2014 Gibson Les Paul Standard CC28 STP Montrose Burst – Artist Proof #3- Peter Weihe’s personal guitar!

2014 Gibson Les Paul Standard CC28 STP Montrose Burst – Artist Proof #3- Peter Weihe’s personal guitar!

You may be aware of Gibson Les Paul 8 6787. The guitar has a long story thats connected with GuitarPoint. We sold the original Burst twice. We know the guitar, we’ve had it in the shop, played it and loved it…but for sure not as much as Professor Peter Weihe, the person who owned it for the longest time and this is why – at least here in Germany – it’s more known as the “Peter Weihe Les Paul” and not the Montrose/STP Burst. We’re a fortunate to call Peter, Germany’s top studio guitarist who played on countless hit-records, our friend – and this is why we are able to offer his “replacement” guitar, the one that he found good enough to use it instead of the original 1958 Les Paul 8 6787: The CC#28 Artist Proof #3. That guitar was built by the late Edwin Wilson and his aging team. Peter used it on every studio session since he sold the original one. It would be stupid to write a description for this guitar since Peter was so kind to tell us the story in his own words (back then, right after he got the guitar from Gibson):

“I am mostly still playing all my vintage guitars and all the “other, special guitars” that you need for studio sessions. But I guess your question goes in the direction of what Les Paul I am playing that replaced the 8 6787?

What can I say. (The CC#28 Artist Proof #3) is an unbelievably great sounding guitar. I thought that I was maybe biased and took all of the Les Pauls to the luthier Stefan Zander and to the pickup maker Andreas Kloppmann who both knew the old Burst very well. Both of them shared my impression and both of them think that this is the best sounding new Les Paul they have heard. Stefan made some minor adjustments to the saddle and the neck tension and it flourished even more.

Over the last week I have again and again played it through all of my amps from no amp DI, VOX AC 30, Fender Blackfaces, Marshall 1968, Marshall 1973, Soldano and even an early Rectifier for the heavy distorted stuff. That guitar does sound great through all of them. The DI test is really critical because the guitar has to proof that it does sound good and has a great sustain without any EQ, saturation or compression.

Both guitars, my CC#8 and my CC#28 are equally great and do everything that I would expect from a great Les Paul that won’t abandon me in a critical session.
My CC#28 sounds more charismatic to my ears and it sustains even more on the h and e string. The low end does’t get muddy, the midrange is colorful and transparent and the high notes can bite without being piercing with enough fundamentals underneath to let the high notes sound rich and let them sing.
The guys from Custom Shop totally nailed the neck shape and the weight is spot on with 9 pounds. To play the neck and see the three little spots on the cutaway feels almost spooky for me. Again the guitar does not sound totally identical to the old Burst, but has all of it’s virtues. It does even sustain a bit more and sweeter in the upper registers. I did not think that that would ever be possible and for the first time, I feel that my search is over, I can relax and simply play. Now it’s up to me again to play something usable.

The biggest mechanical difference between the CC#8 and the CC#28 are the frets.
The Beast has thicker and higher frets which remind me a bit of modern rock guitars. It’s easier to make a free floating vibrato on it and it’s easier to perform modern playing techniques on it. The attack has a certain ping in it.

The CC#28 sounds a bit more “woody” and charismatic to my taste and I feel that I can play more intimate and personal with it.
These two are my Les Pauls now. Two years ago I would not have believed that it would ever be possible to built a Les Paul that would fulfill all of my expectations.
A Vintage burst has it’s history and very special aura. Of coarse new guitars don’t have that. As I had never played any other Les Paul than an original Burst and I carried it with me to all sessions in trucks and planes for 32 years that special aura was totally normal for me.
The good and for me even sensational news is, that the best of the new Custom Shop Les Pauls can sound equally great as the great vintage ones.
Best Peter”
Peter sold the CC#8 shortly after that statement.