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StoriesThis ’58 Les Paul is for Sale at Reverb for a Ridiculous Price
📅 Published : - Author : Dan Kopilovic
📌 Posted under: Interesting Guitars
When it comes to vintage Les Paul Standards, there are three years that everyone is after – 1958, 1959, and 1960. However, 1959 is the magic year, and guitars made in this year are often referred to as the “Holy Grails”.
The guitar that’s selling right now on Reverb is a model made in 1958, with a Bigsby tremolo. So, it’s not the Holy Grail, but nonetheless, the price seems to indicate that the guitar is very special. The current bit is a ridiculous $282,359!
What makes it so special?
One thing that probably makes this Les Paul special is that it was played by several well-known guitarists and that it was at one point owned by Alan Rogan. Alan was a guitar tech for Pete Townsend, but he also worked with Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Keith Richards, and others.
Unfortunately, the listing doesn’t provide any specific information about who exactly played it but based on the list of people with whom Alan worked, this could indeed be a very interesting guitar and an important one. (We’ve reached out to the seller asking for specific names)
The two names that stick out are Eric Clapton and Keith Richards. Why? Well, because both of them played Les Paul Standards with Bigsbys. Keith had his famous “Keith-burst” around 1964, and Eric was seen playing one at the Windsor Jazz and Blues Festival in Berkshire, England in July 1966.
Keith-burst?
Keith’s Les Paul is probably one of the most important guitars in rock history since he was largely responsible for popularizing the model, and popularizing 1959 as the most important year for Les Paul.
So yes, his Les Paul was by all accounts a ’59 model, so even though it would very exciting if the guitar that appeared on Reverb was by some miracle the Keith-burst, that seems very unlikely. If this was indeed Keith’s guitar, the price would easily be above 1 million.
You can read more about Keith’s guitar here Keith Richards’ 1959 Gibson Les Paul “Keith Burst”
Eric Clapton’s Burst?
As already noted, Eric was only seen playing a Bigsby Les Paul Standard once, in July 1966. So, if this is that guitar, it would be a lot less special, but special nonetheless.
Unfortunately, that guitar is even more of a mystery than Keith-burst, and no one seems to know what happened to it. Some have even speculated that they are the same guitar, and Eric just borrowed it from Keith since his guitar got stolen a couple of days earlier.
In any case, if you wanna learn more about this guitar, check out Eric Clapton’s 1950s Gibson Les Paul Standard.
So whose guitar is it?
Unfortunately, until we get more information from the seller, this information is unknown. However, what can be concluded from the price, and the fact that several people are bidding for the guitar, is that this is not just a regular ’58 Les Paul.
We’ll keep following the auction, and update the page if any new information becomes available.
You can see the auction page yourself at: Gibson Les Paul Standard from the Alan Rogan Collection ex celebrity owner 1958 Sunburst – Reverb.com.
Update
Thanks to Adam in the comments, it has been revealed that this guitar used to belong to John Squire of the band The Stone Roses. According to an interview with Guitarist magazine in 2024, he used this guitar on the tracks “I’m So Bored” and “Not The Only One” which he recorded with Liam Gallagher.
Based on that same interview, the guitar was somewhat of a recent purchase for him, which means that he did not use it in any of his earlier works.
It’s also unclear why the guitar has been for sale ever since 2021 (there’s a Facebook post by Denmark Street guitar of this guitar dated November 2021), and why already at that point, it was labeled as “formerly owned” by John when we have an interview from 2024 where he still has the guitar.
That is not the Keith Richards burst, the one above belongs to John squire of the Stone Roses
Alright, I will try to dig up some more info on it and update the page. Thanks!