We built this interpretation of Lester Polfuss’ original design from the 50s at Frank’s request. Our goal was to capture the “spirit” of what is probably the most sought-after guitar model of all time – the 1959 Standard – and transport it in a modern guitar. Of course, Frank had some wishes to optimally adapt the guitar to his needs. In the beginning there was the choice of wood, because this guitar should do without tropical wood, but still deliver THE Paul sound. So French walnut was our choice for the body. Maple was used for the neck, and local plum for the fretboard as a substitute for brazilian rosewood – still an insider tip among fretboard materials, but completely wrong in my opinion. For the top we used a beautifully flamed piece of Bosnian maple.
The pickups were hand-wound by Harry Häussel and are intended to recreate the 1959 PAF sound as best as possible. Of course, only braided shield wire was used for the wiring, CTS pots and a solid Switchcraft switch and output jack. For more versatility, we have given both pickups a coil split via two push-pull switches in the tone pot.
A modern TOM from ABM made of solid brass was used for the bridge, as well as an aluminum tailpiece for best sustain and a nice open and “woody” sound character. As a small modern upgrade, we used the Schaller Locking Tuner for the best tuning stability. Further upgrades are the 2-way truss rod, the volute at the transition between neck and headstock for more stability and stainless steel frets for absolutely wear-free play and smooth bending. The fretboard radius was also designed as a 12-16″ compound.
Frank is somewhat handicapped in the mobility of his hand, which is why we made the neck extra wide (50mm at the saddle). For better orientation, super large side dots and stainless steel rivets are also used as haptic feedback on the lower edge of the fretboard.
The matt and super thin NC lacquer finishes off the body and the oiled neck ensures a pleasant natural feel.
That’s what WE mean by Custom Shop: Here you get YOUR guitar – without compromises!
Body: European Walnut
Neck: Maple
Top: Bosnian Flamed Maple
Fretboard: Plum, 24.75″ (628mm) Scale, 22 medium stainless steel frets
Pickups: Häussel handwound pickups // 1959 Humbucker set
Electronic: 3-Way Switch; 2x Volume, 2x Tone with push-pull coilsplit
Hardware: Gold; Schaller Locking Tuners; ABM 2504 TOM Bridge + 3020 Tailpiece
Construction: Set-neck
Finish: Body: Natural NC finish; Neck and fretboard: oiled
