With rare skill and unforgettable tone, Don Felder filled the Eagles' landmark album, Hotel California, with some of the most famous guitar parts ever recorded. Felder -- who was brought in to bring a little rock edge to the group's sound -- wielded a gorgeous 1959 burst Les Paul as his axe of choice. In honor of both the guitar and the guitarist, the Gibson Custom Shop offers the Don Felder Hotel California Les Paul. This stunning guitar captures every nuance of Felder's original as part of Gibson's acclaimed VOS -- or Vintage Original Spec -- series.

Classic Tone of a '59 Les Paul

On the road, Felder could often be seen with a distinct doubleneck EDS-1275 that allowed him to play the 12-string parts of "Hotel California" as well as the scorching, climatic solo. In the studio, however, it was his '59 Les Paul all the way. The Les Pauls of 1959 carry all the landmark features of the Gibson golden era, and are typically considered the most sought-after electric guitars on the vintage market. The Don Felder Hotel California Les Paul includes all the same specs that made the original '59 so memorable, such as the solid mahogany body, carved maple top, deep running neck tenon, and powerful humbucker pickups. This release uses Gibson's famed Burstbuckers(r), which deliver all the rock-worthy snarl and full-bodied texture of an original PAF.

Vintage-style Hardware and Finish

Gibson has given this guitar the authentic look and feel of a genuine '59 Les Paul with an array of classic components and the proprietary VOS process. Every element from the Kluson keystone tuners to the aged trapezoid inlays on the rosewood fretboard have been included to capture a decisively vintage vibe. Other classic features include the ABR-1 tailpiece, tune-o-matic bridge, and elegant cream binding.

Gibson VOS (Vintage Original Specs) guitars undergo an "aging process" for an oxidized finish and all the dings and scratches you would expect from a well-worn guitar. VOS series guitars look and feel like a 50-year-old guitar should.

This video from Gibson gives a great overview of the stunning VOS series:

Features:

- Authentic replica of Don Felder's '59 Les Paul heard on "Hotel California"
- Comfortable rounded '59 neck profile
- Dual Burstbucker pickups for classic PAF tone
- Classic combination of solid mahogany body with carved maple top
- Rosewood fingerboard with figured acrylic trapezoid inlays and 22 frets
- Vintage Kluson-style green-button tuners, elegant cream binding, ABR-1 tailpiece, and tune-o-matic bridge
- Included hardshell case and Gibson Custom Shop documentation zZounds is an authorized dealer of Gibson products.

Body

Top: 2-Piece Figured Maple

Back: 1-Piece Solid Mahogany

Binding: .04, Cream

Body Type: Non-Chambered

Adhesive: Franklin Titebond

Neck

Species: Mahogany with Maple Spline

Profile: Rounded small '59

Truss Rod: Traditional

Joint Angle: 4* (+/- 15 seconds)

Adhesive: Franklin Titebond

Neck Fit

Joint: Mortise & Tenon

Adhesive: Franklin Titebond

Joint Angle Tolerance: +/- .005"

Fingerboard

Species: Rosewood

Frets: 22

Radius: 12"

Nut/E.O.B: 1.687/2.062

Inlays: Aged Acrylic Trapezoid

Binding: .04, cream

Other: Reissue Fret Wire/Tortoise Side Dots

Nut

Material: Bone

Width: 1.687

Slots: Gibson PLEK System

Headstock

Inlay: Mother of Pearl

Logo: '59 Reissue, .040 holly with Gibson Logo

Truss Rod Cover: Gibson Bell Shaped(TM) Molded

Angle: 17 Degrees

Tuners

Model: Vintage Kluson-style with Green "Keystone" Buttons

Tuning Ratio: 12:01

Bridge

Type: Tune-o-matic

Material: Zinc

Plating: Chrome

Tailpiece

Type: Stop Bar

Material: Aluminum

Plating: Chrome

Hardware

Knobs: Gold Top Hats

Toggle Switch Washer: Cream with Gold Silkscreen

Strings: .010 - .046, Vintage Strings

Pickguard: Cream

Strap Buttons: Aluminum Strap Buttons

Pickups

Neck Position: Burstbucker 2

Bridge Position: Burstbucker 1

Magnet Material: Alnico II

Electronics

Potentiometers: 2 Volume Controls, 2 Tone Controls

Type: 500k Audio Taper

Capacitors: .022mF "Bumblebee"

Coil Wiring: Parallel-Machine Wound

Toggle Switch: Switchcraft Three-way with Cream Toggle Cap

Output Jack: 1/4" Switchcraft

Finish

Color: Felder Burst

Sealer: Ntrocellulose Lacquer VOS - Felder Burst Aged - Felder Burst Aged/Signed - Felder Burst

Case

Type: Custom Shop

Case Exterior: Black Pleather Silkscreened with Don's Signature

Case Interior: Maroon Crushed Velvet

Accessories Included

Certificate of Authenticity: Custom Shop Felder COA

Additional Materials: Owners Manual Literature Lifetime Warranty Information

Hotel California Sheet Music Signed by Don Felder

Product Description

The 1976 mega-hit single "Hotel California" is named on virtually every reputable list of "greatest guitar solos" that has ever been published. The whole truth is, though, that the entire Hotel California album is rife with scorching guitar work from both newcomer Joe Walsh and Eagles lead guitarist Don Felder -- and Felder played all of his solos on one outstanding instrument: a 1959 Les Paul Standard.

Hired by the Eagles in 1974 to help the band make the transition from country-rock to a heavier, rock-based sound, Felder brought it on in spades, and the tone he selected to do the job is unmistakably Les Paul -- fat, creamy and singing. In order to bring that sound, feel and look to a select group of players and collectors today, Gibson Custom offers the Don Felder "Hotel California" 1959 Les Paul, an instrument created in the image of Felder's original 1959 'Burst in strictly limited quantities. Produced as a three-tiered Limited Edition, with 50 guitars hand-aged by Gibson Custom and personally signed by Don Felder, 100 hand-aged, and a further 150 given Gibson's VOS treatment, each includes a numbered Certificate of Authenticity to record its status for posterity.

Hand-aged examples meticulously reproduce the look of Felder's own '59 Les Paul, while VOS versions present the gently aged look and feel of a vintage instrument. All are made with period-correct specs and components, including a pair of Gibson's most accurate reproduction PAF pickups, and finished in a uniquely tinted and faded "Felder Burst" finish, formulated exclusively for this guitar. As rare and desirable as all 'Bursts are, this limited run recreates one of the greatest, and a big slice of tone history.

Features
- Gibson's rounded '59 neck profile
- Solid Mahogany body with carved maple top
- Burstbucker #1 in Bridge, Burstbucker #2 in neck
- 22 Fret Rosewood fingerboard with figured acrylic trapezoid Inlays
- Vintage Kluson-style green-button tuners

The Les Paul Behind One of the Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time
Like any great Les Paul Standard, the Don Felder "Hotel California" 1959 Les Paul starts with great wood. Gibson Custom selects figured maple for the two-piece top to replicate the look of Felder's own iconic 'Burst, and joins each set to a select, lightweight, solid one-piece mahogany back. Way beyond merely recreating the look of the original instrument, however, this maple/mahogany pairing perpetuates a tonewood match made in heaven: a best-of-both-worlds palette that gives you the perfect blend of maple's clarity, snap and bite, and mahogany's warmth, depth and richness.

A one-piece mahogany neck is glued in with the preferred long neck tenon for superior resonance and sustain, and carved to match the neck on Felder's own '59 Les Paul Standard. Taking all this tonal goodness to your amp of choice are a pair of BurstBucker pickups, Gibson's most accurate PAF recreations to date. It's all anchored with the rock-solid pairing of a Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece, and topped with a set of vintage Kluson-style green-button tuners. And with a guitar that sounds and feels this good, you want it to look perfect, too.

To get the Don Felder "Hotel California" 1959 Les Paul just right, Gibson Custom has painstakingly formulated a unique "Felder Burst" finish, which accurately matches the mellowed, sand-hued fade of Felder's own '59 'Burst. Reproduced in nitrocellulose in a hand-executed process that involves several steps, the results are then treated to either meticulous hand-aging by Gibson Custom (150 guitars, 50 of which also will be signed by Don Felder), or Gibson Custom's acclaimed VOS process (150 guitars).

All told, it's a guitar worthy of its namesakes: one of the greatest guitar albums of all time, and player who laid down the leads that helped to make it so. All guitars come with a black, plush-lined Gibson Custom hardshell case, a Certificate of Authenticity, and full owner's manual and adjustment literature. Each also is covered by Gibson's Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 Customer Service.

Body and Finish
Made from the classic tonewood combination of carved maple top and one-piece mahogany back, and dressed in a faded nitrocellulose "Felder Burst" finish atop a figured maple cap, the Don Felder "Hotel California" 1959 Les Paul embodies the original '59 Les Paul on which Felder recorded all of his leads for the groundbreaking Hotel California album.

Neck, Headstock and Fingerboard
A neck made from one piece of solid mahogany is carved to an accurate, chunky, rounded '59 profile and is glued into the guitar's body with a deep-set long neck tenon, a joint known to aid strength and resonance. The neck is capped with a rosewood fingerboard with aged acrylic pearloid trapazoid inlays and 22 medium-jumbo frets, and its headstock is back-angled to the traditional 17 degrees.

Pickups and Electronics
A pair of BurstBucker humbucking pickups - a BB2 in the neck and a BB1 in the bridge - accurately replicate the tone and performance of the original PAF pickups in Don Felder's '59 Les Paul. They are routed through high-quality CTS pots for volume and tone, with "bumble bee" tone capacitors, and a Switchcraft three-way toggle switch, and a Switchcraft output jack.

Hardware
Like most classic late-'50s Les Pauls, the Don Felder "Hotel California" 1959 Les Paul carries the legendary complement of Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece, accompanied by a set of vintage Kluson-style tuners with green "keystone" buttons and stamped-steel covers plated in nickel. Its strap is secured by Gibson's traditional aluminum buttons.

Vintage Finish
Aged to perfection, Gibson VOS (Vintage Original Specs) guitars undergo an "aging process" for an oxidized finish and all the dings and scratches you would expect from a well worn-guitar. VOS series guitars look and feel like a 50-year-old guitar should.