Gibson Vintage Sunburst Guitars are highly collectable and worth far more than the same guitar minus a coat of paint! So what’s a coat of paint worth to you? Well a 1957 Les Paul Standard guitar with PAF Hombucker’s goes for around $45,000 to $100,000, whereas a 1958 -1960 Les Paul Standard with the translucent Cherry Sunburst paint finish in a reasonably original condition will fetch north of $180,000 on a bad day! Not bad for a coat of paint eh? Gibson introduced the new finish in an effort to jump start static sales and just look at them now.

On the vintage market, the crucial factors in the value of a 1958-1960 Les Paul are the condition of the finish far more so than its actual sound or playability.

Gibson have now introduced the 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard Plain Top VOS. The guitar begins with a solid mahogany back and carved plain maple top. The one-piece mahogany neck is topped with a rosewood fretboard that's offset with trapezoid inlays with a shape and color true to the original. The 1950s rounded neck profile delivers the vintage feel that guitarists love and the BurstBucker 1 and 2 pickups deliver famous vintage LP tone.

Vintage Original Spec series instruments receive a special nitro-cellulose finish treatment yielding the patina of a gently-aged vintage guitar while handcrafting enhances comfort and playability. Each VOS model has a solid mahogany back; historically accurate long-neck tenon for strength and sustain; and period-correct neck profile, hardware, and electronics.

Is it worth buying at around $3,000? Oh Yes!. Give it around seven years for the wood to mature and the finish to mellow and you are looking at a modern classic. Not many things out there to buy that give you enjoyment and make you money.

Here's a bigger question for all of you sitting on $200,000. Is it worth buying a good original, vintage sunburst guitar? No promises but these things seem to defy gravity. They do say that what goes up does come down. No sign yet of these coming down at all but my advice is buy them to play and enjoy not just to put in the bank vault.safe.

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