Million Dollar Les Paul: In Search Of The Most Valuable Guitar In The World »

Guitar great Eric Clapton famously featured his Les Paul Standard, which originally sold for $280, on the seminal 1966 Blues Breakers album. But Clapton was only one of many legendary players who made this solid body electric with mahogany body and a three-color sunburst maple top their guitar of choice. In this exciting history, Tony Bacon examines the "burst" phenomenon from every angle. He begins with the "Les Paul Primer," documenting the guitar's brief production period from 1958 to 1960. He then profiles and interviews everyone from the man who inspired it, Les Paul, to dealers, collectors, forgers, roadies, and, of course, major players like Stephen Stills, Duane Allman, and Jimmy Page. Million Dollar Les Paul also looks at the science, investment history (and increasingly astronomical pricing), and almost mystical appeal of the instrument whose small production numbers — only 1,500 were made — belie its stature as the single most sought-after guitar in the world.