Ian Bairnson - 2009 Gibson '59 Reissue Les Paul Standard ele...

Hammer

£7,500

Ian Bairnson - 2009 Gibson '59 Reissue Les Paul Standard electric guitar, made in USA, ser. no. 9 9212; Body: sunburst finished maple veneer top upon cherry finished mahogany back, a few dings and blemishes to edges, light aging/checking throughout; Neck: good, mahogany, minor dings and checking; Fretboard: rosewood; Frets: good; Electrics: working, replacement Seymour Duncan Antiquity humbucker pickups; Hardware: some green oxidisation and minor rusting to metal parts including pickup covers; Case: Gibson Custom Art Historic hard case; Weight: 4.06kg; Overall condition: good

*Purchased by Ian from Vintage & Modern Guitars, Thame. Ian's website states "A friend told me of a guitar in a tiny shop that I should have a look at. I brought my own Les Paul to pitch it against, and finally the search was over! The sound was spot on! Much money changed hands and I drove it home like an excited sixteen year old. After a mild panic attack when the bridge pickup seemed faulty... I am completely delighted with this new "brother" to my Custom. I can't put it down. I keep thinking, "if only I could have had a '59 Standard at sixteen!" but we can't change the past. The important thing is that now I have the blues sound I always wanted!"

John "Ian" Bairnson (3rd August 1953 – 7th April 2023) was a Scottish musician, best known as a member of Pilot and the Alan Parsons Project. He was a multi-instrumentalist, who played saxophone and keyboards, although he was best known as a guitarist. He started his career as a session guitarist, before joining up with former Bay City Rollers' David Paton and Billy Lyall to form the band Pilot in 1973. His time with Pilot saw the release of the two hit singles, ‘Magic’ and ‘January’, the latter reaching number one in the UK and other global charts. Both of these singles have since become grounded as classic tracks from the era.

 Whilst with Pilot, he started his collaboration with the record producer Alan Parsons on their debut self-titled album. It was this relationship that helped incorporate most of the members into band. One distinctive guitar solo of note was on the track 'I Wouldn't Want to be Like You' that featured in the 1977 film 'I Robot'

 From 1978, Bairnson started sessions with Kate Bush, recording guitars on her first four albums, 'The Kick Inside', 'Lion Heart', 'Never for Ever' and 'The Dreaming'. The most notable track featuring Ian’s work was her chart topping debut single 'Wuthering Heights', where he can be heard playing his 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom on the solo towards the end of the song.  Wuthering heights stayed at the top of the UK charts for four weeks. The success of this track and the debut album (‘The Kick Inside’) on which it features, firmly launched her to international stardom.

Bairnson also played with Bucks Fizz, for whom he co-wrote their top twenty hits 'If You Can't Stand the Heat' and 'Run For Your Life'. During his session career, he played on more than one hundred albums within different genres for artists such as Yvonne Keeley, Joe Cocker, John Anderson, Chris de Burgh, Mick Fleetwood and Neil Diamond, as well as playing live with Sting, Eric Clapton, Beverley Craven and many more.