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I
n the world of vintage-guitar collecting,
provenance is of huge importance. And when
it comes to vintage Les Pauls, the stakes are
very high indeed. Happily, this is one ’59
that comes with its history well documented
and a former celebrity owner.
Currently for sale via Lucky Fret Music Co in
London’s Shoreditch neighbourhood, the Richrath
Burst (serial number 9 0614) is named after its
former owner, REO Speedwagon’s Gary Richrath.
Richrath – REO Speedwagon’s lead guitarist,
songwriter and occasional singer between 1970
and 1989 – was a Burst collector. Although there
are no known photographs of him playing this guitar,
it was acquired by well-known guitar dealer Jacques
Mazzoleni in around 1989. The instrument had
been in the possession of Richrath’s ex-girlfriend
and Mazzoleni’s partner was a friend.
From there, it went to another vintage dealer,
Richie Friedman, and then to noted collector
Kosta Kovachev. The Richrath was traded to
yet another dealer, Gil Southworth, before
returning to Mazzoleni in 1998.
It wasn’t long before the Richrath Burst made its
way to its current owner, who has been in possessionof the instrument for 21 years. The guitar also
appears in several of Vic DaPra’s books beloved
of Les Paul enthusiasts including Burst Believers II
and III. In 2018, it was played on stage at Cardiff’s
Motorpoint Arena by Joe Bonamassa.DEEP DIVE
Although the guitar is largely original, close
inspection reveals there are a few issues to consider.
Although Klusons are the only machineheads ever to
have been fitted, one of the tuners doesn’t match the
others and removing the replacement unit reveals a
‘PAT APPLD’ stamp on the underside, meaning that
it was manufactured between 1953 and 1956.
Photographs from 1994 show the Richrath
Burst with covered pickups. Although the current,
uncovered set comprises a pair of genuine PAFs,
they aren’t original to the guitar.
Swapped pickups might be a concern to some,
but the fact that they are highly sought-after units
with white bobbins may mitigate this somewhat,
along with the pair of original covers stashed inside
the Lifton case.
Besides the pickup connections on the volume
pots, all other solder joints appear untouched. TheVINTAGE BENCH TEST
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