Joe purchased his rare and highly collectible Gibson 1959 Les Paul Standard sunburst guitar at a music shop in Dublin in 1969, now known as the Orphanage Burst, Joe’s guitar has the unique status of having only one owner for over 54 years. Watch as the music documentary takes a deep dive into the story behind Joe’s musical journey with his treasured guitar through interviews from his musical collaborators including Brush Shiels, John Quearney, and his family including his wife Ellen, daughter Mia, and son Paul, who connected with Gibson’s CEO Cesar Gueikian through a mutual friend.

“It’s wonderful the guitar is going back to where it was created in the first place, to Gibson,” says Ellen Staunton. “It’s a great legacy to Joe’s memory that the guitar is going back to its birthplace, and he’d be happy about that, and we are very happy about it as well.”

“We’re honored that the Staunton family has trusted us for the next chapter of the Orphanage Burst. I feel responsible for carrying on the legacy of Joe and his guitar, and we will make sure the Orphanage Burst keeps making music, on records as well as stages with our artists,” says Cesar Gueikian, President and CEO of Gibson. “We are custodians of keeping the story of Joe and his musical legacy alive, and we decided to name it after Joe’s band Orphanage as tribute to him and his instrument. It’s such a cool and unique Burst because Joe was a lefty and over five decades playing it, he aged it and gave it a character I have never seen before in any other 1959 Gibson Burst. This may be the coolest-looking Burst I have ever seen.”

Watch/share the new mini documentary “The Story of the Orphanage Burst,” on Gibson TV HERE.


Part of musical soul of Dublin, Joe Staunton was the living embodiment of the blues and got his start in the Dublin scene when he was recruited to join the renowned Irish rock group Orphanage. Formed in late 1969, Orphanage was founded by bassist Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy, Skid Row, The Black Eagles) in-between his time in Skid Row (Irish rock group) and the creation of Thin Lizzy. The Orphanage lineup included drummer Brian Downey (Thin Lizzy), Pat Quigley (bass) and occasional guitarist Terry Woods (The Pogues, Sweeney’s Men, Dr. Strangely Strange). Despite lasting nearly one year, Orphanage made a name for themselves across the country by touring and were heard across the radio. Staunton then formed the band Macbeth with Pat Quigley (bass), and Joe eventually revived the Orphanage name in 1973, and wrote some hits in the 70s, and in the 80s he played again with Brian Downey in The Alleycats and Talk to Strangers. Well-known in the Dublin music scene, music was the cornerstone of Joe’s life as he performed weekly at Slattery’s Pub in the city and became widely known as the left-handed wizard on guitar

Known as the Holy Grail of Guitars, the 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard represents the pinnacle of electric guitar innovation. It’s as versatile an instrument as it is iconic, and in the right hands can wring thunderous riffs, molten solos and warm, clean tones from it in equal measure. The Gibson Les Paul Standards from 1958 to 1960 are among the most collectible vintage guitars in the world, with the Gibson 1959 model as the most highly coveted of all. No specific Gibson guitar carries more intrigue and gravitas than the 1959 Les Paul Standard. Rare and highly-collectible, it has become the most iconic guitar in history, (under 650 were made), and before long, it was adopted by some of the world's greatest and hugely influential guitarists--Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Duane Allman, Mike Bloomfield, Billy Gibbons, Joe Perry, Slash, Rick Nielsen and Jason Isbell, to name a few.

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