This guitar is a Gibson Custom Les Paul Standard.

This Guitar came stock like it is with black hardware and EMG active pickups, (Though the original active pickups were also EMG they were changed out from the original ones for the maximum output EMG 60/EMG 81); the guitar has an Ebony fretboard with the small trapezoid inlays, as well as a gold crown inlay on the headstock instead of the typical les Paul signature or split diamond logo that comes on a Les Paul standard model traditionally.

I was considering turning this into an Adam Jones replica cause I used to play in a tool cover band back before they released his signature model; and, because I have had some 1979 authentic gibson burstbucker pickups that I picked up from a friend of mine who used to work closely with some of the builders from the old Kalamazoo Gibson plant and I also have a couple 1990s Seymour Duncan DDJ SH6 Duncan distortion humbuckers; so just like his pick up configuration is, I was going to put one of the DDJ pickups in the bridge and one of the burstbuckers in the neck.

I am willing to part with one of each pickup if that’s what you intend to do with the Guitar if you win the auction, but we’ll have to work out a price because both are becoming exceedingly rare, especially an authentic 1979 T-top burstbucker pickup.

The two that I have are stamped with matching dates of JAN 26 1979 (interesting Adam Jones has a January 15 birthday so it’s fitting that if you were doing it out of Jones, the burstbucker would have a January 1979 date code.)

Adam Jones actually has, at least at one point he had, at least one guitar that he played that are like this model with the Silver Edgeburst finish. I don’t know if he still owns it, but I do know for sure that he used one of them on the song eon blue apocalypse when he recorded in the studio because I’ve seen the pictures. Now I can’t find the source because if you go to search for that type of thing your feed gets flooded with the new signature model Guitar is that he released.

This guitar is a very rare combination. You can find the later 2008 Guitar Centre exclusive that has almost all of these features except for it came with a different set of pickups and it also doesn’t have an Ebony fretboard in this configuration, some of the limited 2008 400 unit limited run did offer Ebony Frets but those had the split long diamonds that are facing out outward on the headstock, or it came with a typical les Paul signature in the middle with black stamped letters on the back of the head stock.

None of the 2008 models I’ve seen have a bound Ebony fretboard with the crown inlay on the headstock , and I’m not positive but I think those with ebony fingerboards also had just regular teardrop shaped spray for the silver burst for the most part, rather than where it goes all the way to the edge of the entire body like on this one in the silver edgeburst finish.

I contacted Gibson Support and when I told them what I had, they said it is entirely possible that Gibson was using a different numbering system for early Gibson custom models before the custom shop started officially in the 90s and that there was limited runs of 50 and 100 before including a 200 unit 1988 showcase edition which was a 200 piece limited run les Paul Gibson with black hardware, Wilkinson black tuners, and EMG pickups exactly like this except for this particular Guitar was upgraded to 60/81 EMG active pickups for higher output.

Also the pickup cavities don’t have the markings that they did for the Guitar Centre exclusive releases so this is very likely an earlier mid to late 80s. Especially because of the way that it’s built and the black hardware/Stock EMGs. If you look inside the pickup holes at the cavities in the pictures I’ve provided it’s built like a 1986 to 89 Les Paul. Everything about this matches up with the showcase edition with the exception of there not being a decal on the back of the head stock which may not have been done on every one of the models. Or maybe somebody in 1988 missed the opportunity to get one and then had this built as a custom one off in 1989 or something.

You can also find earlier custom standard models that don’t have the mini trapezoid inlays but not very frequently, and every once in a while you’ll see the showcase edition which was exactly like this guitar with a decal on the back of the headstock that said showcase edition, which was limited to 200 units of them in 1988 as I mentioned. The most recent limited run which was a guitar center exclusive they made 400 of them in 2008. And now, they’re ubiquitous because of the Adam Jones signature series releases flooded the market with them, so these earlier original silver edgeburst models are going to continue to skyrocket in value.

But after the success of the original Silverburst finish being released in 1977, people liked them so much that they began to request the finish so frequently that by the mid 80s Gibson decided that they were going to do a limited small batch run of higher end models but not full Gibson custom models.

I can’t actually say “custom shop” because the Gibson custom shop didn’t actually in the 80s. It was in the early 90s, if my memory is correct, when they made the transition from Gibson custom models to having an official Gibson custom shop label, So this is a Gibson custom silver edgeburst Les Paul standard with a bound ebony fretboard and stock black hardware. I believe it is a 1987-1989.

During the following years they did a few limited runs of a handful of these guitars starting with the first released custom standard models (like this one) Then, as I mentioned in 1988 they released 200 units of them as a showcase edition models (this could be one of those that the decal got overlooked on) with the special painted decal on the back of the neck but otherwise the Guitar had black hardware with EMGs which were popular customer upgrades during the late 80s which is why it’s not surprising that this guitar came with black hardware and had EMG active pickups being made likely in 1987-1989

It’s all original(other than that EMGs not being the lower output ones that were available back then) according to the Chicago music exchange where I purchased the guitar(I think I could probably still access messages from when I purchased the guitar with the Chicago music Exchange who told me the only thing that had been changed on the Guitar was the pickups that were changed to higher output pickups.)

You can feel free to ask any questions that you have.

I hate to part with it but I am offering it now as I am selling this to help to fund Christmas and also because I want to go see my grandmother before she passes away (her health is declining) so I’d like to use some of the money for a round trip ticket to go see her in Nevada

The Guitar has a moulded black Gibson USA case with grey fur lined interior. I believe it originally came with a chainsaw case, but when I bought it from the Chicago music Exchange they probably sold the case separate, because one was not included. I bought a moulded Gibson case for it rather than a chainsaw case which is about $350 on its own so that I could save a couple hundred dollars.

This guitar has excellent vintage feel and plays much more like my early 90s Gibson Guitar and my 1989 les Paul than it does any of my newer 2000s Gibson guitars.

There’s something about the process that they used to clear coat and lacquer guitars in the 80s and early 90s that just feels different than new Gibson guitars, and if you’ve ever played an older Gibson to compare, then you know what I mean but it has an awesome vintage feel and weighs approximately 8 lb and 4 ounces.

I included the second picture of the headstock because it’s starting to get some checking around the headstock binding and where the decal and crown logo are expanding and contracting at different rates than the wood has during the season changes as it gets colder and warmer in the house so it’s got a pretty cool aesthetic which is definitely another sign of this being a vintage guitar.

Also, I have a friend who was working at Sweetwater who had this fretboard plek’ed on a PLEK machine. The board is so perfectly intonated it’s like nothing I’ve ever played.

This is a beautiful professionally set up performance grade limited edition guitar in a rare colour, with a bound Ebony fingerboard with small trapezoid inlays, and high output EMG active pickups and stunning black hardware.

Feel free to ask any questions that you have and I’ll be happy to follow up at my earliest convenience and get back to you.