2012 Gibson Les Paul Collectors Choice #4 Sandy - Prototype #1

We are proud to offer this Gibson Custom Shop Uber-"CC" straight from Tom Wittrock's personal collection. the original 1959 Les Paul Standard serial number 9-1228 nicknamed "Sandy" is one of the most iconic "Bursts" in existence. In 2012 the Gibson Custom shop reissued this famous Les Paul as Collector's Choice model #4. Sandy's owner, legendary Les Paul guru and collector Tom Wittrock visited the Custom Shop in Nashville and personally handselected maple tops to match the figure of his beloved Sandy. This guitar is the first prototype Gibson built using the wood he picked. Since we are very familiar with the original we can say that Gibson did an incredible job: the neck dimensions, color and top carve are very authentic. This guitar was not aged like later production models, only the back of the neck was aged and then oversprayed, just like the original. Its absolutely lightweight with only 3,61kg/7.95lbs and comes with original brown Custom Shop case and complete case candy - even with the original factory strings. Obviously the CC#4 model became one of the most successful guitars of the whole Collector's Choice run and still is one of a very few models that actually increased in value. This guitar is not only the very first Sandy that was ever built, it is the guitar Tom Wittrock himself was closely involved in and that was done right after analysing the original Burst. >

Serialnumber: none = Proto #1

Top: handselected 2-piece flamed eastern hard maple

Body: handselected lightweight mahogany (3.6kg/7.95lbs)!!!

Neck: 1-piece mahogany

Neckshape: 9-1228 Sandy

Fretboard: bound rosewood

Radius: 12"

Frets: 22

Scale: 628 mm

Nut width: 42,85 mm

Pickups: 2 x Gibson Custom Bucker

Controls: 2 x Volume, 2 x Tone, 3-way

Bridge: Nashville Tune-o-matic

Hardware: Nickel

Color: Vintage Lemon Fade aka Sandy-Burst

Incl. original Gibson case