Gibson Collector’s Choice #1 Melvyn Franks 1959 Review
By MNJ
| Posted in Guitar
The Collectors Choice #1 Melvyn Franks 1959 Les Paul has been one of the most eagerly awaited re-issue guitars that the Gibson Custom Shop has ever produced. The original, owned by Peter Green and then Gary Moore before being sold to a dealer in the US and then to Franks, has been elevated by guitar aficionados to iconic status, even attracting the title ‘Holy Grail’ of all electric guitars. It’s hard to think of another guitar that has caused so much interest, gossip, rumour and sheer excitement, as stories of its sale price and intrigue about how Moore came to sell it abound on the internet. The original is now in the hands of collector Melvyn Franks, who has made it available for Gibson to produce the first in a series of re-issues of collectors’ guitars. Re-issue is really a misnomer as this version doesn’t replicate the original, which with 50 years of use has apparantly rendered it pretty well worn out and without much life in it as a playing instrument. The Collector’s Choice #1 guitar has all the appointments of the original but without the ageing. The reversed neck pickup is there – reproducing Green’s signature ‘out-of-phase’ tone – as well as the mismatched knobs and nickel Sperzel machine heads. Thankfully, the neck break that the guitar suffered in a car crash hasn’t been copied. Pickups are modern Burstbucker 3 models and Gibson officially designates the colour as Butterscotch. There is an aged version, called the Gary Moore Butterscotch Aged (confused?), but these will be few and far between -125 examples only – and have a hefty price tag. Peter Green is not mentioned anywhere, presumably for contractual reasons.
Apart from the Sperzel machine heads looking a bit unusual and the reversed pickup, there’s really very little to distinguish this Les Paul from any Custom Shop ’59. The faded ‘unburst’ finish is more yellow than amber, but with an even colour all over the flamed maple top. The back of the guitar and the neck are finished in a browny tint, a colour I’ve never seen before on a Les Paul back. We’re getting used to mismatched control knobs on artist models now, with the Bonamassa, Bloomfield and now the Franks sporting a mixture of bell and top-hats.
Plugging in reveals just how much of a tonal difference is achieved by reversing the front pickup. With both pickups on, the tone literally ‘quacks’ at you. It’s not necessarily a thin sound either, as is rumoured. Actually I found it very expressive and indeed, unique. The Burstbuckers on their own sound full, fat and creamy – just as they should – but it’s the ‘Greeny’ tone that’s going to attract players to this guitar as a guitar, not just the association with the legendary guitarist.
The Franks is another expensive Gibson from the Custom Shop, has impeccable credentials and a totally individual sound. We’ve all waited a long time for it and they’ve made a superb job of it. I can’t help feeling sorry for Melvyn Franks though – his original guitar and all the Gibson Collector’s Choice #1 instruments are always going to be referred to as the Peter Green Les Paul.
Lest we forget, here he is.
Tags: gary moore les paul, melvyn franks les paul, peter green les paul