"Donna"
Gibson Custom Collectors Choice #5

2015 Gibson Les Paul Collectors Choice #5 "Donna"

This Collectors Choice #5, reissue of 1959 Tom Wittrock's Les Paul Standard "Donna" is one of the earliest of three hundred guitars (worldwide) specially made and accurately 'lightly aged' for 2015. This superb guitar, perfect in every detail, has a perfect 'Burst' weight of 8.50 lbs. Two-piece book-matched solid carved flamed 'Tobacco Burst' maple top with single-ply cream binding on a one-piece solid mahogany body. One-piece mahogany neck with a perfect nut width of just over 1 11/16 inches, a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches and a very comfortable medium-to-thick profile (0.86 behind the first fret gently rising to 0.99 inches behind the 12th fret). Bound rosewood fretboard with 22  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 "CC 05A 008" stamped in black on back of headstock. Single-layer cream plastic pickguard. Two Gibson 'Burst Bucker 3 Alnico V' 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 nicely matched outputs of 8.18k and 8.35k. 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 1923" stamped in black. This guitar is in mint 'lightly aged' (9.50) condition. Housed in the original Gibson Custom, five-latch, shaped brown hardshell case with padded burgundy plush lining (9.50). Complete with all of the original 'case candy' including the original burgundy leather folder containing the Gibson Collectors Choice Certificate of Authenticity: 9-1923 / CC 05A 008 / The instrument bearing the serial number above is a limited edition / for 2015 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 white marker by Rick Gembar, General Manager, Senior Vice President, Gibson Custom Shop.

The Gibson Gold Warranty has the following information filled out in black ink: Date "7/20/15"; Model No. "LPR9 CC5 Aged"; Serial No. CC 05A 008". This is the eighth "Donna" reissue that was produced by the Gibson Custom Shop. The original 1959 Les Paul that was used to re-create this guitar was owned by Tom Wittrock and appears on page 11 of Vic DaPra's Burst Believers with the following caption "Serial # 9 1923. Nicknamed "Donna", this burst has it all and then some."

"Donna" One of the most anticipated Collector's Choice releases since the series was introduced, #5, aka "Donna" was well worth the wait. In a happy accident of circumstance, Donnas' very unique top was years in the finding, causing a delay of nearly half a decade as qualifying wood was identified and set aside. We were so concerned with getting the selection of top woods right that Tom Wittrock, "Donna's" current owner, was brought in for final approval of each and every one. As time passed, the Collector's Choice range continued to evolve alongside Gibson Custom's Historic Reissue series, which reaches an entirely new level in 2015. As a result, a no mythic "Donna" comes to the world as one of the most beautiful guitars in the Collector's Choice series as well as one of the first to achieve a level of replica that would be considered counterfeit if it weren't built by Gibson. "Donna's" tone is brilliantly accurate via two Custom Bucker pickups based on an analysis of those found on the original, generously provided to Gibson Custom by Tom Wittrock. (The Gibson MSRP was $14,753)