Guitars

Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960 Reissue

There are very few guitars that are well known by people who are not musicians or guitar players. There are even fewer guitars that are held as a classic. I recently picked up a Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960 Reissue – a classic Gibson “Goldtop” of course! I use to have a Cherry Sunburst version of the guitar, but it was stolen back in December. Of course, I had to go out and get another one. If you have ever played or owned a Gibson guitar, you would completely understand why I just had to buy another one. Anyway, let’s talk about the Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960 Reissue.

The 1960 Reissue is modeled around a 1960’s Les Paul Standard Classic. The classic features a 1960s slim taper neck, which is a pleasure to play, when compared to other “boat” type necks. It joins the body at the 16th fret, which is common with most Les Pauls. The fingerboard is made of rosewood. It is adorned with aged binding and yellow pearloid trapezoid inlays. The body is made from mahogany and has a single-ply carved maple top. It is surrounded by aged single-ply binding (which combines well with the gold coloured top of my guitar).

The sound of this guitar is also incredible – as it is with all Gibson products. The ceramic pickups are wound hot and sound best when overdriven hard, to produce rich creamy distortion with subtle overtones and seemingly everlasting sustain. I love the distortion sound I get from this in combination with my Marshall JCM 800 – anything from bluesy crunch to more gainy rock tones. Clean the Classic also sounds very good, with a snarly treble bite on the bridge pickup, whilst the neck pickup provides a darker sound. I do not use a clean tone much with my Marshall; However, these guitars sound great through a Fender Deluxe Reverb or any Hiwatt amp. Again, the pickups are hot which makes this guitar perfect for sustain and tone (in my opinion). This is the only guitar I would ever rate a perfect 10 out of 10!

As always, you need a pair of strap locks for this guitar. Also, if you didn’t know, Gibson Les Pauls are extremely heavy and this one is no exception. The Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960 Reissue is amazing – and because mine is a “Goldtop” it is even better!