This could easily be in MPSIMS, so if it needs to move there, I respect the mods decision to do so, but since it is music-oriented, I thought I’d start here.
There are enough music/rock/guitar Dopers that I thought I would share…
I got a new guitar - pics are here and here. It is a 1972 Gibson - a Reissue of a 1954 Les Paul Custom “Black Beauty” - and I am in love.
Geek territory - guitar trivia that provides context on the coolness of this guitar:
The Les Pauls of the 1950’s are generally thought of as the “Stradivarius of Electric Guitars” - the Sunbursts of the late 50’s typically go for well over $200,000 these days. '50’s LP’s are known for having very light mahogany bodies, big chunky necks and a number of other features that changed after 1960 when the last 'bursts were made. Earlier 50’s LP’s are similarly made and are starting to command stupidly high prices, too…even a starter model Les Paul Special from, say, 1957 will go for upwards of $10,000 now.
a “cult” if you will, has sprung up about these older guitars, but more importantly “Old Wood” - the wood used back then was more likely to be old growth, light, resonant mahogany and maple - real “tone” woods. Because even the cheapie Les Paul Specials (actually really well-made guitars) used this Old Wood, people prize them. This is the cause of MUCH discussion amongst guitarists - some worship at the Old Wood altar and others dismiss it and say “wood is wood.” I have played the older guitars and can really hear a difference - night and day. So I guess I am a member of the Cult of Old Wood.
in the 1970’s, Gibson was owned by Norlin and they changed the way they built Les Pauls. Maple necks, not mahogany, multi-piece bodies sandwiched together that weighed 11 - 12 pounds, not the 8.5 - 9.5 pounds of the 1950’s. Poor build quality. These days if you say “Norlin Gibson,” most people automatically think “boat anchor + tone dog” although there are some very good ones out there and they do have their fans.
I wanted a light old wood guitar but no way could I afford a 50’s Gibson. Then I found out that in 1972 thru '74, Gibson made about 1,000 Limited Edition Reissue guitars based on the 50’s models. And they made them the old way - one-piece mahogany body, mahogany neck, etc. No one knows about these - they are really different from Norlin boat anchors - and since folks normally dismiss Norlins, these Limited Editions are lumped in with them incorrectly. And I found one! It is a reissue of the '54 Black Beauty - it weighs about 8 pounds (!) and has the best tone and playability I have ever encountered. I am in love.
Thank you, NCUN - I played at practice for the first time last night and had a great time. The tone fits in great with the band. Now I really need to get a life and understand that not everyone wants to geek out with me…
I must admit EADGBe - I swing both ways on this one: I have a USA Strat I have played and loved for years. There are some songs that must have a Fender and some that must have a Gibson tone.
Congratulations on your new guitar. It looks great, and I’m glad you like the tone and feel. Are you divorcing your Strat now, or engaging in guitar polyamory?
No worries, Sir - I don’t know about you, but for me it works like this: I get a new guitar and just live that guitar exclusively for a while - upwards of a year. Then I settle down and it takes its place amongst the full palate of guitars I play and I switch around more. Buy new guitar, rinse, repeat.
However, I will say this: unlike, say, the Brit-Blues-rock legends like Clapton and Beck who switched from Les Pauls to Strats, I seem to have done the opposite: near as I can tell, I have always been a Les Paul guy, but didn’t quite know it. I played a Strat for a couple of decades and the Les Pauls I played were heavy and hard to get around - typical for Norlins (again, there are wonderful exceptions). Then I got some good Les Pauls and it was like coming home: THIS was the guitar I should have been playing all along.
So, for the past 3+ years, I have been pretty much a Les Paul guy who still speaks Strat has needed.
Update: a very cool Doper named diku contacted me. It turns out he is uniquely positioned to find out a little more about my obscure Gibson Les Paul and is putting me in touch with some knowledgeable folks.
A huge thanks to diku and I will keep you posted if I find out anything cool!
WordMan, attaining new levels of guitar geekitude even as we speak…
Sory about a guy who bought a guitar for $50, later had it repaired for $350, and decided to sell it on EBay, not knowing its true value.
It is a 1938 Martin D-28. I’m not sure what the final big was, but it was probably over $30,000
Don’t worry, some of us start threads about string gauges
Do you have any problems getting interference with the P90s?
Are there any easy ways to date a Les Paul? Mine has had an interesting life during which some moron had it refinished leaving only the front of the headstock original, some of the hardware is obviously pretty old (the wiring looks like something made by Faraday). Are there any design/build changes that mark old different period Les Pauls?
Yep - the P-90 whines and moans when I am not playing it but standing close to a neon sign or fluorescent light. Classic single-coil hum. I just roll off the volume - or start playing! A pain, but the tone makes it worth it!
Dating a Les Paul - absolutely; there are very obvious signs (barring a Historic reissue which is meant to look like it came from an earlier year) that indicate either the general “era” of manufacture if not the specific year. Do you want to try sending me a photo or two? I don’t know enough to be super-exact but can more than likely give you general thinking on it…otherwise, just go to the Les Paul Forum and check out the various threads - do a search in, say, the Sunburst Pub Forum there on how to identify different Les Pauls and I bet you woudl find a ton of info…
Update: Gibson got back to me in very short order - John Ellis of their Customer Service department did a wonderful job providing some detailed answers to my questions. For the most part, the responses are the stuff of geek-dom, but I will share this fun fact:
for many years to come.
