Gibson's so-called "fretless wonder" got a bit more futuristic with the arrival of the silverburst finish in 1978. This example is in very good shape, with minimal wear and the greening that often occurs on vintage models.
Within this general rising tide of Les Paul Custom popularity and value, today's focal model, the silverburst Les Paul Custom, has seen an even more pronounced jump. These guitars were produced by Gibson starting in 1978 in very limited numbers and underwent a few spec changes before being discontinued in the mid-'80s. Sale prices on this specific group of guitars surged 28 percent in 2020 over 2019, with a 52 percent increase in prices since 2017. Just a few years ago, original silverburst Customs were selling comfortably in the $3,000 to $5,000 range. Today, we're seeing the best examples go for more than double that.
The basic configuration of the single-cutaway Les Paul has remained no nonsense for more than 60 years, with two pickups, four dials, a 3-way toggle, and a Tune-o-matic bridge at its core.
While there are always a variety of drivers behind such a jump in the pricing of a vintage collectible guitar, an artist or stylistic association is certainly part of the equation. Customs claim a certain reputation as metal guitars—think Metallica, Mastodon, and Zakk Wylde—and while plenty of classic-rock titans have employed them over the years, it could be that there are more metal and hard-rock fans getting into the vintage market than in previous periods, driving up prices. For this group, a dapper Les Paul Custom makes a lot more sense as a guitar splurge than something like a sunburst or goldtop Standard.
With no belt rash or other notable dings or scrapes on the back of its mahogany body, this guitar was handled with care. Note the well-defined back binding and lack of chipping along the edges, too.
This column's featured guitar is an original 1979 in very good vintage condition, listed on Reverb by Nationwide Guitars of Cumberland, Maryland, at $8,999 as we go to press. It sports the specs typical of its year and model: a 3-piece maple top with a mahogany body, a medium C-shape maple neck, an ebony fretboard with white binding, a bone nut, mother-of-peal block inlays, a Tune-o-matic bridge, a pair of humbuckers, a 3-way pickup selector, and a black version of the usual Les Paul dual volume and tone controls. Note that the finish shows some greening, which is typical of vintage silverbursts.
True to its roots, this Custom sports a larger headstock, which identifies it as a product of the era when Gibson was owned by the Norlin Corporation.
In the case of this month's silverburst, we can confidently point to the 2020 launch of a Custom Shop reissue of Adam Jones of Tool's trusty '79 as the culprit. This sort of high-profile reissue often has the effect of spurring collector interest in its vintage counterpart, and this can be even more of a factor when the new reissues are sold at prices that are similar to or higher than the originals, which is the case with this model. The Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS was also teased for a long while before going into production, creating more sustained silverburst hype, and this publicity was only amplified by news of a batch of these guitars being stolen this past November. While our guitar has some of the aforementioned finish greening in its center silver section, it's retained its original silverburst glow better than many of its brethren, which is appealing to collectors and players alike.
Years played: 30+
Home turf: Lehigh Valley, PA
Current/former bands: I’ve been treading water in a sea of obscurity for the past 15 years under my own name.
Website:ScottBradoka.com
First guitar: My first ‘real’ guitar was a borrowed Martin acoustic from my cousin. When that went back, I got a Phoenix Electra Strat style electric.
Favorite guitar: I currently own 120+ guitars, many of which are featured in my new hardcover book, My Collection. My main guitar is my 1956 Les Paul. It has been with me on every gig since 2001. It’s well worn, but feels like home.
Favorite amp: My 1963 Vox AC30 is my go-to amp, though I used a Suhr Badger and Zinky pretty much on the new tracks of my latest 2CD/DVD release, Everything.
Favorite effect: A touch of delay. Live I use a Line 6 Echo Pro.
Favorite strings: 10-46
Favorite cable: Monster cable
Other gear in my stash:
I have a huge collection of guitars and amps. As stated above, over 120 guitars and currently over 25 amps. I have a number of old Gibson amps from the 1950s, a few Vox AC30s from the 1960s, a killer 1968 50 watt Marshall, along with some great new amps like a Zinky, Suhr and 65 Amps SoHo. My guitar collection focuses on 1950s and 1960s Fender, Gibson, and Gretsch guitars, though I do have some recent models plus oddball pieces.
Give us the back story on an item in your gear stash that you’ve sent a photo of: The black 1958 Fender Stratocaster was purchased from Eric Johnson. Eric originally purchased it in 1976 and it was stolen from him in 1982. In a Guitar Player interview he stated it was the best Strat he had ever owned. He eventually got the guitar back in 2006. I purchased it from him in Nov ’08. Out of the 15-20 Strats I own, it is definitely THE one.
Share a gear or gig story with Premier Guitar readers:
One of the coolest moments I have had was when we were opening dates for Jeff Beck in Germany back in ’06. The first date was Berlin. We were playing this old castle… full-on wall around it with a moat. The dressing room setup was a large area just partitioned off by velvet curtains. While I was sitting in my area changing strings, Jeff Beck was right on the other side of the curtain practicing for much of the afternoon. It was a pretty surreal afternoon for me.
What’s your philosophy on tone?
It really is in the hands. For better or worse, after a few minutes with a guitar and amp, it’s going to sound like me. Of course certain gear will enhance the sound or inspire better performance, but it will still be a variation of ‘your’ tone.
Scott's Collection - A Portion
| Page 1 - Gibsons '55 Les Paul Jr. '55 Les Paul Special '56 Les Paul Goldtop '56 Les Paul Goldtop 2 '57 ES-225 '59 Les Paul Jr. '62 ES-335 '62 SG Les Paul '63 ES-355 | Page 2 - Fenders '52 Telecaster '57 Esquire '57 Stratocaster '58 Stratocaster '65 Stratocaster '66 Stratocaster | Page 3 - The Rest '58 Grestch Silver Jet '69 Armstrong '73 Gretsch White Falcon Deusenberg Ron Wood Prototype Trussart Steelcaster |
1955 Les Paul Jr.
1955 Les Paul Special
1956 GoldTop
1956 Les Paul GoldTop
1957 ES-225
1959 Les Paul Jr.
1962 ES-335
1962 SG Les Paul
1966 ES-355
| To join Scott as a Premier Collector, send an e-mail with photos and a description of your gear to rebecca@premierguitar.com |
Premier Collector #11: Unique & Custom Basses
Premier Collector #10: One of Everything
Premier Collector #9: Pre-Gibson, Pre-Samick Valley Arts
Premier Collector #8: Vintage Strats and Custom Colors
Premier Collector #7: Martins and More
Premier Collector #6: Custom-Built Strats and Fender Tube Amps
Premier Collector #5: The Vintage Room
Premier Collector #4: Oddballs
Premier Collector #3: Vintage Fender Amps and Guitars
Premier Collector #2: Gibson Customs and Modded Marshalls
Premier Collector #1: Kramers, Coronados and More
Scott's Collection - A Portion
| Page 1 - Gibsons '55 Les Paul Jr. '55 Les Paul Special '56 Les Paul Goldtop '56 Les Paul Goldtop 2 '57 ES-225 '59 Les Paul Jr. '62 ES-335 '62 SG Les Paul '63 ES-355 | Page 2 - Fenders '52 Telecaster '57 Esquire '57 Stratocaster '58 Stratocaster '65 Stratocaster '66 Stratocaster | Page 3 - The Rest '58 Grestch Silver Jet '69 Armstrong '73 Gretsch White Deusenberg Ron Wood Prototype Trussart Steelcaster |
1952 Telecaster
1955 Esquire
1957 Stratocaster
1958 Stratocaster (purchased from Eric Johnson)
1965 Stratocaster
1966 Stratocaster
| To join Scott as a Premier Collector, send an e-mail with photos and a description of your gear to rebecca@premierguitar.com |
Premier Collector #11: Unique & Custom Basses
Premier Collector #10: One of Everything
Premier Collector #9: Pre-Gibson, Pre-Samick Valley Arts
Premier Collector #8: Vintage Strats and Custom Colors
Premier Collector #7: Martins and More
Premier Collector #6: Custom-Built Strats and Fender Tube Amps
Premier Collector #5: The Vintage Room
Premier Collector #4: Oddballs
Premier Collector #3: Vintage Fender Amps and Guitars
Premier Collector #2: Gibson Customs and Modded Marshalls
Premier Collector #1: Kramers, Coronados and More
| Page 1 - Gibsons '55 Les Paul Jr. '55 Les Paul Special '56 Les Paul Goldtop '56 Les Paul Goldtop 2 '57 ES-225 '59 Les Paul Jr. '62 ES-335 '62 SG Les Paul '63 ES-355 | Page 2 - Fenders '52 Telecaster '57 Esquire '57 Stratocaster '58 Stratocaster '65 Stratocaster '66 Stratocaster | Page 3 - The Rest '58 Grestch Silver Jet '69 Armstrong '73 Gretsch White Falcon Deusenberg Ron Wood Prototype Trussart Steelcaster |
1958 Gretsch Silver Jet
1969 Dan Armstrong, set up for slide
1973 Gretsch White Falcon
Deusenberg Ron Wood Prototype
James Trussart Steelcaster, nicknamed "Skully"
| To join Scott as a Premier Collector, send an e-mail with photos and a description of your gear to rebecca@premierguitar.com |
Premier Collector #11: Unique & Custom Basses
Premier Collector #10: One of Everything
Premier Collector #9: Pre-Gibson, Pre-Samick Valley Arts
Premier Collector #8: Vintage Strats and Custom Colors
Premier Collector #7: Martins and More
Premier Collector #6: Custom-Built Strats and Fender Tube Amps
Premier Collector #5: The Vintage Room
Premier Collector #4: Oddballs
Premier Collector #3: Vintage Fender Amps and Guitars
Premier Collector #2: Gibson Customs and Modded Marshalls
Premier Collector #1: Kramers, Coronados and More