"A Stunning Recreation of a Great Les Paul"
One of One Hundred Joe Bonamassa Les Paul's Specially Aged by Tom Murphy

2014 Gibson Joe Bonamassa "Skinnerburst" '59 Les Paul Standard aged by Tom Murphy

This Joe Bonamassa "Skinnerburst" '59 Les Paul Standard is one of just a hundred guitars specially made in 2014, each one aged by Tom Murphy. This superb guitar, perfect in every detail, has a nice 'Burst' weight of 9.10 lbs. Two-piece book-matched solid carved flamed 'Lemon Burst' maple top with single-ply cream binding on a one-piece solid mahogany body. One-piece grade 'A' mahogany neck with a perfect nut width of 1 11/16 inches, a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches and a huge thick profile. Bound rosewood fretboard with 22 medium jumbo frets, inlaid pearl trapezoid position markers and dark red side-dot markers. Headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and "Les Paul Model" silk-screened in gold. Individual 'single-line' Gibson Deluxe tuners with single-ring-ring Keystone plastic buttons. Serial number "SKNRBRST / 020. Single-layer cream plastic pickguard. Two Gibson 'custom-wound' PAF re-issue humbuckers, each with a small black rectangular label on the underside with "Patent Applied For" printed in gold, each with cream plastic surrounds and outputs of 8.43k and 7.65k. Four controls (two volume, two tone) on lower treble bout, plus three-way selector switch on upper bass bout. Gold-plastic bell-shaped "Bell" knobs. ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic non-retainer bridge with metal saddles and separate stud tailpiece. Inside the control cavity, on the inside edge of the maple top is "9 1951" and "R9" stamped in black. This guitar is in mint-aged (9.50) condition. Housed in the original Gibson Custom, five-latch, shaped brown hardshell case with burgundy plush lining (9.50). Complete with the original black leather folder containing the Gibson Custom Certificate of Authenticity: Joe Bonamassa "Skinnerburst" / Aged / Sknrbrst 020 / The guitar bearing the serial number above is 1 of 100 Aged instruments / hand-built by Gibson Custom, where highly skilled artisans are / committed to carrying on the company's century-old tradition of / creating exquisite, investment-quality instruments. This guitar boldly / reflects the highest standards of imaginative design / and masterful craftsmanship." Signed in silver pen by Joe Bonamassa and also by Rick Gembar, General Manager, Senior Vice President, Gibson Custom Shop.

"Of all of today’s Les Paul-wielding artists Joe Bonamassa is among the most revered, and the astounding 1959 model that he affectionately calls “Principal Skinner” is the most beloved guitar in his extensive collection. Now, following a long-coming collaboration between Joe and Gibson Custom, we are delighted to present “Skinnerburst,” a detail-perfect recreation of what is possibly the hardest working 1959 Les Paul in the world today. Through unrestricted access to the original and Joe’s generous cooperation, Gibson Custom has scanned, studied and measured every spec, curve and parameter of this guitar to bring you an instrument that reproduces this prized ‘burst in every possible way, exactly as it looks, feels, and sounds today.

From its delectably faded Dirty Lemon finish, to its custom-wound humbucking pickups, to its precise top carve and neck profile, the Joe Bonamassa “Skinnerburst” 1959 Les Paul gets you as close as is humanly possible to a priceless artist’s guitar. Historically accurate binding colors, aged cellulose trapezoid inlays, hot-hide glue neck construction, and period-correct hardware all complement a breathtaking rendition of Joe’s constant stage and studio companion. Of 150 guitars hand-aged by unparalleled ageing artist Tom Murphy, 50 will be played and signed by Joe himself; a further 150 will be treated to Gibson Custom’s VOS process, making a Limited Edition of 300 guitars in total. (www2.gibson.com).