Silverburst Customs

[Tim Plains]

Alright...First off, I love Silverburst Customs!!

So, what's the official story on these things...from start to finish? Please correct me if I'm wrong and fill in any voids.

I believe they were first introduced in either 1978 or 1979 and stopped in 1981.
I've seen a few Silverbursts from the late '80s...but I don't think they were Customs, just some sort of Silverburst Les Paul.
Then what? Were the next Silverburst Customs made in 2004...and then every year since 2004?
I know the ones from 2004 had black backs; whereas, the 2007/2008s have silver/black backs.

Another thing I remember reading somewhere-or-other was that the original Silverbursts used to sell for cheap...dirt cheap, like $800...until Adam Jones made them popular again. Any truth to this and if so, when?

 

[markophonic]

I live in Kalamazoo.

My buddy's dad came up with and painted the silverburst finishes in Kalamazoo.

His name is Pete Leversee.

 

[zontar]

I loved the old silverbursts--they look cool.

I remember some people saying it was going to look awful one day when the binding yellowed--as you'd have yellow binding on a silver & black guitar--but the old ones I've seen these days the silver has yellowed as well--and you have a "goldburst"--which is even cooler.

I wish I'd had the money to get one when they came out. Even if it was just to look at them.
Scroll down slowly here to see a yellowed Silverburst.

 

[The_Sentry]

Silverbursts are amazing guitars....Hands down my favorite color scheme...

 

[SmokestackElRopo]

I am only stating my opinion..............I just cannot get onto the silverburst. Don't know why......And can't explain...............

 

[LongBeach]

I think the Silverburst Customs are awesome.
Yes, I believe 79-81 is about right, but dont quote me on that.
Adam Jones did bring them back to life (IMO) but I never
saw them for sale "cheap" prior too. They are a Custom.

I read somewhere that AJ thinks the paint has something to do with
his sound, I disagree, but, I doubt he cares.

 

[Boleskinehouse]

I'd like a Silverburst '68.



And a Hello Kitty '68..

 

[RnRjUnKiE]

That would be Fritz the Cat back in '68.

 

[Boleskinehouse]

'68 reissues!! I'm not much for regular Customs...

 

[Ed B]

the info i have on these beauties comes from what i read from various places on the net. some "supposed" interviews and some in forums. you'd have to take it with a grain of salt IMO.

they first appeared 1979. from that point on they have been in production. not sure how many per year, but they are out there. or at least i've seen them for sale on the net. whether the seller was wrong or they were fakes is a different story.

as for them being cheap, not really. cheaper than a cherryburst, yes. people were not excited by the color change which left shops with more than they wanted. they did what every good business man would do, cut prices.

adam jones certainly made them famous. especially after saying the paint meant something. then again he owns 5 for a reason, right? being a huge tool fan i don't believe many things the band says about they're gear. they are notorious for saying foolish things and then laughing at people for repeating it.

i do not know anyone who owns an older one. i would love to a/b it with my 2008. then again i am sure i will "think" the older sounds better. it's vintage!!.

any add you see will certainly play up the "paint makes a difference" idea. why wouldn't they right? they're selling it.

i read the customs with the solid black back were an exclusive run for sam ash. i read that on this site. here's the thread....

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/gibson-les-pauls/2288-gibson-les-paul-custom-silverburst.html

were any customs made with ash tops back in the day? i also read that the early silverbursts had a top other than maple. i have no idea where i read this. interesting though.

feel free to rip my points apart since i am not certain any of this is true.

 

[Jollie]

I just got my first silverburst yesterday. I got it from guitar center and was told I grabbed the last "guitar center issued" silverburst in the country..so im told. I guess guitar center is the only dealer that has the silverburst finish on the back as well????
i don't know if i believe that, but i do know that they come in black as well which as stated above i guess from sam ash^^

anyway. anyone know how many 2008's were issued with the burst finish on back???
I guess i just want to know how lucky i am?! hehe

 

[LongBeach]

I just got my first silverburst yesterday. I got it from guitar center and was told I grabbed the last "guitar center issued" silverburst in the country..so im told. I guess guitar center is the only dealer that has the silverburst finish on the back as well????
i don't know if i believe that, but i do know that they come in black as well which as stated above i guess from sam ash^^

anyway. anyone know how many 2008's were issued with the burst finish on back???
I guess i just want to know how lucky i am?! hehe

Wasnt the GC Silverburst a Standard? in lieu of a Custom?
The only reason I ask, is I saw one in GC 8 months ago, and
noted to the guitar dude the burst went all the way up and around
the toggle switch, he scratched his head and said he didnt notice.
I think that was the norm with the Standard SB.

 

[Jollie]

yeah..naw its a custom for sure!! im not sure how limited they truly are, but i know I'm a lucky bastard right about now

 

[LongBeach]

yeah..naw its a custom for sure!! im not sure how limited they truly are, but i know I'm a lucky bastard right about now

Oh hell yes enjoy

 

[Jollie]

 

[Tim Plains]

Jollie, mine '07 silver on the back as well - headstock, neck & body...and I didn't buy it from CG. We don't even have GC in Canada. Gibson doesn't release production numbers unless its something like their Guitar of the Week/Month program. So, anything you hear about how many Silverbursts were made is speculation.

It's possible that GC had a few specially made for them, maybe different neck profile, bridge & pickups? Something like that, anyways...I'm only guessing here.

 

[Wicked Sensation]

Alright...First off, I love Silverburst Customs!!

So, what's the official story on these things...from start to finish? Please correct me if I'm wrong and fill in any voids.

I believe they were first introduced in either 1978 or 1979 and stopped in 1981.
I've seen a few Silverbursts from the late '80s...but I don't think they were Customs, just some sort of Silverburst Les Paul.
Then what? Were the next Silverburst Customs made in 2004...and then every year since 2004?
I know the ones from 2004 had black backs; whereas, the 2007/2008s have silver/black backs.

Another thing I remember reading somewhere-or-other was that the original Silverbursts used to sell for cheap...dirt cheap, like $800...until Adam Jones made them popular again. Any truth to this and if so, when?

All right, time to tell you everything I know!

(I forgot I had an account here, hahahahaha.)

Okay, first of all, I've seen Silverbusts on eBay from as far back as '78, to as late as '84. I'm not just going by the description. I've seen the serial numbers when pictures were posted on the auctions.

I think there are a few more Silverbursts from the late 80's that were Gibson showcase guitars or something like that, or limited one-off's, but don't quote me on that.

These guitars weigh a ton because Gibson was using some kind of crazy Brazilian Mahogany or something like that, something exotic-sounding for sure. The paint was also some type of Car Paint, so I dunno!

The 80's models come with those crazy wind-out tunners, and I think all of the models have that stupid fucking grounding baseplate that's worth two shirts in a box.

Older models ('78 - 79') might give you a shot at Tim Shaw Humbuckers, but I think the majority of these guitars have T-Tops. Again, don't quote me on that! I'm just going by what I have seen online in the past year (2008) !

They are interesting guitars for sure!

But no one wanted them for a long time!

Until Adam Jones said something about the tone. I think they go for about 3K+ right now, but I got my '79 for 2K, ahahahahaahahahahahaahaha (yeah, I'm totally rad!).

I compared the REAL DEAL to the reissue. Come on. . . there was NO CONTEST.

I'm not just saying that!

Here's why: the new ones feel like a cheap toy compared to the old ones. My '79 is just this massive and physically heavy beast with tone for days. And you can't say it was something like: "OMFG! you have HOT RODDED PICKUPS! NO FAIRZ!!!" LOL, hardly.

I have some low-output Dimarzios in my '79, so the LP Custom reissue I played was probably hotter than mine! But back to the comparison.

If I hadn't played the REAL DEAL, I would have thought that that LP Custom Silverburst was one SWEET guitar. I mean, off the wall, it was just killer. It was one of the nicest Custom's I've played in a while. If you can't find the real deal, or if you're just not into older, Norlin guitars, I'd suggest the reissue LP Custom Silverburst.

I think that's it!

Was that enough information for you?

 

[Tim Plains]

Wicked Sensation...yeah, I'd say that's enough. Thank you...except for the part where you called my guitar a cheap toy.

I was just on gibson.com and the Silverburst finally made it onto their web page. Guess it's officially regular production now.
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-Custom/LP-Custom/Finishes.aspx

 

[Huey]

Wicked Sensation...yeah, I'd say that's enough. Thank you...except for the part where you called my guitar a cheap toy.

I was just on gibson.com and the Silverburst finally made it onto their web page. Guess it's officially regular production now.
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-Custom/LP-Custom/Finishes.aspx

kewl

 

[Tim Plains]

Just thought I'd share...

I found an ad on kijiji, a guy is selling his '08 Silverburst Custom. Thinking it was a '68RI, I emailed him and asked for details. It's not...but according to this guy, a Gibson rep, not a sales guy, told him that only 100 Silverburst Customs are made each year. It's nice to know if there's any truth to this.