Billy Gibbons "PEARLY GATES"
VOS Les Paul 59er remake by the Gibson Custom Shop
Recreating one of the world’s most coveted guitars wasn’t easy
" The master craftsmen at Gibson Custom have waited a long time for the opportunity to recreate Gibbons’ famed ‘Pearly Gates.’ So when they finally got their chance this year [2009] – the 50th anniversary of the 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard – they set out to make the best possible replica they could. Suffice to say, they have succeeded … and rather gloriously! 'Recreating one of the world’s most coveted guitars wasn’t easy. But remember, we’re the original makers of the guitar, and we are Gibson Custom!' "
" The master craftsmen at Gibson Custom have waited a long time for the opportunity to recreate Gibbons’ famed ‘Pearly Gates.’ So when they finally got their chance this year [2009] – the 50th anniversary of the 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard – they set out to make the best possible replica they could. Suffice to say, they have succeeded … and rather gloriously! 'Recreating one of the world’s most coveted guitars wasn’t easy. But remember, we’re the original makers of the guitar, and we are Gibson Custom!' "
The story of how Gibbons acquired ‘Pearly Gates’ is almost as famous as the guitar itself. As told by the Reverend Willie G. himself, the story begins in the late 60's with an old, beat up Packard automobile that used to be ZZ Top’s main ride.
Not long after getting the Packard, one of the band’s “girlfriends” headed to California to try out for a part in a movie, and the band let her use the Packard to get there.
According to legend, she landed the part, and the band christened the car with the name "Pearly Gates" because they thought “it must have had divine connections.”
She sold the car and sent the money back. “The very day the money arrived, a guy called me up wanting to sell me a ’59 Sunburst Les Paul,” Gibbons reflected. “I bought the guitar and called the girlfriend to thank her. She said, ‘It looks like the car went for a good cause. Since the money that put the guitar in our lap came from selling the Packard, we'll lay claim to the name Pearly Gates. Now you can go make divine music.’
Try as I may, I haven't been able to find another guitar that sounds as heavenly.” And that’s the legend of Gibbons’ storied ‘Pearly Gates’ Les Paul.
Gibson’s 1959 Les Paul Standards may be the Holy Grail of electric solid body guitars, but Gibbons’ ‘Pearly Gates’ may be the most desirable of all.
