Gibson CS Billy Gibbons Pearly Gates ’59 Les Paul Standard Made in USA 2009 Serial Number BG128 Custom Shop Les Paul Std based on Billy Gibbon’s legendary ’59 Les Paul Standard used on every ZZ Top recording. Gibson produced this guitar in both VOS and Murphy aged variations in very limited runs, with a select few signed by Gibbons himself. Featuring specially voiced hum buckers based on the PAFs found in the original guitar. Number 128 of the original 250 VOS instruments this guitar is in excellent condition and comes with its original Gibson Custom Les Paul hardshell case with Billy Gibbons’ signature silkscreened on the front, suede covered Certificate of authenticity, Custom guitar shroud and hang tags . From Gibson. “The new Billy Gibbons ‘Pearly Gates’ Les Paul is as close as it gets to owning the real thing. And it all starts with the traditional marriage of select tonewoods that make up Pearly Gates’ body – a solid, non-weight relieved mahogany back topped with a hand-carved figured maple top that was carefully selected especially for Gibbons’ Pearly Gates model. The maple tops from the late 1950s and early 1960s remain one of the Les Paul’s most distinguishing features, and the tops selected for the Billy Gibbons ‘Pearly Gates’ are as beautiful and figured as the one that adorns the original. Single-ply cream binding surrounds the top of each guitar, helping to protect its edges but also adding a touch of elegance that remains a fundamental part of Gibson’s rich guitar-making history.” “One of the more storied aspects of Gibson’s legendary Les Pauls of the late 1950s were the variations of the initial Billy Gibbons Burst finishes applied to them. Because of an inconsistency in the initial batch of red paint, the finished color had a tendency to fade when exposed to the elements. Of course, the amount of fading was determined by each guitar’s exposure to the elements, resulting in several improbable variations of the same finish. On Billy Gibbons’ celebrated Pearly Gates, the finish has darkened somewhat around the edges, but the beautiful grain of the figured maple top comes through prominently all the way around the guitar. The master craftsmen at Gibson Custom have successfully recreated this subtle variation on the new Billy Gibbons ‘Pearly Gates’ Les Paul, even down to the original’s distinct red mahogany back. Granted, no two guitars can ever possibly have exactly the same top and finish. But this may be as close as it gets.”