The Great British ’Burst-Off
Ever wondered what a real ’59 Les Paul Standard sounds like? How about three of them? We joined ace Welsh guitarist Chris Buck and guitar collector and trader Andrew Raymond to see how the legend measures up in the flesh – and filmed what happened next…
This issue’s cover story grapples with some big questions about the validity, authenticity and value of high-end reissues – with Dave Burrluck performing a near-forensic A/B comparison of the Murphy Lab ’57 Junior and the real thing on page 86, and Nev Marten guesting on That Pedal Show to put the Murphy Lab ’59 Les Paul Standard and ES-335 through their paces. Not to be left out, editor Jamie journeyed over to Wales to visit the incredible collection of Andrew Raymond, proprietor of Vintage ‘n’ Rare Guitars in Bath, a fantastic spot to pick up classic gear to suit every pocket.
Andrew has the rare privilege of having not one but three original ’59 ’Bursts in his keeping, including two well-known examples, the so-called Minnesota ’Burst and the Grainger ’Burst. The Grainger in particular has the reputation of being a
There’s a rare clarity you don’t find in most humbucker-equipped guitars but also a detail and depth
real musicians’ favourite – having formerly belonged to Rod Stewart guitarist Gary Grainger. But since we covered ’Burst history in fine detail back in issue 469, we decided to do something a bit different this time to accompany our review of Gibson’s Murphy Lab reissues, which aspire to be as good as the real thing.
Before you can address the question of how close Gibson got with the Murphy Labs, it pays to familiarise yourself with the real thing. To that end, we asked stellar Welsh guitarist Chris Buck to put Andrew’s genuine ’Bursts through their paces on video (see link, above right) playing through – what else? – an early Marshall JTM45 and basket-weave 4x12 cab.
While you’ll have to watch the video to decide for yourself how the legend measures up to reality, we can share a few observations from the day that may be of use to anyone considering buying a reissue and hoping to capture the authentic ’Burst sound. First the good: playing the Grainger ’Burst revealed that its amplified sound is so rich in harmonic information that we even found ourselves playing fingerstyle acoustic pieces on it. There’s a rare clarity you don’t find in most humbucker-equipped guitars but also a detail and depth to its sound that rings evenly across all the strings. No, it won’t make you a superhero or cure the common cold, but it is impressive.
By contrast, our second main observation is that owning the real deal is not without its challenges – pots rustled and controls cut in and out throughout our demo, and veteran guitar repair expert Huw Price even put in an appearance at one point to fettle the Grainger ’Burst so it behaved itself properly on camera. We’re talking about 60-year-old guitars and circuitry here – which can’t be swapped out for modern replacements without seriously threatening the originality and value of the guitars – so you should know that, in some respects, these guitars are made of flesh and blood like any other and actually have a slightly impractical side as well. They grumble and fuss like old cars, though they undeniably play and sound incredible when they’re on song.
Viewed in this light, a really good reissue that gets you close to the tone and feel of the originals – which cost £250k and more – could make sense for serious guitarists and potentially perform more reliably in a studio or gig setting (not to mention being easier to insure). Of course, the genuine article has a certain sonic magic that is incredibly hard to capture with a brand-new guitar, aged or not. But we’re exploring the upper reaches of the concept of ‘diminishing returns’ here. It’s all very good – just some guitars are a little better.
Don’t forget either that, like many guitars from Andrew’s collection, original ’Bursts weren’t always stratospherically highly priced. People who bought ’Bursts and the like back in the 80s saw the value of their guitars climb from the low thousands of pounds to the current prices well north of ‘How much?’ that ’Bursts command. So it’s as well to remember that price is just a function of what the market thinks something is worth. Underlying that is something that doesn’t fluctuate as much, however: the intrinsic quality and musicality of the guitar. On that level, the genuine ’Bursts we played excel – with a few minor eccentricities to put up with. But good reissues aren’t all that far behind.