bsteff666

https://youtu.be/fPPCPqDINEk?si=RTYtvx2epnThoAiv

Not bursted over TV Yellow. TV Yellow is a different process and formula from the yellow that you find in the center of the sunburst 50’s Juniors. The sunburst on this guitar is completely different from either of those. It is very opaque and the center has a rich golden hue. There has been plenty of speculation of how different it may have looked in 1960. Was it a more distinctively purple shade that faded out to brown? It is so hard to tell.

Actually…the back AND the neck are bursted. Plenty of folks have called dibs… Brian Ray and Charlie Starr among them…but I don’t think I will be parting with it any time soon. It is a really special guitar. The neck on it is actually bigger than the necks on any of my 50’s Juniors. This one came into my possession years ago via someone on one of the Les Paul forums. It ended up for sale in the classifieds there and actually did not sell right away because there were some that questioned the originality of the finish. If you have had your hands on enough of these…you know it when you see it. Even from pictures…it is undeniable if you know what you are looking at. Plus this guitar spent some time over in the UK and passed through the hands of some people that I trust.

Well…doublecut Juniors really didn’t come in sunburst. (Although I have seen a pic of one other one that was taken at a guitar show years back- It was a ‘59.) Since you asked…This sunburst ‘60 is a unicorn of sorts. The finish is absolutely original. This one is thought to possibly have been built for the 1960 trade show (NAMM before it was called NAMM)…but this really can’t be verified…as this guitar falls in the “missing Gibson log books” date range. This particular guitar is often referred to as the “purpleburst” as the finish looks purple in certain light. Brian Ray has a ‘62 SG Junior in the same finish. His appears to be another unicorn.

Import guitars have come such a long way from the import guitars of my youth. The other guitarist in my band picked up the Firefly John 5 Tele copy. It is unreal how good the neck & fretwork are…and the pickups are actually nice too. Really a nice guitar at a crazy good price. Being a Les Paul Junior guy… I’m really tempted to check out those new Made in China single pickup/wraparound bridge singlecuts from Gretsch.

That is very cool. Feel free to post more pics. I don’t think anyone here would object.

I enjoy my Rock N Roll Relics as well.

Stripped ‘61 Polaris White ‘63.

Just the sunbursts. Just the TV’s.

‘58, ‘59, ‘60 doublecuts. Pair of ‘56’s.

Very cool guitar that I would love to own. Silly price that I would not pay.

I’ve been watching that one on Reverb. I suppose it is possible that it left the factory with a checkerboard Special logo.

That one used to be mine. It is a great guitar. I really should have kept it. Yes…the neck is more substantial than any other early 80’s Special I’ve played. It was really the width that made the biggest impact. It’s wider than any of the others I have & it has a wider spaced bridge as well. The finish is opaque with a very fine metallic in it. But in the right light…you can see the flame and it is a nice looking top.

Nice. Love the checkerboard graphic. But I actually kind of like the worn Evel graphic as well.

Haha… Well… My ‘98 Phantom in TV Yellow has a black guard.

Such a tough call. I really like both.