Serial Log
Entries are divided by year, and logged sequentially by serial number. Images are available in the 'Gallery' section of this site. Comparing the number of guitars logged with the estimated shipping totals for Les Pauls in those years reveals that this serial number log is far from complete (the total number of Bursts is believed to be around 1300 total):
1958: 090 logged / 434 shipped = 21%
(some Goldtops, some Bursts)
1959: 324 logged / 643 shipped = 50%
(all Bursts)
1960: 142 logged / 635 shipped = 22%
(some Bursts, some SG/LP's at the end not logged)
(some Goldtops, some Bursts)
1959: 324 logged / 643 shipped = 50%
(all Bursts)
1960: 142 logged / 635 shipped = 22%
(some Bursts, some SG/LP's at the end not logged)
Notes
The serial numbers logged here come from two main sources. Thanks are due to The Les Paul Forum, a useful source of information and photographic documentation of Bursts serial numbers. Some photo books, The Beauty Of The Burst, Sunburst Alley and Burst Gang, have likewise provided serial number information for many guitars. The authenticity of some Bursts has been disputed, as fakes and forgeries do exist. Please do not consider the appearance of a serial number in this log as a strict verification of originality or correctness.
Anomalies
Some early 1958 Sunburst examples have off-center seam maple tops. They are serial numbers 8 1070, 8 1641, 8 1810, and 8 3322. Some of these may be goldtops refinished to sunburst, because adjacent serial numbers are original goldtops [8 1008, 8 1151, 8 2074, 8 2785, 8 2795, 8 279X, 8 2803, 8 3127, 8 3138, 8 3141, 8 3305, 8 331X, 8 3324 and 8 3823 indicated by gold text in the log]. More than half of the '58 Les Pauls are goldtops since the sunburst finish began in July of that year. The earliest Les Pauls with original sunburst finish could be 8 3096 (with no visible center seam) and 8 3087 (both marked in the Gibson ledger books as "2 LP Spec. finish."), or maybe the later 8 4869 with center seam and today refinished in sunburst. The earliest use of the word sunburst on a Les Paul Standard in the Gibson ledger books is serial number 8 1641 and it was listed as "LP (cherry red sunburst)". This was an opaque sunburst which has faded to reveal a non-center seam.
Serial Log
1958
8 10088 1070
8 1151
8 1641
8 1689
8 1788
8 1810
8 2074
8 2453
8 2700
8 2785
8 2795
8 279X
8 2803
8 3096
8 3102
8 3127
8 3134
8 3138
8 3141
8 3305
8 331X
8 3322
8 3324
8 3688
8 3823
8 4869
8 5053
8 5346
8 5382
8 5385
8 5386
8 5388
8 5394
8 5395
8 5397
8 5404
8 5413
8 5416
8 5418
8 5419
8 5425
8 5434
8 5436
8 5438
8 5489
8 5495
8 5500
8 5502
8 5504
8 5506
8 5515
8 5737
8 6XXX
8 6342
8 6727
8 6728
8 6730
8 6738
8 6740
8 6742
8 6743
8 6747
8 6749
8 6752
8 6754
8 6756
8 6758
8 6761
8 6775
8 6782
8 6784
8 6789
8 6802
8 6811
8 6893
8 6894
8 6895
8 6897
8 6900
8 6906
8 6907
8 6924
8 6927
8 6931
8 6997
8 6998
8 7042
8 7045
8 8748
1959
9 01339 0136
9 0194
9 02XX
9 0225
9 0274
9 0279
9 0280
9 0284
9 0289
9 0291
9 0296
9 0297
9 0299
9 0303
9 0306
9 0310
9 0313
9 0331
9 0336
9 0340
9 0341
9 0343
9 0344
9 0347
9 0348
9 0356
9 0357
9 0363
9 0366
9 0368
9 0370
9 0373
9 0374
9 0381
9 0382
9 0393
9 0397
9 0403
9 0404
9 0420
9 0421
9 0423
9 0424
9 0428
9 0433
9 0494
9 0537
9 0583
9 0584
9 0592
9 0593
9 0597
9 0598
9 0600
9 0606
9 0614
9 0618
9 0627
9 0628
9 0629
9 0631
9 0632
9 0633
9 0635
9 0636
9 0637
9 0640
9 0643
9 0644
9 0646
9 0652
9 0653
9 0655
9 0656
9 0657
9 0658
9 0662
9 0663
9 0669
9 0672
9 0674
9 0677
9 0681
9 0684
9 0686
9 0691
9 0692
9 0696
9 0697
9 0700
9 0710
9 0735
9 074X
9 0769
9 0790
9 0799
9 0812
9 0821
9 0823
9 0826
9 0827
9 0829
9 0833
9 0834
9 0837
9 0839
9 0844
9 0848
9 0850
9 0853
9 0856
9 08X0
9 0871
9 0875
9 0878
9 0879
9 0881
9 0883
9 0889
9 0891
9 0893
9 0895
9 08XX
9 0901
9 0902
9 0903
9 0904
9 0905
9 0910
9 0911
9 0913
9 0918
9 0923
9 0924
9 0925
9 0926
9 0927
9 0930
9 0933
9 0934
9 0937
9 0941
9 0944
9 0946
9 0947
9 0955
9 0986
9 0XXX
9 1001
9 1055
9 1061
9 1067
9 1073
9 1081
9 1083
9 1086
9 1088
9 1089
9 1091
9 1094
9 1098
9 1100
9 1102
9 1105
9 1108
9 1109
9 1112
9 1152
9 1154
9 1156
9 1163
9 1165
9 1167
9 1171
9 1175
9 1176
9 1203
9 1227
9 1228
9 1234
9 1242
9 1244
9 1250
9 1251
9 1280
9 1378
9 1427
9 1428
9 1688
9 1703
9 1785
9 1823
9 1838
9 1839
9 1843
9 1846
9 1850
9 1852
9 1854
9 1856
9 1860
9 1864
9 1866
9 1868
9 1869
9 1870
9 1872
9 1873
9 1876
9 1878
9 1879
9 1880
9 1881
9 1882
9 1884
9 1885
9 1886
9 1887
9 1891
9 1892
9 1895
9 1896
9 1897
9 1898
9 1899
9 1901
9 1907
9 1908
9 1913
9 1914
9 1918
9 1921
9 1923
9 1924
9 1925
9 1927
9 1928
9 1936
9 1942
9 1943
9 1945
9 1946
9 1947
9 1951
9 1952
9 1953
9 1954
9 1955
9 1960
9 1961
9 1962
9 1964
9 1972
9 1974
9 1978
9 1980
9 1981
9 1982
9 1984
9 1985
9 1993
9 1994
9 1997
9 1998
9 1999
9 2XX6
9 2XXX
9 20XX
9 2003
9 2010
9 2011
9 2012
9 2014
9 2015
9 2020
9 2023
9 2036
9 2037
9 2044
9 2072
9 2074
9 2146
9 2148
9 2173
9 2174
9 2179
9 2180
9 2183
9 2188
9 2192
9 2193
9 2195
9 2196
9 2198
9 2204
9 2205
9 2207
9 2208
9 2212
9 2214
9 2215
9 2216
9 2217
9 2218
9 2220
9 2225
9 2227
9 2229
9 2312
9 2314
9 2317
9 2318
9 2324
9 2342
9 2498
9 24XX
9 3012
9 3182
9 9072
'1959'
'9 1727'
1960
0 01XX0 0117
0 0122
0 0133
0 015X
0 0154
0 0162
0 0195
0 02XX
0 0205
0 0208
0 0221
0 0231
0 0237
0 0238
0 0247
0 0253
0 0256
0 0258
0 0266
0 0268
0 0271
0 0273
0 0285
0 0288
0 0289
0 0290
0 0295
0 0297
0 0302
0 0303
0 0307
0 0308
0 0378
0 0600
0 0677
0 0700
0 0919
0 1065
0 1182
0 1224
0 1274
0 1333
0 1475
0 1483
0 1484
0 1486
0 1490
0 1494
0 1498
0 1499
0 1503
0 1504
0 1505
0 1602
0 1923
0 1926
0 1930
0 1935
0 1939
0 1942
0 1943
0 2036
0 2164
0 2166
0 2167
0 2169
0 2171
0 2179
0 2183
0 2188
0 2192
0 2196
0 3039
0 3187
0 3191
0 7070
0 7157
0 7158
0 7169
0 7170
0 7171
0 7172
0 7183
0 7275
0 7441
0 7444
0 7445
0 7446
0 7448
0 7450
0 7451
0 7452
0 7461
0 7495
0 7498
0 7587
0 7591
0 7592
0 7598
0 7600
0 7601
0 7605
0 7606
0 7611
0 7613
0 7615
0 76XX
0 8004
0 8039
0 8065
0 8067
0 8070
0 8080
0 8087
0 8091
0 8097
0 8098
0 80XX
0 8138
0 8141
0 8144
0 8145
0 8146
0 8148
0 8149
0 8150
0 8155
0 8156
0 8166
0 8291
0 8334
0 8353
0 8354
0 8393
0 8600
0 9350
0 9434
010180
010838
011188
011495