Gibson Collector’s Choice #38 “Chicken Shack Burst” Aged #003 (2017)

2017 Gibson Custom Shop Collector's Choice #38 "Chicken Shack Burst" Aged 1960 Les Paul Limited Edition – single-digit serial no. 003, DiMarzio pickups, only 3.82 kg and plenty more.

Frighteningly close to a real Burst! A stroke of luck for anyone who doesn't have six figures lying around for an original.

If you've ever had the pleasure of playing a real Burst, you'll know exactly what we mean: this Collector's Choice #38 comes extremely close to an original – in looks, in feel and above all in tone. No surprise, since it's modelled on one of the most famous Bursts of all: the Les Paul with serial number 0 0205, known as the "Chicken Shack Burst". The original is one of the very earliest 1960 Les Pauls – and those were still built entirely to 1959 specs, with the same beefy neck profile, the thin sunburst finish and, on the rarest examples like this one, a breathtakingly flamed top.

The guitar takes its name from Stan Webb, founder of the band Chicken Shack, who played it live into the '80s. In the early '90s it went to Vic DaPra in the USA and has been immortalised in books including "The Beauty of the 'Burst" and "Burst Believers III". For the Collector's Choice series, Burst expert Drew Berlin worked closely with the Gibson Custom Shop to capture the original down to the last detail. How many were built depended entirely on how much suitable, extremely heavily flamed maple was available – reportedly only around 50.

And the icing on the cake: ours carries serial number CC38A 003 – one of the coveted single-digit numbers that collectors prize especially highly!

Gibson pulled out all the stops with True Historic specs: one-piece mahogany body, two-piece figured maple top, hide glue construction, hand-rolled binding, a one-piece lightweight mahogany neck with a profile between '58/'59 and '60 shapes, dark Indian rosewood fretboard with cellulose trapezoid inlays, nylon nut, Kluson Deluxe green key tuners, ABR-1 bridge, lightweight aluminium stopbar and True Historic gold top hat knobs. True to the original, it's fitted with two DiMarzio Double Cream pickups, which – with a little more output than the usual Custombuckers – perfectly capture the powerful, bluesy tone of the Chicken Shack Burst.

You can get a first impression of how this very guitar sounds in the video by our colleagues at TEN Guitars.

The "Chicken Shack" finish in aged nitro lacquer, with its fantastic flame, is a real eye-catcher. The ageing is styled on the original too: the playing wear on the back and edges follows the marks Stan Webb's Burst picked up over decades on stage, and it's very convincingly done. At only 3.82 kg it also has exactly the weight you'd want from a Burst.

The previous owner had offered the guitar through our colleagues at TEN Guitars before trading it in with us.

The guitar is in very good condition. It comes in the matching aged reissue case with the Collector's Choice Certificate of Authenticity, True Historic medallion, a spare cover for the rhythm/treble switch and case candy, as pictured.

A Collector's Choice #38 with a single-digit serial number at what is probably by far the lowest price in all of Europe – for Burst lovers who don't want to pay the price of a house, it's arguably the most honest route to the real Burst feeling!

Price€8,990 VAT not outlined (§ 25a UStG)