Kirk Hammett just bought one of the rarest Les Pauls ever made – a Factory Black ’59 Les Paul Standard

Kirk Hammett has got himself a new guitar, and it’s one of the rarest Gibson Les Pauls ever made. A 1959 Les Paul Standard would be rare enough, a holy grail for most. But how about one in Factory Black, complete with a Bigsby vibrato?

Hammett’s new guitar is just not the sort of thing you see in the wild everyday. Even among the vintage guitar community, the people with the dough for this kind of thing, a black ’59 Les Paul Standard is a once in a lifetime guitar.

The Metallica guitarist bought his from Carter Vintage Guitars, Nashville, and it is one of few guitars in the world that can give his famous Greeny ‘Burst a run for its money. What makes it so rare is that Les Paul Standards did not come in that color at the time.

These ’59 Les Paul Standards might be the most sought-after guitars nowadays – the exemplar of the model – but when they were released, many players looked to the Les Paul Custom, with its classy Ebony finish as the ideal. It was also the highest-priced model in the catalog.

Some jonesing for that LP Custom aesthetic was how Hammett’s Factory Black model came into existence, and it all started with a request from a jazz guitarist named Joseph Arena. According to Carter Vintage Guitars, the story goes that Arena wanted a Custom, on account that it would match his tuxedo, so he put in a request via Sam Ash in Hempstead, New York, who sent on his request to Gibson HQ.

Arena must have been happy with their work. The guitar has stayed in the family until Carter Vintage Guitars took receipt of it. There are no further details as to whether the Bigsby was an aftermarket mod, or as to why the pickup coverings are missing. But as Hammett says himself, “This is one unique, amazing sounding guitar.”

The Metallica man noted that Greeny, his ’59 Les Paul Standard once owned by Peter Green and then Gary Moore, might be a little jealous. Well, it can get in line. We’re all a little jealous. It’s good news that someone such as Hammett picked it up, because we might even see it onstage once Metallica head out on their epic M72 World Tour, which picks up on April 27 at the Johan Cruijff Arena, Amsterdam.

Hammett was good to his word when picking up Greeny. It was not going to be a museum piece. It was going to be maintained, played regularly. People needed to see and hear it.