As Cheap Trick prepare for the release of their 17th studio album Bang Zoom Crazy . . . Hello and subsequent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, guitarist Rick Nielsen has announced the Rick Nielsen 1959 Les Paul Standard, a replica of the instrument he has been playing for 25 years.

"I saw a prototype for the first time a couple of months ago. It was amazing," he told Gibson.com.

"They went through everything - got all the dimensions, replicated everything about it.

My '59 Les Paul has a really nice tiger-stripe - curly maple on the top, real tight. They replicated that, along with all the wear marks and the fading. The only thing missing is the smell."

"It plays terrific, and sustains like mad. Even before I plugged in, I could tell it sounded great. Les Pauls from '58, '59, and '60 all sound a little different.

I don't know the technical things the Custom Shop did, but they obviously took into account the weight of the wood, the kind of wiring that was used, and the strength of the pickups. They really did their homework."

Nielsen also said that the Rick Nielsen 1959 Les Paul Standard will come complete with a replica 1905's guitar case.