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Burst Number 0 0252 ' Dirty Burst'

ATB Guitars

New member
Joined
May 6, 2022
Messages
6
Thought the members here may like to hear the story of how we found this undiscovered Burst right on our doorstep here in Cheltenham, UK. It just goes to show they are still out there but sadly I do not think this will be an everyday occurrence for us...!

I have enclosed some pics of it in the exact state we received it. If anyone wants to see any more pics it is on our website, with a full set of around 60 pics, the direct link is here

A few weeks ago we received a call from a teacher who lives locally, for us to have a look at and value a guitar belonging to her Dad who gave it to her to look after while he was moving house. She looked online for the model and came up with prices of around £5,000 so she asked us to confirm the valuation so she could increase her household insurance.

She initially sent through some blurry pics taken at a weird angle which looked rather odd and at first I thought it may be some kind of 70's Burst copy made by someone like Dick Knight or similar (there were a few UK builders doing this in the 70/80's). The fingerboard in places did not even look like rosewood it was so dry so I said I would need to see it in person to give an accurate valuation. She made an appointment and two weeks later she walked in with an original looking Cali Girl case, at which point things started to get interesting...

I had a good look at it and instantly recognised it for what it was but to be 100% sure we delved in to it internally and checked out each part. It was and still is, in terrible condition. It had not been cleaned for 30 years and stored in a dry cupboard. The bridge posts had snapped clean off and the ABR-1 was resting on steel washers and old gaffa tape. The pickups had been out then spliced back in with cheap plastic wire and we could not get a sensible reading from them. The guitar was overall, in one of the worst condition I have seen and was totally filthy with a bronze wound D string. It also has an added Bigsby, extra screw holes and half of the original screws have been replaced.

When it came time for my assessment, I told her I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is it is in terrible, awful condition, it has bits missing and bits added. It is totally unplayable and will need a complete restoration before is in a condition to play and even work as an electric guitar. In fact it was one of the worst condition guitars I have seen!

The good news is it is an original early 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard aka the ‘Burst’. It is one of the most desirable guitars on the planet and it is probably worth close to £200,000. There was total stunned silence when I told her this and after a while her face just dropped in disbelief. I wish we could have filmed this!

She said her Dad bought it in 1967 for £50 after seeing Eric Clapton play one at the Marquee in London so it has been a pretty good investment for him to say the least. She told her Dad what we told her, but her Dad just thought she was pulling his leg and only started to believe her when the money started to appear in their account.

It has since been sold to a very good home and I believe it is being refurbished by its current owner who I am sure will bring it to life again.

In the meantime, I hope you will enjoy some of the pics which is exactly how it was presented to us.

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1651833081946 2.JPG
 

S. Weiger

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 25, 2002
Messages
1,744
Thanks for the interesting story, Mike. 👍 👍 What a poor shape to find a genuine 'burst in. Fortunately the lady didn't throw it out, thinking it didn't have any value at all.. o_O
With the issues mentioned though, I have a hard time seeing it fetch £200K, even after a proper restauration.
 

bursty

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Messages
544
Did Joe B buy this one?
It was on his Facebook dingus two days ago and he was saying it's heading to Nerdville East.
Love that maple top.

EDIT:
Looks like Joe B did purchase; no surprise here.
Guitar Player spoke to Long last night while he was en route to Joe Bonamassa’s Royal Albert Hall concert in London, 'Burst in hand. Bonamassa, a prominent electric guitar collector, was apparently keen to inspect the recently unearthed find.
 
Last edited:

brandtkronholm

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2006
Messages
2,737
Thanks for the interesting story, Mike. 👍 👍 What a poor shape to find a genuine 'burst in. Fortunately the lady didn't throw it out, thinking it didn't have any value at all.. o_O
With the issues mentioned though, I have a hard time seeing it fetch £200K, even after a proper restauration.
I think the issues aren't a big deal.
There's no breaks and original (faded!) finish, which is a great start.
The holes in the top are unfortunate, but they're just holes - and in places that will be mostly covered up by the tailpiece and bridge.
The broken ABR screws should be easy to deal with.
The PAFs can be replaced or repaired.
After an expert restoration, I think $200k is definitely a crap ton of moolah, but fair price!
Good for Joe!
I'd love a tone & playability report!

(Are we sure it's not Beano?)
 

S. Weiger

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 25, 2002
Messages
1,744
I think the issues aren't a big deal.
There's no breaks and original (faded!) finish, which is a great start.
The holes in the top are unfortunate, but they're just holes - and in places that will be mostly covered up by the tailpiece and bridge.
The broken ABR screws should be easy to deal with.
The PAFs can be replaced or repaired.
After an expert restoration, I think $200k is definitely a crap ton of moolah, but fair price!
Good for Joe!
I'd love a tone & playability report!

(Are we sure it's not Beano?)

A bargain if it turns out it is Beano :)
 
Last edited:

Gibbons59

Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2018
Messages
45
It's a nice thought, but there's too much flame on this one to be Beano, isn't there? That, and the neck pickup isn't double black. Although the electronics have been mucked up, so it could be non-original...
 

djdersh

Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2001
Messages
249
Well. Now we have confirmation that Joe B is definitely the new owner :)

 

garywright

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
15,583
Well. Now we have confirmation that Joe B is definitely the new owner :)

good lord
 

metropolis

Active member
Joined
Sep 14, 2018
Messages
390
Thanks for sharing such an amazing story. Looking forward to seeing updates on its restoration just like we saw with Lazarus. Sounds like Joe is started a rehab facility for tired and abused bursts.
 

ATB Guitars

New member
Joined
May 6, 2022
Messages
6
Here is a pic of how the bridge was making contact with the top after the studs snapped off!

I wonder what that masking tape did for the sustain... :rolleyes:

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