1986 Gibson Les Paul Standard – Dark Sunburst – Tim Shaw – Chainsaw Case

Up for sale is my 1986 Gibson Les Paul Standard in a beautiful dark amber/brown sunburst finish. I don’t know Gibson’s exact factory color designation for this particular guitar, so I don’t want to misrepresent it, but visually it falls somewhere in the dark Tobacco/Bourbon Sunburst family. The deep brown outer burst and warm amber center give it a great old-school look that immediately reminded me of the famous Slash/Joe Perry Les Paul aesthetic.

The top has a lot of character and changes considerably depending on the angle and lighting. It isn’t a modern, perfectly bookmatched “flame top” type of guitar—it has the more organic, slightly irregular maple character that makes these older Standards so appealing.

1986 also puts this squarely in the mid/late-’80s Les Paul era that has received a lot of renewed attention from Slash fans, particularly because of his famous “Jessica” Standard. This obviously has no connection to Slash himself, but if you are specifically interested in the Les Pauls Gibson was building during that period, this is a great example.

The guitar weighs 10 lbs even on my scale. It feels exactly like what I want an old Les Paul Standard to feel like: substantial, resonant and very solid.

The neck is what I would describe as a typical mid-’80s Gibson profile. I do not have calipers to give precise measurements, but by feel it lands somewhere between a traditional ’59-style neck and the slimmer ’60 profile. It has enough substance to feel like a real Les Paul neck without being an oversized baseball bat or an especially thin Slim Taper.

Originality / Parts

The electronics appear to be original throughout, including the pickups, pots, switch and wiring.

The only changed parts I can identify are:

• Period Grover tuners, which look completely at home on the guitar
• Replacement nut

Otherwise, the guitar presents as a remarkably intact example of a nearly 40-year-old Les Paul that was actually played rather than stored away.

Condition

This guitar has been played and loved, but not abused, which to me is always a good sign on an older instrument.

There is some buckle rash on the back, but it does not go through the finish. There is also some light natural wear on the back of the neck, and some of the clear coat has worn away from the body binding in the area where the player’s forearm rests.

One of my favorite details is the natural play wear on the bridge pickup ring. It is exactly the kind of localized wear that develops from years of someone actually playing the guitar and contributes a lot to the overall character.

Nothing has been artificially aged or relic’d. What you see is simply the result of decades of normal use.

The guitar has a great balance of preservation and honest age—it doesn’t look like a museum piece, but it certainly hasn’t been thrashed.

Case

Included is a near-mint Gibson “chainsaw” case. The case is exceptionally clean and is a particularly nice complement to an ’80s Gibson like this.

Specs / Highlights

• 1986 Gibson Les Paul Standard
• Original dark amber/brown sunburst finish
• 10 lbs even on my scale
• Original electronics
• Original Tim Shaw pickups
• Period Grover tuners
• Replacement nut
• Comfortable medium neck profile, approximately between a ’59 and ’60 feel
• Honest natural play wear
• No artificial aging
• Includes near-mint Gibson chainsaw case

This is a really cool example of an increasingly appreciated era of Gibson production. It has the look, feel and natural wear of a Les Paul that someone genuinely enjoyed for decades, while retaining the important original components.

Please look closely at the photos for condition and finish details. I have tried to photograph the guitar honestly from a variety of angles because the top and burst change considerably depending on the light.