The Music Zoo Exclusive Gibson Custom Shop Roasted Les Pauls
Photography by Walter Bryant
Words by Jordan Usatch
Go ahead; tweak the finishes to be as thin as possible, swap your pickups for the closest to the original PAF’s, use the purest nickel strings you can find. Do you know what we’ve all been leaving out in the chase to reach the holy grain of tones? The wood. The woods used in original 1950’s Gibson Les Pauls (and many other vintage guitars of that stature) were made from trees that were from old growths forests – trees that were already 100’s of years old, if not more. These woods were sturdy, and had matured long enough for the excess moisture to dry away. An ingredient that was essential in the tone of the guitars that we all know and lust after.
Flash forward to 2015, after years of Historic Reissues and most recently the Historic Selects – The Music Zoo and the Gibson Custom Shop have worked together to bring you the new Music Zoo Exclusive Roasted Reissue ’59 Les Paul. These guitars are Historic Select Les Pauls whose wood (mahogany, maple, and rosewood) have undergone a thermal treatment
process. This process takes all of the excess moisture out of the wood, giving 
the wood increased durability in weather changes, dimensional stability (reduced chances of swelling or shrinking), and gives the wood a beautiful brown color. On a molecular level – the roasted wood is almost identical to that of 350 year old lumber: the same lumber used in those original vintage Les Pauls. Last but not least, the process is entirely green. There are no additives, chemicals, or anything artificial that is being used in the roasting process.
Add in these qualities of the roasted 
wood to all the specs that come with the Gibson Historic Select Series, and you’ve got one hell of a Les Paul. The articulation and punch of these guitars have to be heard. There’s a roundness that the treatment gives to the wood where the bass sits just right, the treble on both neck and bridge pickup cut but aren’t shrill, and call us vain…but we love the way the brown tint of the wood comes through the burst finishes and shows off the figuring and grain even more so than usual. The weights of these guitars are also all extremely comfortable, and most are coming in around the mid 8lbs mark. The Music Zoo Exclusive Roasted Reissue ’59 Les Paul – try one and see for yourself.
Due to the limited quantity and high-demand for these guitars, we are unfortunately sold out at the moment. However, you can contact our sales staff to get yours on order before they are gone completely!
Click the button below or call 516-626-9292 to pre-order!
