Gibson is set to release both a new Custom Shop edition and a USA Standard version of the Kirk Hammett ‘Greeny’ 1959 Les Paul Standard.
The Greeny is so-labelled because it was once owned by Peter Green, before Gary Moore acquired it. Later, Kirk Hammett bought the guitar and it is under his custodianship that Gibson has been able to gain access to the iconic instrument and study it in detail – and we mean detail.
There were MRI scans, X-rays and numerous tests and measurements carried out in what has to rate as one of the most exhaustive studies ever undertaken of one instrument.
The new Custom Shop edition offers a made-to-order Murphy Lab-aged take on the legendary six-string. While the Collector’s Edition was limited to 50 painstaking recreations (snapped up by everyone from Adam Jones to Jason Momoa), this time, there’s no explicit cap on the production run.
The build will feature a lightweight mahogany body, figured maple top, one-piece Indian rosewood fretboard and Custom Greeny Bucker humbuckers – one of which, in tribute to one of the original guitar's defining characteristics, is mounted in reverse – alongside a host of other period-correct details, such as a nylon nut and Sperzel tuners. It will come packaged in a Brown/Pink Lifton reissue five-latch case.
The new Custom Shop Kirk Hammett ‘Greeny’ 1959 Les Paul Standard is available to order from today – albeit at an eye-watering price of $19,999.
The more exciting news for most, though, is the arrival of a USA Standard edition of the Greeny, which is set to hit shelves in April.
Given that the original Collector’s Edition model rang up at a cool $50,000, there has been a substantial appetite for a more affordable option.
Of course, this couldn’t come without some compromises on the drool-worthy Custom Shop reproduction. As such, the Murphy Lab ageing has gone and the USA Standard offers a shiny new AAA figured maple top, alongside a mahogany body, and a 50s vintage profile neck – as opposed to its more expensive sibling’s Custom Greeny profile.
Some compromise has also been made on the pickups, but they are still bespoke to the model, in the form of non-Custom Shop takes on the Greeny Buckers. They’re also still installed to emulate the reverse neck position and provide the partially out-of-phase tones that so defined Green’s guitar sound. There’s also a GraphTech nut, Grover Rotomatic tuners and an ABR-1Tune-O-Matic bridge.
On the electronics front, you’ll find orange drop capacitors, instead of the hand-wired Bumblebee capacitors found on the Custom Shop Greenys. We also think it’s a nice touch to bring in the amber and gold top hat knobs, as seen on the original.
The USA Standard Greeny will include a hardshell case. Unlike the new Custom Shop option, there’s no word on price for the Standard yet, though.
So there you have it: after months of waiting and wishing, two new versions of one of the most famous Gibson Les Pauls ever made arrive at once.
We’ll have to wait a little longer for that USA option, but in the meantime, you can bone up on the guitar’s contribution to musical history with this list of tracks that featured the original Greeny.
For more information on the new Greenys, head to Gibson.
