Gibson Custom builds 30 forensic replicas of Billy Gibbons' “Pearly Gates” Les Paul, sold only through a private Nashville event
A 3D-scanned, Murphy Lab-aged recreation of the ZZ Top frontman's 1959 Les Paul Standard, priced at $39,999 and hand-signed by Gibbons.
Credit: Gibson
Billy Gibbons' 1959 Les Paul Standard, known as "Pearly Gates," is among the most storied electric guitars in rock, and Gibson Custom has now built a Collector's Edition run of it. The shop used close examination, 3D scans and precise measurements of the original to reproduce its neck profile and body, then had the Murphy Lab age and relic each one to match the current state of the real guitar. The pickups are careful replicas of its original PAF-style humbuckers.
Only 30 will be made, each hand-signed by Gibbons and priced at $39,999. Getting one is not straightforward: the guitars are being sold through a private in-person event at Gibson Garage Nashville on 16 October, which includes an intimate live performance from Gibbons himself. Gibson published an accompanying film on its Gibson TV channel.
Credit: Gibson TV
Why it matters
Ultra-limited, event-only Custom Shop replicas of one specific famous instrument show how far Gibson is leaning on provenance and experience, rather than volume, at the top of its range.
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