"Pick of the Day" - 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom Triple PAF!

Today we had a really cool guitar come through the door, a one-owner 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom with three PAFs! A really awesome sounding Les Paul with great sound, the classic black finish, and great playability has gotten us really excited, so Jay wanted to bring this one right to the front of the line and show it to you all within a few hours of acquiring it!
We plugged this beauty into a fantastic 1950s Gibson GA-55V 2x12 18w combo, which turned out to be a great pairing!
For more information about the guitar, please keep an eye on our website. For the amplifier, please check out:
www.emeraldcity...
Music: The Hollers "When We Were Young" (Instrumental)

[@ReValveiT_01]

It's the lacquer that yellows, not the binding. That's why the other plastics aren't yellowed, because they aren't lacquered.

[@streetfighterracing1583]

Craig Sutcliffe Gibson hand scrapes the binding so idk how you’re saying the binding is yellow because of lacquer

[@bethoveen3]

@@streetfighterracing1583 because the lacquer is applyed all over except the fret board AFTER the black is scraped from the bindings

[@cardbored_]

@@streetfighterracing1583 lol it’s literally the laquer that has aged/yellowed, it’s not yellow on the fretboard binding because they scrape it and just natural wear causes any finish to wear back down to the white plastic binding.

[@edringo9442]

Great guitar. I have a 1958 LP Custom. Saving it for my daughter on her 18th birthday. She is 7 now, so still a few years for me to enjoy it. Emerald Guitars rocks. Jay Boone is one of the nicest and knowledgeable guys you could meet.

[@robertscottpurse1]

It's sad to sell a guitar your dad bought you so long ago.

[@RavnerRavner]

i agree,.. why would you do that?

[@CucamongaRob]

Maybe he felt his time here is almost done but hopefully he felt it was time for it to be in the hands of someone who will make music with it. The clip says he didn't play much. I think of some of my axes I've had 25 years and with a good luthiers still play great, one day they will be owned by someone after I'm gone. Ahhh if only we could take them with us.

[@wesleyalan9179]

My dad sold his pre ww2 j 45,banner headstock.... It was supposed to be handed down to me, but i aint mad, it was either that or lose the house

[@robertscottpurse1]

Wesley Dunn , Ya, you have to do, what you have to do to survive.

[@pappyodanial]

Yeah they gave him 200 dollars and sold it for 700,000. Some dude in Alaska with no internet.... Poor bastard

[@craigthomson3621]

The presenter seemed genuinely thrilled to have this which, to me, demonstrates a love of guitars.

[@lespaul1648]

I never realized that everyone who leaves a comment is an expert when it comes to vintage guitars and equipment. I would love to know what some of these people really do for a living. For Christ sake just sit back and enjoy the video of a vintage American beauty.

[@mattrogers1946]

It matters. How about if he told you Nolan Ryan played third base?

[@rockhead69]

Fantastic...what a gorgeous guitar. A player/collector's dream !

[@j_freed]

I think the binding and headstock inlay doesn't yellow over time, the clear sealer coat over it does. That's why the nut and truss cover and pickguard and switch tip stayed white. These were not sprayed in clear coat. Nice looking piece.

[@PizzaPokerPsych]

Nice morning indeed when a '59 LP walks through the door...

[@queasyRider3]

I noticed the dude could not stop smiling. Good days.

[@zachariahwade8482]

That amp sounds old school awesome and I much prefer this guys honest playing to the usual virtuoso types

[@jessd1952]

I always thought the third pickup was for bragging rights. Never knew the middle was phase inverted.

[@kazhi959]

It actually isn't! People tend to say that but it sounds weird because essentially the bridge and middle are fighting for the magnet field and sounds a bit out of phase

[@anthonytye2591]

@@kazhi959 Gibson installed the magnets with reverse polarity I have a simple fix and do when asked no alternations no popping of covers I can give you three separate pick ups same switch same wiring it is my common sense modification

[@craigthomson3621]

There are 6 and 9 position toggle switches that can be wired to 3 Humbuckers that give a vast selection of pickup choices. Not saying you would do that to a vintage guitar, but a choice to consider on a modern reissue - especially if you keep the original 3 position toggle in the case so it can be put back if you sell the guitar.

[@michaelgonzalez7304]

Keith Richards and Jimmy Page have these 3 pickup black beauty customs.

[@teslapete4461]

Amazing...I love the middle pickup!

[@Swinbad]

Should be pick of the year! What a great looking and sounding guitar, and nice tasteful playing.

[@mickkelly4146]

Those aren’t witch hat knobs. Those came later in the norlin era. Those are the standard bell knobs but in black

[@kenwinston2245]

Mick Kelly good catch. Why would someone seemingly an expert get that wrong.

[@GreenDistantStar]

Because they were still being described as witches hats in the '59 catalogue, even though they weren't, which he undoubtedly knows, and a non-expert would not.

[@XLBiker13]

@@GreenDistantStar The knobs were not "still" being described as witch hat knobs in the '59 catalog because the witch hat knobs had not even been introduced yet. The knobs are simply referred to as volume and tone controls in the '59 catalog. The comment from @Mick Kelly is correct.

[@anthonytye2591]

These so called professionals no ZIP!!

[@mattrogers1946]

They actually came out in '66 or '67, before Norlin took over... All the "experts" on the internet...

[@BEHEDETY]

that dad love his kid too much! les paul custom! omg

[@josephfemoyer7218]

“We will make this 3 pickup guy SHINE!

[@TommyDavidsonTD2014]

I think I saw this guitar at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville 2 weeks ago. They had it priced at 55k.

[@mikemayfield7716]

I would have taken that Les Paul to the grave with me .

[@robertemerson1087]

Right, I wouldn’t sell that guitar for anything.

[@mattrogers1946]

No doubt!

[@davidg-oo1ox]

Beautiful guitar

[@stilllifewithguitar184]

Holy smokes, that is amazing. Sounds fantastic.

[@90sPunkRockCovers]

What an amazing piece of instrument right there.

[@dylanwillis1473]

You guys are 30x better than norm's. No dumb shoutouts, actual decent recording, professional lighting. You guys are great!

[@Foxonian]

This folks is a six figure guitar and worth every penney.

[@daleyoung87]

Foxonian There isnt a guitar on Earth worth six figures.

[@TheDogPa]

I've played one. Unimpressed. Had MAX build me a custom...much better. Guitar players are mostly posers. If you told them their fav rock star played a fish they'd get in line.

[@angrytroll27]

we need more customs from you guys

[@Journey-of-1000-Miles]

Watching this video made my heart pound!

[@markmarsh27]

did he not have a child to pass this Holy Grail onto? .... no matter how hungry I get I will NEVER SELL my Custom Les Paul.

[@markmarsh27]

point taken Little Sister. ... that paragraph was a deep suffering Blues lyric.

[@jimsy5530]

@@littlesister3477 I have slept on the floor with a paper surgical mask on to stop cockroaches crawling in my mouth... I kept my guitars though. Glad I did too.

[@Dylan90210]

Jesus Christ what a beautiful guitar.

[@maxwellfan55]

Gibson's mature like good wine.

[@jeffsaginaw1769]

Just FYI it looks like it's been refretted. They came with 'fretless wonder" (real low) frets and those appear to be pretty big ones BUT they will make it play 10x better. I had a 1958 just like it I wish I hadn't traded away but nobody knew ...

[@emeraldcityguitars]

Thanks for the concern Jeff! However, these are 100% the original frets.

[@TheNohcim]

I was about to say, looks like the fretboard ‘knubs’ are still there, so frets must be original

[@jeffsaginaw1769]

I'll go with you then. That's a rare bird so I guess there were some made with big frets.

[@littlesister3477]

some customs came with larger frets,

[@jlr022159]

TheNohcim: “fret nibs”

[@Avalanche1368]

Really sweet guitar.. FYI, the binding doesn't yellow, the lacquer does. Which is why the white on the pickguard is still white.. No lacquer.. That's how an old Pelham blue SG winds up green.. Blue (paint) + yellow (lacquer)_ = Green... Or an old white Les Paul Custom + Yellowing lacquer = cream..

[@leo-mc8uo]

Thanks for making this video. Lovely guitar

[@jr13227]

Love the Robin Trower!

[@Twizzlemenizzle1]

If I was in my 80's and didn't play much anymore I'd definitely trade my L.P. for a bucket of cash. I'd have done it sooner and enjoyed my twilight years

[@jak7263]

Hello friends! given your incredible knowledge of these tools, can I ask you which product do you use to polish it? my black beauty of 73. when I pass the damp cloth it immediately becomes dull and hazy gray, it's horrible. I do not know what to do. thank you so much!! sorry my english translated by google Paolo, Italy

[@darwinsaye]

Was *not* expecting that GA-55 to sound like a Bluesbreaker...

[@HiHello-ku1fl]

Cool tones for sure.

[@anthonyc1883]

3:10 Seeing the neck from the side, and the steep angle of the headstock, reminds us of just how big the log of mahogany must've been. And the rest of all that wood, maybe just discarded??

[@sinnertrain7405]

I used to own a Gibson '57 LP Custom with three PAF pickups. I traded it for a Flying V in around 1980. I sure wish I had the '57 LP Custom, it played and sounded great (it had been refretted and was not a "fretless wonder" due to that mod).

[@scottbogfoot]

Because the truss cover, pick guard and the switch tip were not clear coated. Being that the clear coat is that which changes color.

[@orbitaljellyfish808]

Sounds awesome Would love to see inside the rear panel; pots/caps/wiring 👏👏

[@wrtoomes600]

Very nice, excellent. I have to ask is that Les Paul a 59 or 57?

[@Le_Mer]

Great video but my tiny request would be to turn down the background music a bit. I think it's a little too loud.

[@hawg427]

My 1980 LP Custom 2 HB setup has the "Custom" on the truss rod cover, I see many LP customs that have the truss rod like yours in the video. Any reason why why some are like that?

[@lawrenceshuda]

W.O.W.

[@joebloggs1444]

Bought mine for £350 back in 78...hate to think what it would be worth now. Traded it for a 1962 es345...which I also hated....played strats ever since...

[@RozsaAmplificationLLC]

Hmm. My only comment is what does the title say it's a 1959, when at 4:06 in on the back of the headstock, you can clearly see it says "3 1829", which would make it a 1953 serial #1829?!??

[@mattrogers1946]

Anyone know that Google the serial number on an old Gibson has mixed results.

[@johntoland9898]

What did you give him for it?

[@Funkybassuk]

Does anyone know how much this went for? Fascinating.

[@nycLPplayer]

Wow a "working man's" 59 burst ;)

[@90sPunkRockCovers]

Haha, still trying to figure that out...

[@sangandongo]

My brother and I have been calling everything "working man's" guitars now. "Oh, sweet. A '54 Tele for $35,000! A working man's guitar." ;)

[@90sPunkRockCovers]

John Kelley hahahaha I love it.

[@90sPunkRockCovers]

John Kelley damn apparently they took the video down, I don’t see it on their feed anymore.

[@nycLPplayer]

That stinks....it was 10sec of footage which could have easily been edited out or put an annotation saying "he meant players grade"

[@MrShredarg]

Did anyone notice the stop tail piece broken? Why he dont mentioned that?

[@jimmyhawkins5357]

We're all 59 Les Paul customs black?

[@jcsk8]

Just a small correction. The knobs aren´t the 70´s witch hat knobs, but the standard bonnet knobs.

[@mattrogers1946]

Witch hats came out in '66 or '67 actually...

[@jcsk8]

@@mattrogers1946 Correct.

[@IrishBog]

Weird. If you go to 1:11 you’ll see how the last inlays are equal in size - the last one even looking a little bigger than the 2nd last. Just like the 50s customs. But sometime in 60 that last inlay gets noticeably smaller. Same as 1968. The reissues in the 70s and later all have the last three getting smaller with the last one really thin.

[@peteranderson4758]

Best. job. ever.

[@ilostmymind47]

Nice guitar

[@treybennett35]

What a dream

[@richfiryn]

What was the selling price of this ?

[@lancefraijo8585]

I have a black Les Paul junior it's my pride and joy

[@cuauhtemocmorisco3493]

Lance Fraijo nice!

[@jcsk8]

Who noticed the broken tailpiece? And also a locking one? Replacement?

[@SteveTemplePilot]

I have a 63 SG Custom with triple PAFs.

[@mikejamieson4252]

Sold? How much?

[@calescapee9642]

How much did Emerald city pay for it? 2000 bucks?

[@joebloggs1444]

I had one just like it when I was about 15 in 1978. Thought it was a 74 re-issue. Since discovered it was a 59 just like this one. But was really heavy and sounded so dull I hated it!! Lol

[@oldschoolamerican714]

So... How much did you ripp the guy off???

[@peteranderson4758]

I bought a Butterscotch Blonde Fender Tele a few weeks ago, and I'm fourteen (or *am* I?!). Let me just say that I will cut my feet off before I sell that beauty.

[@philtron1969]

You have a great job, Jay! That is a sexy beast!

[@stevenewman4900]

Beautiful guitar and beautiful story to go with it. As other posters have pointed out, there is a bit of misinformation and a few issues...but nothing major. The binding has not yellowed; the top lacquer coat of the finish has, which is why the white borders on the unfinished plastic parts don't match. The pickup selector switch may have been replaced, as the resin formula used to make the tip should be a darker color....hard to tell on the video. The guitar has had an obvious fret job, replacing the "Fretless Wonder" frets with wider ones, and it appears the fret nibs on the neck binding have been removed during the refret. This was a very common modification with the original Les Paul Custom, SG Custom, and top line Firebird, which all had ebony fingerboards and tiny frets (however, ES 355's did not). You failed to mention the broken stoptail (bass side): original lightweight aluminum ones in gold with the correct bottom seam are bringing north of $1K, but there are a couple of decently accurate repros available. A vintage blues/rock machine for sure....congrats on acquiring it.

[@wilhelmtheconquerer6214]

3:27 what the jell happend to that poor tail piece?

[@Binbonbunn]

Oh man that is so crunchy

[@donrutter6765]

Did you pay the guy at least 200k or did you rip him off ?

[@calescapee9642]

Ripped the guy off most definitely. These guitar dealers are shyster motherfuckers big time.

[@deathbymonkies2305]

How much is this guitar worth.

[@kidglove100]

A guy in brownstown indiana has that same guitar from a kid

[@mickkelly4146]

Stop tail is broken as well

[@jayboschibig]

Holy.shit.

[@davidg-oo1ox]

Switch tips are usually yellow I thought?

[@joeva10]

Better version of norms guitar of the day?

[@gonzothompson8118]

Joeva10 how is this better lol

[@RiotBike]

The bridge looks like it has collapsed

[@revelry1969]

Simon Tay also the tailpiece broken

[@jlr022159]

I noticed the bridge collapse (pretty common for old ABR’s)... but didn’t notice the tailpiece... that was a good catch!

[@davidallen346]

Man if I ever win Lottery I will buy this guitar

[@jonbush7467]

A solid silver Kennedy half dollar back then!

[@brucechavez9535]

Since I can't afford a $10k to $50k Les Paul like this black beauty, I will pick up a Japanese copy that looks exacty like this one for only $400 to $500 (in Reverb or Ebay). And just "hot-rod" the hell out of it...It's nothing wrong with owning an original PAF Les Paul but who can afford it these days??? You have to sell your kidney or some of your body parts, then maybe you can buy one like this...lol !

[@aquilarossa5191]

I'll take two please :)

[@martinjmnz]

how much

[@leozebiosthor6242]

That's an expensive guitar

[@XLBiker13]

So the 'Bursts get special guest guitarists to do these incredible demos. Somehow the "lowly" Custom just gets fumbled around with for a few minutes. Unfortunately.

[@apianta56]

Absolutley beautiful, I love this black girl!!!!, gretings from Argentina!!!

[@timothycormier3494]

That’s the frampton guitar.

[@twist2723]

Joe B buy this thing yet?

[@michaelgallagher3640]

He shops at Norms.

[@gibsondrummer]

Next time use a tweed deluxe

[@nicolasRebagliati]

The tail piece is broken..how do you break a tail piece??

[@sangandongo]

Nicolas Rebagliati The zinc tailpieces are more brittle than aluminum or steel. The u sections which slip over the posts can actually break if dropped onto something hard, or if someone gets a hare brained idea of trying to bend it.

[@TIGERGUTS]

Chuck a floyd rose in it and some emgs and you got yourself a cool guitar. ;)

[@ericfischer996]

heh heh...

[@TIGERGUTS]

@@wolfgardener9471 Yeah but i'm into sacrilege.

[@wolfgardener9471]

@@TIGERGUTS lol

[@Tonetwisters]

This would have been a "fretless wonder," IIRC.

[@mattrogers1946]

Yup!

[@kenwinston2245]

Witch hat knobs? Try again.

[@mattrogers1946]

🤣🤣🤣

[@rocxNroll]

Broke taipiece?! HOW???

[@TheTrollMastah]

If my friend was taking a Kennedy dollar to my Les Paul Custom I’d knock his ass out

[@christophermondoux8408]

3:08 the right side of that stoptail is pretty precarious...

[@michaelgallagher3640]

Nope... It be broke.

[@paulproductions9213]

Gibson Original hardware over all

[@mikejamieson4252]

Norm is jealous

[@TempoDrift1480]

I'm always curious to know if a high end store like this actually pays high end prices to the customer or if they just offer them like $4400 and turn around and sell it for $75,000? The way I see it, I dont think a store should make 5 figures just to flip a guitar. It's not like a house where they out $40 grand into new roof and flooring, windows and all that shit. I can see a grand for security and insurance but it shouldn't be up to one single guitar to pay the rent and bills for two years all by itself.

[@ryan-zq4el]

Will u accept one of my kidneys & a 61 reissue gibson SG as payment? ;)

[@stepvanjoe3469]

no $$$?