Launched in 2010 and discontinued by the end of the decade, the Collector’s Choice series aimed to reproduce some of the best known 'Burst and Goldtop models from 1957 to 1960. As a level above the ‘Historic’ models, Gibson painstakingly sourced and selected woods to best match the originals, and went about ageing each guitar by hand to recreate the look, feel, condition and patina of each model.

This is a superb replica of awesome looking "Shanks" Burst, serial no. 0 0289, owned by songwriter/producer John Shanks. It's an "00" or double-O serial number which means it was produced early in 1960 and still retains the all important '59 specs and features including the neck profile, neck tenon and the red Analine dye that is so important to collectors and people looking for that desirable, subtle faded look before the formula changed and the red colour got way more prominent. 

This guitar has a really nice deep ruby/brown sunburst with a beautiful grained Maple top. Like the original, it's not the flamiest you'll see, but it has a wonderful looking grain and mineral streaks that give us loads of character. The colour on this example is nicely faded with the perimeter holding on to some darker red-ish brown finish that frames the top nicely. As is so often the case with the Collectors Choice range, Gibson have replicated the original so well, with some excellent attention to details. The Murphy ageing is excellent, detailing the fine lacquer checking and wear present on the original. The yellowed binding and aged Nickel hardware finishes off what is a fantastic looking Les Paul. 

The neck is typical '59 - full in the hand but supportive and comfortable, and overall this guitar plays incredibly well. The necks on these models were digitally scanned so they could perfectly replicate the originals. Pickups sound excellent offering PAF-like tones in abundance! The neck pickup is fairly hot, giving a rich sound full of harmonics, perfect for those flutey lead lines up the neck! The bridge pickup is airy and bright and overall this is a great sounding Les Paul.

Gibson's Collectors Choice series has produced some of the best Gibson guitars for decades, and we feel these are set to be great investments for the future. The work that goes in to each individual model is inspiring, and very apparent with the first strum. This is a fantastic recreation of one of the world's most desirable guitars, and it comes complete with the original case, COA booklet and hang tags.