This is what’s left of a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard. Clean original examples sell for in excess of $100,000.00. Exceptional examples with highly figured tops can bring 3 to 4 times as much. This instrument, as it appears in this image, has no real collectors value, other than the salvagable parts.

This poor guitar was a staple from our old site’s Roadkill pages. It’s been so long I don’t remember the source of the image (Update: Possibly Steve Soest). It doesn’t get a whole lot more depressing than this...

The modifications to this guitar were clearly done in an effort to make it usable for a left handed player. The modifications include:

• Creation of a cutaway to the left side of the body at the neck. This is the unforgivable offense that renders the guitar as Roadkill.

• Addition of a large knob guard(?) to prevent the left arm from resting on the controls. This effectively prevents the adjustment of the volume or tone settings on the guitar. To install this dubious piece of plastic someone three visible screws (and possibly more) into the face of the guitar.

• A left handed black plastic replacement pickguard, screwed directly into the top of the guitar.

• A Gibson short Vibrola tailpiece, again screwed into the face of the instrument. The item attached between the Vibrola and the bridge appears to be some form of home-made flip up mute assembly. (I’d appreciate info from anyone with a firmer understanding of what this thing is and why it’s there...)

• A replacement gold Gibson ABR-1 bridge. (While simple to restore, it does make one wonder what gold tuners may be lurking on the headstock out of this images sights.)

If anyone has additional images of this guitar, or anything that you believe may top this as our long standing champion, please forward them to us using the email Contact Us link below. We’ll post them, and credit you, if you’d like.

And while it should go without saying, I will anyway...

Kids, for God’s sake, don’t try this at home! Even if you’re parents don’t love you, your guitar does. Don’t make it pay for your misplaced anger and frustration. Get counseling, use the power tools on those who’ve wronged you, just set the guitar down first.

Something to think about.

Scott

Tags: Roadkill, Burst, Les Paul, Gibson