1979 Gibson Les Paul Standard Tobacco Sunburst w/Chainsaw Case

This is an all-original 1979 Gibson Les Paul Standard in Tobacco Sunburst with one of the most striking flame maple tops you'll find on a Norlin-era Standard. No modifications, no repairs, no replaced parts — everything on this guitar is as it left the Kalamazoo factory in August 1979.

Overall condition is Very Good for a 46-year-old instrument that has clearly been played and enjoyed. The top is in excellent shape — the flame pops beautifully and there are no lacquer cracks anywhere on the guitar. The back is where this one has lived its life. There's buckle rash across the lower back, polish swirl, and a good amount of scattered scratches and small nicks throughout — all cosmetic and none into the wood. The body sides show a few small dings along the edges, with minor finish chips visible near the binding at the lower bout. Up at the headstock, there's a small chip on the treble-side tip that has gone through the finish to bare wood, and some lacquer wear along the edges of both ears. The neck heel area shows light surface scratching consistent with years of play.

All hardware is original and functions as it should — chrome-covered T-Top humbuckers, Nashville Tune-o-matic bridge, stopbar tailpiece, Gibson-branded Schaller keystone tuners, and original gold speed knobs with cream toggle switch tip. Electronics are untouched.

Weight: 10 lb 11 oz

Includes the original Gibson chainsaw case. The case exterior shows its age with scuffing and wear but it's fully functional with the blue plush interior intact.

The late-1970s Les Paul Standard doesn't get the reverence of a '59 Burst, and it doesn't carry the price tag of one either — but the best examples from this era are seriously good guitars that players are finally giving the credit they deserve. This is one of those examples.

Built at Gibson's Kalamazoo plant in 1979, this Standard carries a flame maple top that's genuinely exceptional for any era, let alone the Norlin years when figured tops were far from guaranteed. The original T-Top humbuckers — Gibson's workhorse humbucker from the mid-'60s through 1980 — deliver that slightly hotter, more articulate voice that a lot of players actually prefer for rock and blues work. Nearly five decades of aging in the mahogany and maple have done what time does to good tonewoods, and that's not something you can buy new.

Everything here is original and correct for a 1979 Standard: 3-piece maple neck, rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlays, chrome hardware throughout, and the classic Gibson control layout. This one has been played honestly and cared for well enough that it's still all-original nearly half a century later — and that's increasingly uncommon for these guitars, given how many had their T-Tops pulled in the '80s in favor of aftermarket pickups.

Body: Maple top, mahogany back
Neck: 3-piece maple, set
Fingerboard: Rosewood, 12" radius
Inlays: Pearloid trapezoid
Frets: 22
Scale Length: 24-3/4"
Nut Width: 1-11/16"
Pickups: T-Top humbuckers, chrome covered
Bridge: Nashville Tune-o-matic
Tailpiece: Stopbar
Tuners: Gibson-branded Schaller keystone
Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone, 3-way toggle switch
Hardware: Chrome
Binding: Cream (body top, back, headstock, neck)
Finish: Nitrocellulose lacquer, Tobacco Sunburst
Weight: 10 lb 11 oz
Serial Number: 72209085
Manufactured: Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1979