With the arrival of Gibson Custom’s Limited Edition Billy Gibbons Pearly Gates Les Paul Standard VOS guitars, we thought it was appropriate to disperse a bit of trivia!
In the early days of ZZ Top, the band used a massive, attention-getting Packard car to get around. The car was eventually given to a girlfriend who drove it to Hollywood and scored a part in a movie. Taking this as evidence that the car was imbued with divine influence, the band named it “Pearly Gates.” The girlfriend sold the car (wonder what happened to it?) and sent the money to the band. The cash arrived just in time to pay for Gibbons’ heavenly ’59 Les Paul Standard, and the nickname was reapplied to the guitar.
That guitar has served duty on every ZZ Top album since, and has become one of the iconic instruments of rock. Gibson will only make 250 of this limited edition VOS (Vintage Original Spec) tribute to that guitar; it features a figured maple top, Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbuckers, a carefully matched Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish, and more — it’s like Billy’s Pearly Gates in every way!
