The Guitar Player's Resource
Picture this: you're looking for a guitar that can handle everything from melodic rock to screaming solos. Neal Schon didn't become Journey's lead guitarist by accident - he chose an instrument that could deliver both power and precision. That classic Les Paul shape, those humbuckers, that sustain- it's a formula that works.
You think you understand what attention to detail means? Gibson's 1960 Les Paul Standard Reissue will change your mind. When Neal Schon, Eric Clapton, Joe Walsh, and Paul McCartney fell in love with those original '60 "Bursts," it wasn't just the tone - it was that fast-playing slim neck profile that made all the difference.
Here's where most companies would cut corners: Gibson analyzed vintage Kluson tuner plastics at the molecular level. They used hide glue construction like 1960. They recreated every invisible detail down to the straight-line tuner positioning and nitrate trapezoid inlay shapes. Why go this far? Because they understood something most manufacturers miss - authenticity isn't about looking vintage, it's about being vintage.
The electronics tell the real story. Vintage CTS potentiometers, paper-in-oil capacitors, Custombucker Alnico III humbuckers that replicate those impossible-to-find PAFs. The mahogany body, 2-piece figured maple top, Indian rosewood fingerboard—all exactly to 1960 specs. Even the Vintage Original Sheen finish package includes lightly aged parts because brand-new vintage doesn't exist.
Ask yourself this: when you're pursuing excellence in your own field, are you willing to go molecular-level deep? Gibson proved that the difference between good and legendary isn't in the obvious stuff everyone sees - it's in the obsessive attention to details that nobody will ever notice. That 12" radius fingerboard, those medium jumbo frets, that 1.69" nut width - they all matter because the sum total creates something that can't be faked.
The lesson? When you're recreating greatness, there's no such thing as "close enough."
General:
Number of Strings: 6
Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
Body:
Body Type: Solidbody
Body Shape: 1960 Les Paul Standard
Body Material: Mahogany
Top Material: 2-piece Figured Maple
Body Finish: VOS Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Color: Tangerine Burst
Neck:
Neck Material: Mahogany
Neck Shape: 1960 Slim Taper
Radius: 12"
Fingerboard Material: Indian Rosewood
Fingerboard Inlay: Nitrate Trapezoids
Number of Frets: 22, Medium Jumbo
Scale Length: 24.75"
Nut Width: 1.69"
Nut Material: Nylon
Hardware:
Bridge/Tailpiece: ABR-1 with Aluminum Stopbar
Tuners: Kluson Single Line
Electronics:
Neck Pickup: Custombucker Alnico III unpotted Humbucker
Bridge Pickup: Custombucker Alnico III unpotted Humbucker
Controls: 2 x volume, 2 x tone, 3-way toggle pickup switch
