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New Guitar Day - Les Paul

Started by wstimson, April 19, 2019, 06:08:11 PM

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wstimson

My whole life I've wanted a "real" Les Paul.  I've been casually looking for the last year or so for one that I could afford and that was not weight-relieved.  I like the heavy solid mahogany ones.  :)

I sort of stumbled backward into this one.  The drummer in my band plays in a few cover bands here and there (ie: old white guys playing Mustang Sally and I Shot the Sheriff to their old white friends).  We decided to do a fun rob/white zombie side project with him singing and playing a little rhythm.  He asked one of the guys he plays with if he could borrow a guitar for the project and he said "sure, I have one I don't really play any more" and loaned him this 1971 Gibson Les Paul Custom. 

I, of course, was dumb founded that this was a thing he'd just let a drummer borrow for an undefined number of months.  So I told him to ask this guy how many dollars we'd have to give him to never ever give this guitar back and if he said a number at or below $2k, tell him it's sold.  And here we are.

It's a 71 custom with the pickups from a 65 SG/Les Paul.  And it's my new favorite thing.  It's got some holes drilled where a bigsby was installed and then removed.  And it was refretted about 6 years ago to medium jumbos.  It had a nickle ABR-1 on it when I got it, but I replaced that with a gold graphtech bridge. 










matmosphere

Score! That's an exceptional looking Paul

Timko

I love it.  It's in black.

I bought a guitar for my aunt to give to my uncle as a retirement present late last year.  He sold a 1971 burst LP Custom when he was in his 20's, and I found her a '73.  While it played pretty well, I told him that if it were for me, I'd go with the black one. 

Also, put that Bigsby back on!  Because Neil Young.  And a black Les Paul :).

jimilee

That is just incredible! The ol tuxedo guitar. How much did he let it go for?


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pickdropper

Fantastic.  I love Black Beauties.  I will own one some day.  Oh yes, I will.
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wstimson

Thanks, guys... I'm super pumped about it.  It's in excellent condition for it's age, but no so nice that I feel bad gigging with it.  :)

I'm considering putting a bigsby back on it... we'll see.  Also considering gold pickup covers.  But again, we'll see.

Quote from: jimilee on April 19, 2019, 07:04:32 PM
That is just incredible! The ol tuxedo guitar. How much did he let it go for?


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I never really fancied myself a "vintage" guitar guy... but this thing smokes, man. I was looking for more like an early 2000s classic or traditional, really... but here we are. :-)

And I gave him $2k for it.  Top end of my budget, but way under what a 71 custom normally goes for.  And the 65' "patent sticker" humbuckers are probably worth almost half of what I paid for it.

jjjimi84

Nice score, man. That thing is a real beauty.

gordo

Nothin like a custom and when it's pre-scratched and nicked you can feel comfortable hammering on it with all the abandon that an LP should get.  Very nice.  Still out of my budget but it's a great price.

My vote is leave it alone.  No pickup covers (gives it a bit more of a scrappy look to offset the royalty appointments of gold and binding), and no bigsby (they never stay in tune anyway...although I love them).
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Timko

Quote from: wstimson on April 19, 2019, 11:12:29 PM
And I gave him $2k for it.  Top end of my budget, but way under what a 71 custom normally goes for.  And the 65' "patent sticker" humbuckers are probably worth almost half of what I paid for it.

That is a GREAT deal.  I think my aunt and I got my uncle's '73 burst custom for $2400 in December (and it needed another $450 for a fret job).

tone seeker


Timko

Quote from: gordo on April 20, 2019, 12:03:02 AM
My vote is leave it alone.  No pickup covers (gives it a bit more of a scrappy look to offset the royalty appointments of gold and binding), and no bigsby (they never stay in tune anyway...although I love them).

Bigsby's stay in tune fine if you file the nut and bridge correctly (I have 3 guitars with them).  Just use them delicately; they aren't for dive bombing :).

matmosphere

I have a graph tech nut on a bigsby guitar and it helps a lot with the tuning stability.

Timko

Quote from: Matmosphere on April 22, 2019, 02:09:16 AM
I have a graph tech nut on a bigsby guitar and it helps a lot with the tuning stability.

+1. 

Nut sauce helps a lot too.  Some people opt for a roller bridge, but that never was my thing.  On a thinner guitar like a Les Paul that would use a B7 instead of a B6, I have fallen in love with a BricksBiggsFix.   It changes the break angle from the Bigsby to the bridge.  I have one on my Johnny A Custom and the break angle is on par with my Gretsch Country Gentlemen. 

https://bricksbiggsfix.com/

Anyway, don't rule the Bigsby out.  They aren't for everyone, but they are fun and stay in tune much better than people say.

davesvn007

Very nice!  I was able to pick up a lefty Les Paul studio in all black about a year ago... absolutely love it.  I like the white trim around the body and the gold-tone headstock is sweet.  Great acquisition!

timbo_93631

Love that volute on those necks where it meets the headstock.  Something so pretty about it...
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