Joe Walsh is a rare and distinguished member of the rock and roll élite who has managed to retain his distinctive and instantly recognizable tone and playing style through the course of a career spanning five decades. From joining the James Gang in 1968, to his long and ongoing solo career, to his pivotal role as lead guitarist with the Eagles, that thick, rich, sustaining Les Paul tone has remained the centerpiece of Joe’s sound. Now the look, feel, and tone of his own exalted original 1960 Les Paul Standard has been recreated in exacting detail by the world-renowned craftspeople of Gibson Custom as the Joe Walsh 1960 Les Paul Standard.Working closely with Joe Walsh, the guitar’s current owner, and the guitar itself, Gibson Custom has analyzed this rare original ’Burst in exacting detail, reproducing it with unprecedented precision in a Limited Run totaling 250 guitars: 50 hand-aged by Tom Murphy and signed by the artist, a further 75 Murphy aged, and 125 treated to Gibson’s proprietary VOS processes. The result is a dead-on 1960 Standard that not only offers every drop of that legendary Joe Walsh tone, but which also presents the magical look and feel of this beloved artist’s guitar.From the carefully hand-selected maple top, to the accurate “tangerine burst” finish, to a neck profile measured precisely from the original guitar, to the Custom Bucker PAF-style pickups and period-correct electronics, the Joe Walsh 1960 Les Paul Standard is a stunning recreation of one of the most desirable electric guitars ever made. In addition, as a member of the 2013 class of Historic instruments, the Joe Walsh 1960 Les Paul features Gibson Custom’s 20th Anniversary Specifications: genuine aniline dye back and sides, historically accurate truss rod assembly with no tubing, hot hide glue neck joint, historically accurate binding color, and 1 piece Rosewood fingerboard. All together, it presents a rare opportunity to own the closest thing possible to this historic artist guitar. Reserve yours now at your authorized Gibson Custom dealer.
Body and Neck
Gibson Custom lays down the foundation for the Joe Walsh 1960 Les Paul Standard by marrying a solid, lightweight, one-piece, Grade-A mahogany body with a top carved from maple that has been hand selected to match the look of Joe’s original guitar. A thin nitrocellulose “tangerine burst” finish and your choice of hand aging by Tom Murphy or Gibson’s VOS treatment complete the authentic look and feel. A quarter-sawn Grade-A mahogany neck is carved to an accurate 1960 profile that measures 0.800” at the 1st fret and 0.854” at the 12th, and topped with a one-piece, Grade-A rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlays made from period-correct cellulose nitrate, and a nylon 6/6 nut at the top end.
Pickups and Electronics
To ensure that the Joe Walsh 1960 Les Paul Standard sounds every bit as sublime as it looks, Gibson Custom loads it with a pair of Custom Bucker pickups, made with Alnico III magnets and wound to precisely match the specs of Joe’s original PAF humbuckers. The traditional four-knob Les Paul control complement includes “bumble bee” tone capacitors on the tone potentiometers, and a three-way pickup selector.
Hardware and Plastics
The accurate ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge is set up with its saddles slanted precisely as found on Joe’s original guitar, and partners with a lightweight aluminum stopbar tailpiece. A set of Grover™ kidney-button tuners, a common upgrade on guitars of the era, offer smooth and precise tuning. The body and fingerboard binding, pickguard, truss-rod cover, switch ring, and control cavity covers are all period-correct for shape and color, and the guitar’s controls carries four gold Top Hat knobs with silver Vol/Tone inserts.
Case and Extras
All guitars include a Gibson Custom hardshell case. Fifty guitars will be hand-aged by Tom Murphy and signed by the artist and come complete with a leather-bound Certificate of Authenticity. All guitars include Certificate of Authenticity, owner’s manual and adjustment literature, and are covered by Gibson Custom’s Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 Customer Service.
