Gibson's original "Burst" Les Pauls are perhaps the most sought-after vintage guitars of all time. They are renowned for their beauty and snowflake-like uniqueness. After all, each one had a different level of flame in the maple top, and each finish received a different amount of UV light, which drastically changes the finish. So, no two are alike, and that's the beauty of the burst.
And there aren't many originals to compare, because Gibson made less than 2,000 Les Pauls between 1958 and 1960. Near the tail end of that run, they started putting slimmer necks on them. These guitars had lightning-fast feel that appealed to lots of rock and blues guitar players in the '60s. One of these players, a young British man named Eric Clapton, touched off the British blues revolution and the Les Paul renaissance by playing his '60--nicknamed "Beano"--on John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers' album of the same name.