The Music Zoo Archives
1 / 7
Used 2013 Gibson Custom Shop Collector's Choice #8 1959 Les Paul "The Beast" Electric Guitar Dirty Lemon — 1 Used 2013 Gibson Custom Shop Collector's Choice #8 1959 Les Paul "The Beast" Electric Guitar Dirty Lemon — 2 Used 2013 Gibson Custom Shop Collector's Choice #8 1959 Les Paul "The Beast" Electric Guitar Dirty Lemon — 3 Used 2013 Gibson Custom Shop Collector's Choice #8 1959 Les Paul "The Beast" Electric Guitar Dirty Lemon — 4 Used 2013 Gibson Custom Shop Collector's Choice #8 1959 Les Paul "The Beast" Electric Guitar Dirty Lemon — 5 Used 2013 Gibson Custom Shop Collector's Choice #8 1959 Les Paul "The Beast" Electric Guitar Dirty Lemon — 6 Used 2013 Gibson Custom Shop Collector's Choice #8 1959 Les Paul "The Beast" Electric Guitar Dirty Lemon — 7
thumbnail 1 thumbnail 2 thumbnail 3 thumbnail 4 thumbnail 5 thumbnail 6 thumbnail 7

Used 2013 Gibson Custom Shop Collector's Choice #8 1959 Les Paul "The Beast" Electric Guitar Dirty Lemon

Collector's Choice #8 1959 Les Paul "The Beast" · #CC 08A 280
BrandGibson
TypeAcoustic Guitars
Serial No.CC 08A 280
PhotographyActual Photos
Archive ID27555
Shop all Gibson →

Have a question about this item?

Our knowledgeable team can help with this guitar's history, condition, and playability — plus trades, consignment, financing, and shipping. Want one like it? Let us know and we'll notify you.

Call to speak with an expert: (516) 626-9292

The Story

Used 2013 Custom Shop Collector's Choice #8 1959 Les Paul "The Beast" Electric Guitar Dirty Lemon

Here's a pre-owned CC#8, the Beast '59 Les Paul. This guitar is a fantastic player, and is in excellent condition with all wear original to the work done by the Gibson Custom Shop. It includes the original case and certificate. It was part of a run of only 300 guitars.

The Collector's Choice #8 1959 Les Paul is called “The Beast” for good reason. It is based off the workhorse guitar owned by legendary Whitesnake rocker, Bernie Marsden, which has been on stages all over the world and had its fair share of wear and tear. Marsden has been in a number of bands besides Whitesnake, plus a vast array of side and solo projects, and his reliable ’59 has been the axe that’s been ripping it up on a number of hits with its signature tone.

Using state-of-the-art digital scanning, Gibson Custom Shop has measured every nuance of the build, along with exact wear characteristics. The electronics and output of the guitar have also been measured with exacting detail so that each reissue can be given the same tonal response. Starting with a similar lightweight mahogany body, the Collector’s Choice #8 is topped with a similarly figured maple cap. A beefy 50’s neck is custom shaped to have a true-to-original profile. Two custom wound pickups, a Burstbucker #2 in the neck and a Burstbucker #3 in the bridge, recreate The Beast’s unique chimey-to-throaty tone range. Finally the guitar is given a “Dirty Lemon” burst finish and a relic treatment that makes it unmistakably a Marsden guitar.

This guitar also features the historic accuracy of Gibson Custom’s 20th Anniversary specs which were introduced in 2013. This includes a single-layer rosewood fingerboard, hot hide glue neck joint, accurate fingerboard and body binding color, historically accurate truss rod assembly, and genuine aniline dye for the guitar’s back, neck, and sides. Also with a nylon 6/6 nut, holly headstock veneer with pearl Gibson logo, reissue Kluson Deluxe tuners, ABR-1 bridge with lightweight aluminum stopbar tailpiece, and Bumble Bee tone caps, the Collector's Choice™ #8 1959 Les Paul is sparing no detail of accuracy.

Includes: Hardshell Case, Certificate of Authenticity

Sell Us Your Guitar

Have something similar? The Music Zoo buys, trades, and consigns.
Sell Your Guitar →

The Specifications

As it left The Music Zoo Tech Bench.
  • 8 lbs, 10 oz.
  • Dirty Lemon Burst Aged Finish
  • Limited Edition
  • Historically Accurate Truss Rod System
  • Figured Maple Top
  • Solid Lightweight Mahogany Body
  • One Piece Rosewood Fretboard
  • Mahogany Neck with a Maple Spline
  • Custom '50s Rounded Neck Profile
  • 24-3/4" Scale Length
  • 1-11/16" Nut Width
  • 22 Frets
  • .910" Neck Profile at Nut
  • .980" Neck Profile at 12th Fret
  • Custom Wound Burstbucker #2 and #3 Pickups
  • ABR-1 Bridge
  • Aluminum Stopbar Tailpiece
  • Trapezoid Inlays
  • Kluson™ Green Key Tuners
  • Gold Top Hats with Dial Pointers
  • CTS Pots
  • Bumblebee Capacitors

Brand Spotlight

The Gibson story, from The Music Zoo.