Gibson has forever engraved its name in the pantheon of guitar history, from jazz to rock, blues, and metal. Founded in 1894 by Orville H. Gibson in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA, the company revolutionized the guitar world through technical and aesthetic innovations such as humbuckers and the iconic Flying V, Explorer, and Firebird shapes. With ambassadors ranging from Charlie Christian to Slash, as well as Tony Iommi and, of course, Lester Polfus, Gibson has transcended eras and musical styles, establishing itself as an essential brand in both electric and acoustic guitars.
The VOS (Vintage Original Spec) range is a Custom Shop production line that meticulously recreates the brand’s historic models, strictly respecting original specifications while carefully selecting every component (woods, electronics, etc.). Each instrument is lightly and painstakingly aged in order to deliver exceptional quality, faithful to the originals and offering the same feel as a guitar produced during that era, left unplayed, and carefully preserved over time.
Around thirty years ago, a collector published a book whose pages many of us admired eagerly: Beauty of the Burst. The book told the story of the Les Paul through the legendary models that shaped its history. On page 74 appeared a stunning 1959 Les Paul, displaying all its finest features: a flamed maple top, beautifully contoured body, carved top, and more. In short, a quintessential 1959 Les Paul Standard. Today, Gibson had the brilliant idea of revisiting this model and releasing it as a VOS edition. We had the pleasure and honor of getting our hands on one, specially selected because we felt it was the very best.
This guitar is part of a limited run, with only three examples allocated to Switzerland. The serial number follows a format similar to the original (although naturally different by definition): "9" because it is a 1959 Les Paul, "6" because it was produced in 2026, and "126" because it was the 126th guitar produced by the Gibson Custom Shop that year.
Mahogany body with carved flamed maple top, glued-in mahogany neck with long tenon and Authentic '59 Medium profile, rosewood fingerboard, pearloid trapezoid inlays, ivory binding, two Custombucker pickups (modern recreations of PAFs), Kluson Deluxe tuners… Is it really necessary to list specifications we all know so well, whose strengths and weaknesses we already appreciate? Sure, it is a bit heavier than a super-Strat made of basswood, and no, it does not feature arm or belly contours. But honestly, none of that matters here.
It delivers a huge, full sound with a very tight low end that never becomes muddy, along with magnificent sustain. There is nothing muddy about the way the mids come forward, and nothing harsh about the way the highs cut through the mix. In all three pickup positions, it produces a warm, rich, thick clean tone that always “stays in its place.” Then we turned up the gain (through a Marshall, obviously), and experienced something very close to what the first Les Paul players must have felt back in the day, and very much like what we still feel today the first time we play a Les Paul: love, hunger, and the sense that with a well-played riff, a perfectly phrased lick, a bend, or even just a touch of feedback, one could conquer the world.
2-year warranty through our workshop.
