The Beauty of the 'Burst: Gibson Sunburst Les Pauls from '58 to '60

by Yasuhiko Iwanade

Finally, the long-awaited English edition of this historic Japanese book is here! The Beauty of the 'Burst pays tribute to Gibson's magnificent Sunburst Les Pauls made between 1958 and 1960, the most highly prized solidbody electric guitars ever. The magnitude of their value is directly related to their look (outrageous wood patterns, or “figured” timber), since non-players are paying top dollar for them. The book features lavish full-color photos of these beautiful instruments throughout; the guitars of famous players; a foreword by Ted McCarty; a bio of the author, world renowned collector Yasuhiko Iwanade; and the “Science of the Burst” section with over 30 pages of detailed reference facts on every facet of the guitar, including colors, wood figure, pick-ups, hardware and qualities of “voice.” This may be the closest guitarists will ever be able to get to these incredibly collectible beauties! 216 pages, 8-1/2″ x 11″ Softcover

Genres: Nonfiction, Music

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 1999

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ultimate les paul porn book! Full of great pics and interesting facts about the 58-60s les Pauls

[Joel Wong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good photos, explanation of the various tops

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving, ultra-detailed book written by a Japanese collector on a very, very niche topic.

[Serge Pierro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a STUNNING collection of Sunburst Les Pauls from 1958-1960. Each guitar is presented with a complete photograph of the front, along with other views. The best view is the one in which the guitar is angled to show off the beauty of the Maple cap. Concise, but interesting, information is presented with each guitar. (including sections on the P.A.F. pickups and the different methods of cutting the woods for the tops.) I was surprised as I "gasped" at the beauty of some of these tops - gorgeous guitars! Guitar porn at its finest!

[Jpaflas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book and it's all about the photos. The only other person I know that might care just a bit is my brother Nick.

[Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Words fail me.