1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard – Sunburst -Burst “Rosie”

1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard – Sunburst – Burst “Rosie”

We present an exceptional 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard – Sunburst “Burst”. Made in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

This Burst has not yet been registered on burstserial.com. We leave it up to the next owner to decide whether the serial number should be published. Now you have the chance to get it listed on burstserial.com.

The story of Rosie

This historical piece of Gibson history comes from the original owner in McNabb, IL, dating back to August 2021.

This original 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard and Gibson amplifier were given brand new to Rosie as a gift from her parents. Rosie played it in her three-piece band, The Rhythmettes, for around four or five years before getting married and having children. Marriage and kids became a higher priority than guitars. The band broke up, and she lost interest in playing guitar. Therefore, this incredible Burst has been stored in its case since then.

Fast forward to when one of her children had a daughter who wanted to learn to play guitar. She didn’t have an electric guitar, so she asked Grandma Rosie about hers. Rosie was pleased her granddaughter wanted to play and happily lent her the guitar after digging it out of the closet. After comparing similar guitars online, the granddaughter quickly realized this was not a reissue — this was the real deal. Rosie was not fully aware of how valuable a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard Sunburst truly is.

In August 2021, Rosie contacted John Shults, founder and owner of True Vintage Guitar, to sell it. John connected Rosie with a guitar collector who offered a price that really impressed her.

John from True Vintage Guitar is a good friend of ours. When we heard about this guitar with full documentation and provenance back in August, we became very interested. We contacted John to get in touch with the collector to see if they were willing to sell the guitar and amp. Thankfully, John made it happen. By February 2022, we acquired this beautiful Gibson Les Paul Standard “Burst” with the matching Gibson amplifier. We were thrilled and incredibly excited.

Three years later, in February 2025, we were fortunate enough to buy it back from the person we sold it to in 2022.

Condition and originality of this 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard “Burst”

This Gibson Les Paul Standard is today nicknamed “Rosie”. Overall, it is an amazingly clean original Gibson Les Paul ‘Burst’. It has remained with its original owner from when it was bought brand new in 1960 until August 2021. Furthermore, it is especially rare because it includes all paperwork, tags, and documentation that track the guitar’s entire history. A bulletproof Burst, completely original throughout! Exactly as it left the Kalamazoo factory in early 1960 — untouched and undisturbed from top to bottom.

The guitar features a beautiful flamed, book-matched top in Cherry Sunburst finish. This typical late ’59 finish precedes the so-called ‘Tomato Soup Burst’. The color remains strong with minor fading, and the back is a deep, vibrant red with almost no fading. It has a one-piece mahogany body and neck, a dark rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid celluloid inlays. The neck profile is comfortable and best described as a typical ’60 profile. The original finish is in fantastic shape with only minor finish checking.

The original Kluson tuners turn and work perfectly, but the tuner buttons have crumbled slightly over time. Since they had shrunk, as many do, we replaced them with exact replicas. There are no additional holes or marks from the replacement, so the guitar’s value and integrity remain intact. The original tuners are included for the next owner to decide whether to reinstall them.

The original P.A.F. humbuckers are incredible and sound fantastic — well-balanced and powerful. One ‘double white’ P.A.F. is in the neck position. The pickup covers have never been removed, and the “Patent Applied For” decal under both pickups remains clean. The control cavity and toggle switch cavity are factory stock and undisturbed. The original nut and frets are like new with plenty of life left.

The serial number indicates this guitar was built and assembled in the first quarter of 1960. It also features four original gold knobs, confirming it is an early ’60 model, as Gibson switched to gold reflector knobs from transparent top hats later that year.

Pickups, electronics, and wiring remain untouched and intact, with no broken solder joints or rewound pickups — all original and correct.

Comes complete with its original brown hardshell case with pink interior. Latches and handle are in perfect working order.

Note: Our friend and photographer Eleanor Jane took stunning pictures of “Rosie” in 2022. We are very grateful for the beautiful photos and have included one at the end of the product pictures. That image was also featured in the “Bursts & Goldtops Calendar 2023,” which we are proud of.

Specs

Call or e-mail for more details

With your purchase you get picture documentation on a USB drive and a Certificate of Authenticity. Read more