THE REAL 1959 LES PAUL REVEALED! | +5 Contenders
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The 59 Burst Blind Shootout Finale is Here!
After demoing two incredible original Bursts (a real 1959 and 1960 Les Paul) and pitting the 59 against five of the best modern replicas in a blind test, it’s time for the big reveal.
In this final part of the 3-part series, I:
– Reveal which guitar was the real 1959 Les Paul Burst
– Go guitar-by-guitar through the blind shootout results
– React to your comments and guesses from the last video
– Share thoughts on viewer-suggested Burst-style guitars
– Wrap up with what I learned after playing and comparing all six
The Guitars in This Video:
– 1959 Gibson Les Paul Burst (Original)
– Gibson Murphy Lab 1959 Les Paul
– Johan Gustavsson Bluemaster 59 LTD
– Gil Yaron Bone
– Bartlett Retrospec
– Nik Huber Orca ’59
Whether you’re a Les Paul purist, vintage gear nerd, or boutique tone chaser, this finale is packed with insights, surprises, and tone talk.
Missed the earlier videos?
– Part 1 (Burst Demo): https://youtu.be/V6MHvAJBH7g
– Part 2 (Blind Shootout): https://youtu.be/V6MHvAJBH7g
Drop your thoughts below – did YOU guess the real ’59?
Burst courtesy of: www.briansguitars.com
Burst footage courtesy of: Hollow Hill Media
Happy to answer any questions!
Rock on,
Jonathan
#REAL #LES #PAUL #REVEALED #Contenders
Originally posted by UCV-PHpiMaGVeaG0_zj574ng at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiIrAAxS2l8
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Enjoy!
Jonathan
Also check out the new PRS 40th anniversary SC56, with the new McCarty III pickups…!
I’m really looking forward to the PRS 594 singlecut review, having bought one new from Peach Guitars last year.
Damn. I picked D as the real burst. The only one I got right was guitar C. It just sounded off compared to the rest. I wish you would have used the neck pickup in the test. The real bursts notes tend to bloom more on the neck pickup. Tone is subjective. If you watch Dave Stephens' videos about his super authentic pickups, he puts his pickups, his 3 uncles repro bridge with correct vintage alloys, and his custom wiring harness into a damn Epiphone, and I am telling you, it nails the burst tone. If you get lucky with resonant wood, build it right, and use good parts and pickups, the tone will be there.
I love my Gil yaron so much. It does do that chunky tele thing. It’s lighter than most les Paul’s I’ve played and interestingly it balances better as well. Love my yaron.
I hear some Gibbons and Page influence. Awesome!
Sadly, missing the best. A Terry Morgan. May he rest in peace.
hard to tell a difference.
Thanks for yet another fun video in this glorious series! Every single one of those guitars are amazing; each one is spectacular in its own way! And thanks for the kind words; just part of what I’ve learned over the decades and enjoy sharing that knowledge.
I’m stoked to get your eventual review of a Heritage H-150 Custom Core. Check out the selection at Dave’s Guitars in WI. They seem to have a pretty extensive collection and they list the weights. ????????
Nice Gibson
I was on Holidays ,in the states just watching right now .
What I like about the "PAF sound" is the clarity of the notes when being overdriven. This is solely based on YT videos and not personal real life experience with an actual PAF. But this is probably why my favorite overdrive pedal (Origin Effects Revival Drive Ghosting Overdrive, $$$$) has the ability to "blend" in the original signal with the overdriven signal. You hear the note clarity with that beautiful overdrive. The Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive ($$) does the same thing, just with less overdrive and less ability to shape the tone/sound.
I feel like that top end and rawness in the burst is coming from the uncovered pickups, at least to some degree.
Great vid as always! You have one of the best tones I’ve heard so all your guitars sounds amazing. Looking forward to the next video.
I bet, with a pickup swap, that Murphy R9 would get a lot closer to the vintage LP.
I’m haunted by the Bonnamassa quote “the best sounding burst is a 335.”
Custombuckers are wound with PLAIN ENAMEL!! Just like the ole PAFs
Interesting for sure. I picked the burst as my #1 (B) and the Murphy Lab as my #2 (D). I own a 59 Murphy Lab so that perhaps led me in that direction? Not sure but interesting for sure. Thank you for the work that went into this comparison! Wow!
I am in the minority, but I said D was my favorite in the blind shoot out if I recall. And was hoping it wasn’t the burst so that it may be obtainable, very happy it was the Murphy lab. Honestly in the shoot out, I wasn’t going for which was the burst. I was going for the one that sounded purely the best to my ears. Very happy that it’s an obtainable model, maybe not obtainable now but will be sooner than even some of the other burst alternatives here.
These two videos were a lot of fun and very informative. Thank you Jonathan for all of your hard work and artistry in putting these together!
It’s crazy all these guys are inspired by the burst and have become their own thing. Maybe I’m looking at it totally different but if you ever have to compare something to it’s original the original to me will always be better. Kind of a jaded comment, but that’s how I feel
I've always found real PAF's to be a little brighter than later years.
Heritage has not been operated by the OG Gibson crew since they separated in 2016. They got bought out and the last remaining Kalamazoo guys all quit because the new owners wanted to switch to a more streamlined/CNC process. If u buy a modern Heritage u might as well buy a Gibson, they are made basically the same now.
I missed the Collings CL.. but, nice video, thank you! Gil winner for me.
When the paf covers are removed, the top end becomes really bright.
Next up – build your own!
What a fantastic video have a good day also I will take a break from YouTube in August ❤????
What a great mini-series this has been! Loved the comments, and your comments on the comments! What category marathon is next? If Strat and Tele are too obvious, then what about semi-hollows?
Always dig your content brother, I struggle to hear the subtle nuances that most of you all pick up on. My wife says I’m hard at hearing in my old age… might be selective in some case???? But for sure, I can make some music with with the whole lot and love every minute of it. I like layering different tonal characteristics like a tapestry of color. Just having the opportunity to have such a beautiful collection at my disposal would be a dream come true for this old boy<3
Excellent video. Very professional. Nice to see a number of brands and the comparison ????
Excellent video as usual. Jonathan! Wonderful playing and insightful commentary????????
I'm part of a great group of players (far better than i am) and we've done several shootouts and comparisons, with several vintage amps and guitars and many boutique guitars, and had some experiences with "unobtanium" gear including a real Dumble that was superb, and the '59 burst and some '50'a Juniors and Specials and of course boatloads of vintage and modern Fenders.
I will write more and post soon.
Thanks for your channel and sharing your inspiring playing and insightful commentary – apologies for repeating myself.
Not trying to send anyone deeper down the rabbit hole, but just a heads-up: Heritage changed ownership in 2017. All the Heritages I’ve owned (and still own) are from before that: back when the company was run by the original Gibson employees who stayed behind in Kalamazoo and bought the old factory. Just something worth keeping in mind!
I think the pots and the original actual pafs, and bridge matters. Bridges are incredibly important I have found. You need the 4 uncles bridge or an original