul #3 0-0137. Made
with Alnico III magnets and accurate numbers of turns of period-correct
coil wire, these pickups meticulously recreate the specifications, look,
and—most importantly—the tone of the original late-'59 PAF pickups,
offering all the characteristic warmth, depth, edge and clarity of some
of the greatest pickups ever created. Further period-correct details
include Vintage Reissue fret wire, aged acrylic trapezoid fingerboard
inlays, tortoise side dots, accurately aged hardware (including the
unusual aluminum base beneath the Tune-o-matic bridge), single-band
green tuner keys, gold "Top Hat" knobs without silver inserts, and
reproduction "Bumble Bee" tone caps. In short, the Collector's Choice
1960 Les Paul #3 0-0137 "The Babe" represents a painstaking effort to
recreate the character and individuality of the original guitar, and
gives a fortunate few players and collectors the opportunity to own as
near to an exact recreation of "The Babe" as it is humanly possible.
From its original owner via a mere two further stops to the collection
of one of the most renowned guitarists of our time, Joe Bonamassa, this
is a prized and precious 'Burst that you won't want to miss out on.


The guitar will be produced in no fewer than 25 and no more than 300 examples.



Features



One-piece Mahogany back with hand-selected, Eastern Maple top
Rosewood fingerboard with vintage-accurate trapezoid inlays
Powerful Custom Bucker #3 Humbucking pickups in the neck and bridge
ABR-1 bridge with aluminum base and Bigsby® tailpiece




This wonderful time capsule is just a click away. Order today.




Collector's Choice #3 1960 Les Paul The Babe Electric Guitar Specifications:




Body
Top: Maple
Back: Mahogany
Binding: .90 Cream
Adhesive: Franklin Titebond

Neck
Species: Mahogany with Maple Spline
Profile: '59 Rounded, Precise Recreation of Original
Truss Rod: Traditional
Joint Angle: 4° (+/- 15 seconds)
Adhesive: Franklin Titebond

Neck Fit
Joint: Mortise & Tenon
Adhesive: Franklin Titebond
Joint Angle Tolerance: +/- .005"

Fingerboard
Species: Rosewood
Radius: 12"
Scale Length: 24.75"
Binding: .04 Cream
Inlays: Nitrocellulose Trapezoid
Nut/E.O.B: 1.687/2.062
Other: Reissue Fret Wire
Tortoise Side Dots

Nut
Material: Nylon
Width: 1.687
Slots: Gibson PLEK System

Headstock
Inlay: Mother-of-Pearl Gibson Logo
Truss Rod Cover: Vintage Antique Bell Shaped™
Angle: 17 Degrees

Tuners
Model: Gotoh Reissue Green Key
Tuning Ratio: 12:01
Plating: Nickel

Bridge
Type: ABR-1 with Aluminum Base
Plating: Nickel

Tailpiece
Type: Bigsby® Vibrato
Plating: Nickel

Hardware
Knobs: Gold Top Hat with Dial Pointers
Toggle Switch: Washer Cream with Gold Silkscreen
Pickup Mounting Rings: Cream
Control Plate Cover: Black
Strings: .010 - .046
Strap Buttons: Aluminum

Pickups
Neck Position: Custom Bucker
(Alnico III)
Bridge Position: Custom Bucker
(Alnico III)

Electronics
Potentiometers: 2 Volume Controls
2 Tone Controls
Capacitors: Bumblebee
Coil Wiring: Parallel-Machine Wound
Toggle Switch: Switchcraft Axial Three-Way with Vintage Toggle Cap
Output Jack: Traditional ¼"

Finish
Sealer: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Cherry Tea Burst

Case
Custom Shop Hardshell











www.music-blvd.com

























Gibson Custom Gibson Custom Dave Carpenter Handpicked 1959 L...


5.0
(1 Reviews)

$6,148.00













Gibson Custom 1959 Reissue Les Paul VOS Electric Guitar


0.0
(0 Reviews)

$5,999.00













Gibson Custom Gibson Custom Dave Carpenter Handpicked 1959 L...


0.0
(0 Reviews)

$6,148.00













Gibson Custom 1959 Les Paul Reissue Electric Guitar Bourbon ...


0.0
(0 Reviews)

$6,023.00













Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Standard VOS Electric Guitar Fad...


5.0
(6 Reviews)

$5,699.00













Gibson Custom Gibson Custom Dave Carpenter Handpicked 1959 L...


0.0
(0 Reviews)

$6,148.00













Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Reissue Electric Guitar Level 2 ...


5.0
(6 Reviews)

$4,799.20 - $5,999.00













Gibson Custom 1959 Les Paul Reissue 2013 VOS FT Faded Tobacc...


0.0
(0 Reviews)

$6,299.00













Gibson Custom 1957 Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar TV Silver


0.0
(0 Reviews)

$4,832.00













Gibson Custom Marc Bolan VOS Les Paul Electric Guitar Bolan ...


0.0
(0 Reviews)

$4,999.00













Gibson Custom Les Paul Custom Figured Maple Electric Guitar ...


5.0
(1 Reviews)

$4,299.00













Gibson Custom Les Paul Reissue 1959 Murphy Electric Guitar w...


5.0
(1 Reviews)

$9,899.99