NORWALK, CONN. – A 1959 Gibson Les Paul standard Burst sold for $216,000 in Westport Auction’s June 14 boutique sale offering 27 guitars from a Grand Rapids, Mich., collection. The collector began acquiring examples in the 1970s. The auction house wrote, “Known as the Holy Grail of Guitars, the 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard Burst represents the pinnacle of electric guitar innovation during Gibson’s golden age. The Les Paul Standards from 1958 to 1960 are among the most collectible vintage guitars in the market, with the 1959 model as the most highly coveted of all.”

In 1958, Gibson modified the finish for the Les Paul Standard from the “Goldtop” gold finish to the cherry sunburst finish, from which 1958-1960 Les Pauls got their name, “Burst.”

Rockstars Jimmy Page, Bernie Marsden and Keith Richards all played Bursts, and it is thought less than 1,700 of them still exist today.

The guitar sold to a private American buyer.

For more information, www.westportauction.com or 203-222-3448.