Mark's 58 burst - amazing revelations!

[dustyvalentino]

Soooo... Mark's solo career has seen him use lots of different guitars but one jas characterised his solo tone more than any other - his 1958 Les Paul Standard "burst". It was all over the Golden Heart album and tour and has been a regular fixture ever since.

Like many of you, I have seen Mark play this guitar lots of times live (in fact I think every time I have ever seen him) and it creates a wonderful tone. I bought my first Les Paul in 2001 chasing that sound and I have owned at least one ever since then.

The 1958, 1959 and 1960 Les Pauls are generally accepted as the most desirable and therefore most expensive guitars on the planet. I had always held up Mark's 58 as one of the greatest of this select breed.

Imagine my surprise then when I saw a post today on the Les Paul forum that revealed Mark's burst to be something of a mongrel! As per the photos below at one point it had:

A chunk hacked out of it and a weird switch attached.
Non original tuners.
A strange bridge pickup, possibly from a Guild guitar?

I know most people won't care but I was quite traumatised to discover my dream guitar had been messed about with so much.

[dustyvalentino]

Original sources.


http://burstserial.com/gallery/main.php?cmd=album&var1=1958%2F8+6811%2F&var2=2

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?196134-Knopfler-burst-info&p=2668148#post2668148

[dmg]

Noooo!  I hate to see these things too.  Rather like an A-listed building being given an unsympathetic extension I suppose!

[dustyvalentino]

At least it's now restored. But I can't believe I never noticed the repair on the top before!

[Lis]

Oh my gosh... this makes me love it EVEN MORE!!!

[Hoops McCann]

Wow! I can't believe I never noticed the patch after seeing that guitar so many times. He must been able to get a fair bit knocked off the purchase price for that.


The original store sticker on the back of the head stock is from Twin City Music House, 359 Main St. Pawtucket, RI. It closed after a fire in 1971. But you can read more about the musician that owned the store and the history here. And here's an undated photo of the store with an LP for sale in the window. 

[Justme]

Let's compare it to old cars. These traces are signs of being in use and abuse. Sometimes you are the windshield, sometimes you are the bug. We all get visible and invisible scars now and then.
As long as it sounds the ways it does, I don't care.

[ds1984]

This is a living guitar not a collectable item to die on a wall.

[dustyvalentino]

This is a living guitar not a collectable item to die on a wall.

Nobody suggested otherwise. It's just like finding out the Mona Lisa was hacked up at one point and repaired. 

[ds1984]

This is a living guitar not a collectable item to die on a wall.

Nobody suggested otherwise. It's just like finding out the Mona Lisa was hacked up at one point and repaired. 

But this is exactly my point, that a guitar is not meant to be an art object but a tool for a musician, and is sometime broken and then repaired. You can't analogise this to Mona Lisa  as for all art object is sufficient by itself. A guitar without a player to magnify it is nothing but a piece of crafted wood, metal and plastic .

[dustyvalentino]

Well allow me to retort.  To me, the 58-60 Les Pauls are indeed works of art. If we are being philosophical let me ask - if no one sees the Mona Lisa is it still a work of art?

[Masiakasaurus]

I was very surprised too! The restoration was good enough to fool us all though, good job! It's still my dream guitar 

[Lis]

Guys...  the sound is not anything less than amazing. 
Shouldn't we embrace that fact that the LP, while it has seen better days, sounds absolutely gorgeous.
?
And any discussion about any alterations-hacking-reparation is rather insignificant?
(sorry if I am out of line...  I always think people think like me...)

[dmg]

Guys...  the sound is not anything less than amazing. 
Shouldn't we embrace that fact that the LP, while it has seen better days, sounds absolutely gorgeous.
?
And any discussion about any alterations-hacking-reparation is rather insignificant?
(sorry if I am out of line...  I always think people think like me...)

He can make his '84 repro sound pretty good too as the "user" and it has a better history in itself as being used on the iconic BIA album.  Perhaps he should have saved the '58 for the studio only and show the fans the BIA guitar on tour.

[dustyvalentino]

Guys...  the sound is not anything less than amazing. 
Shouldn't we embrace that fact that the LP, while it has seen better days, sounds absolutely gorgeous.
?
And any discussion about any alterations-hacking-reparation is rather insignificant?
(sorry if I am out of line...  I always think people think like me...)

For people who aren't interested in guitars then it's probably insignificant. I find it significant.

I find the drool section insignificant. Different strokes and all that.