M S R SPEC I AL
The search is on. Gibson on July 14 began one of the biggestever treasure hunts in the MI industry, searching for its missing shipping ledgers from 1959-1960, which disappeared decades ago from its archives. The prize for the person who finds and returns the ledgers to Gibson: $59,000. Of premier interest in these missing ledgers is the 1959 Les Paul Standard, one of the most storied guitars in the history of guitar making. Only 643 Les Paul
The Hunt Is on for Gibson’s Missing Ledgers Gibson is offering a $59,000 reward for the return of its missing shipping ledgers. Pictured here are chief marketing officer Cesar Gueikian (left) and CEO JC Curleigh.
Standards were shipped in 1959. Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Duane Allman, Mike Bloomfield, Billy Gibbons, Joe Perry, Slash, Joe Bonamassa, Rick Nielsen and Jason Isbell are among those who have been known to play this guitar. “It has a deep, powerful sound, and you can use it to imitate just about anything: violin, sax, cello, even a sitar,” said Beck. “As ledgers come, it is the most important one for us,” Gibson chief marketing officer Cesar Gueikian told the Music & Sound Retailer. “We don’t think it is a coincidence it is the one that is missing. [CEO] JC [Curleigh] and I are really focused on being great custodians of the brand. I was talking to Mat Koehler, [head of Gibson’s custom shop], about it six months ago. We decided to open this [search] up to the world instead of following leads. We thought this is such exciting news for the music and guitar community. … I think now is the right 28
time to launch the search and create the right incentive for our fans out there to look for these ledgers.” “To find the original ledgers is to unearth knowledge of a pivotal point in America’s contribution to not only guitar manufacturing, but to rock and roll itself,” added Bonamassa. Gueikian acknowledged he believes there is a about a 50-percent chance the ledger is recovered and returned to Gibson. “But [either way], I think it is a very exciting thing we are doing for the entire guitar community.” “1959 was a really important year, not just because it was such a collectible year, but it is the genesis of our entire guitar collection and all the unique shapes we still make today,” Koehler told the Retailer. “It really is the DNA of who we are as a company.” Surprisingly, Koehler revealed that Les Paul Standard guitars did not sell well in the late 1950s, leading to its discontinuation in
1960. The rarity of the guitar has led the value of Les Paul models of the era, specifically 1959 models, to skyrocket. “Guitars evolved into a different design entirely. But then, famous players began to adopt [the Les Paul Standard],” said Koehler. “Famous guitarists, most notably Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, inspired others to play it, and eventually the model was brought back. 1959 was the when all the specs came together, and that is the most coveted year for collectors. The combination of quality and scarcity makes it a [valuable item].” There are theories regarding when the ledgers were last seen. Gueikian theorized it could go all the way back to 1979, when Gibson moved from Kalamazoo, Mich., to Nashville. He added that recovering the missing ledgers would allow Gibson to better learn the product mix it manufactured at the time, such as the Les Paul Gibson Doublecut, and other solid-body guitars, information
that would be contained in the ledger. “It will be the last piece of the puzzle to see what the product mix was back in the day,” said Gueikian. “We have semi-hollow and some other records from that era, but not solid-body.” Despite ledgers missing for the 1959 Les Paul Standard, the guitar can be authenticated. Gueikian stressed, however, that Gibson itself is really the only entity that can certify its guitars, with Koehler being one of the main people who does so. “You don’t go to a corner shop to buy a certified BMW. You go to an authorized BMW dealer,” related Gueikian. “If you are in the market for a 1959 Les Paul and you find one, you should send it to us. We have had folks who have been with us many decades in the factories, and I think there is nobody better than us to authenticate a real Gibson.” As for the general process of authenticating a 1959 Les Paul, Koehler relayed, “Without those records, you really do not know for sure, but a qualified, vintage expert can tell the difference [between an authentic 1959 Les Paul Standard and a facsimile].” Finding the missing ledgers can add another level of excitement via the auction market. Weeks ago, the guitar Kurt Cobain played on “MTV Unplugged” in 1993 sold for $6.01 million. Authentic AUGUST 2020