Nothing Beats a Burst… But These 5 Guitars Come Close

FREE Lesson, Tab, and Backing Track on Patreon:   / lesson-packet-136125092  

After spending time with two real Bursts — a genuine 1959 and a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard — I wanted to explore some modern guitars that try to capture that magic.

In this video, I compare 5 of the best 1959 Les Paul alternatives based on tone, feel, and playing experience. These are the guitars that I believe come the closest to the real deal — and I’ve played them all extensively.

Listen to the blind shootout at the end and guess each guitar (A-F) in the comments below. Can you pick out the real '59 by ear? Which sounds best? Toggle via timestamps in pinned commend and or down below in the description. Stayed tuned for answers in the next video.

🎸 Guitars Featured:
Genuine Gibson 1959 Les Paul Standard
Gibson Murphy Lab 1959 Les Paul Standard
Johan Gustavsson Bluesmaster 59
Gil Yaron Bone 59
Bartlett Retrospec
Nik Huber Orca 59

🎧 All guitars recorded through a Carr Telstar, mic’d with a Royer 121 an Shure SM57 with no post EQ — what you hear is what was played.

Watch my deep dive on a real 1959 and 1960 Burst here →    • INSIDE A REAL 1959 & 1960 LES PAUL | Rare ...  

🔔 Subscribe for more guitar content:    / @ratherberiffing  

My Music: https://ratherberiffing.bandcamp.com/...

'59 burst courtesy of: www.briansguitars.com
Burst footage filmed by: Hollow Hill Media
Vintage ABR-1 vs. Modern:    • 1950s Gibson ABR-1 Bridge KILLS today's stuff  

Here's timestamps for the blind test at the end! Guess the 6 guitars and let me know your favorite (Burst, Murphy Lab, Gustavsson, Yaron, Bartlett, Huber). I'll post the answers in the next video!

—Intro—
A: 26:18
B: 27:44
C: 29:05
D: 30:29
E: 31:50
F: 33:14

—Volume Rolled Back—
A: 26:49
B: 28:14
C: 29:37
D: 31:00
E: 31:21
F: 33:45

— Lead —
A: 27:16
B: 28:40
C: 30:05
D: 31:27
E: 32:47
F: 34:11

#Gibson #LesPaul #VintageGuitars #BurstClone #guitarshootout

Happy to answer any questions!

Rock on,
Jonathan Z