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Post by zontar on Aug 31, 2021 2:13:21 GMT
A real one this time. My most likely 73 Les Paul Custom This is the earliest picture I have of it.  (All other pictures I have of it are post mods) The pickups are P-90 copies—and I sold those to fund some of the parts & labour for the mods. At the time I wasn’t into P-90s, although I like them now. But also since this was made for humbuckers they were jammed into the pickup routs and moved around—and some of the wood was gouged out. I had to add some new wood in the routs so the pickup rings would stay on. I need to find the original picture so Ii can scan it better-this was done on an old scanner which didn’t have the same abilities as our current one to increase resolution. And it was taken on a film camera before I had a good digital option. |
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Post by zontar on Aug 31, 2021 2:15:06 GMT
I got it used, and it was previously modded.
I got it for a great price, and including the mods it was still a fantastic price.
As it was already modded, I had no problem doing additional mods.
the TP-6 tailpiece did not come with it, but I was test fitting it.
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Post by zontar on Aug 31, 2021 2:29:07 GMT
I may have told the story before here, but just in case here it is.
One of my dream guitars when I was in high school was a Les Paul Custom (Preferably a black one)—not because of any well known guitar player, but a friend of mine had one, and I really liked it.
And starting on a Les Paul copy helped too, as I had an appetite for a real one.
I love the ebony fretboards well.
The Les Pauls started getting more & more expensive & I resigned myself to the fate that if I got one, it would be a long time.
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Post by zontar on Aug 31, 2021 2:29:28 GMT
So one day my friend lets me know a store is having a “Dutch Auction” (In this case Tuesday was 10% off, Wednesday 20% off, etc, up to the Saturday which was 50% off) and they had beat up used Les Paul custom. (Same friend who at this time had two Les Paul Customs-although one of them was later stolen)
So they were open late of Thursdays so I went after work & checked it out.
The price without any discount was pretty good & I could afford it.
That was due to it being modded and beat up.
But I liked it, (and it came with the OHSC)
So I planned to be there first thing Saturday morning to claim it at 50% off.
Although I was tempted to buy it then & there for 30% off.
On Friday I was tempted to go & get it 40% off—but the extra discount was too big to ignore, and I decided if someone else bought it, it was not meant to be for me.
And if it was still there on Saturday, it was.
Saturday rolls around, I slept in.
So I rushed about getting ready & getting to the store.
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Post by zontar on Aug 31, 2021 2:31:24 GMT
The store was packed, and the electric guitars were in the back.
I made my way through the crowd as quickly as I could without knocking anybody over.
When I got tot he guitar room, it was still there on a stand in the corner, beside a wall of flashy guitars many were just staring at and salivating over.
I picked up the Les Paul, strummed a chord and everybody looked at me.
I could tell some people were kicking themselves for not grabbing it sooner.
I went & took a quick look around at other stuff in the store and bought the guitar.
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Post by zontar on Aug 31, 2021 2:33:53 GMT
I figure it is a 73 based on several factors.
Gibson serial numbers were messed up at that time, but the serial # was either form 71-73, or a period after they stopped making Les Pauls & before they started, or form a year before they started making Customs.
As well it has the pancake body & volute--so it's a 70s Les Paul.
the pot codes are 73 or 74, and there are differences I found between 73s & 74s that mine lines up with 73.
So almost certainly it is a 73.
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Post by zontar on Aug 31, 2021 2:40:26 GMT
So on to the mods.
A previous owner replaced the waffle back tuners with Grovers with huge buttons.
I replaced them with Schallers with small buttons.
(Initially I bought a set of Schallers with normal size buttons, but they turned out to be all 6 a side, not 3 a side.
At the store they figured someone combined two sets of 3 a side to make two sets of 6 a side.
So the only set they had that was 3 a side were small buttons.
I like them.
I also replaced the pickup rings, (Due tot he P-90s on it the original ones were gone.)
I replaced the poker chip as it was missing.
I also replaced the old gold speed knobs (Non-original) with black ones (The gold ones are on my EB3 bass)
The volume pots are also replaced (One had already been replaced) with push pull pots as I wired the pickups series/parallel.
the bridge was corroded and needed work or replacement--so I got a new tune a magic bridge.
I also sued the TP-6 I already had instead of the very pitted tail piece it came with.
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Post by zontar on Aug 31, 2021 2:46:23 GMT
I've posted pictures of this guitar before, but one more post about the pickups first.
I had bought a Duncan Distortion (neck pickup) for a previous project that wound up not happening.
And I got the matching neck pickup at a Dutch Auction (I forget if it was the same one or the next one)
I wanted to do something different than the coil split and the phase switching that most people used.
When there was a aSeymour Duncan clinic at the same store I asked about that & wound up going with series/parallel switched by push/pull pots--although I also had minis witches (One of which was used on the LP copy)
All in all I like the choices I made.
The guitar does have the fretless wonder frets, which some hate, but I am okay with.
o be able to bend you just raise the frets slightly and practice.
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Post by zontar on Aug 31, 2021 19:48:57 GMT
And now some pictures, which I intended to add yesterday the two guitars I've modded beyond simple things that are easily reversed -(Like knobs)  Headstock comparison  |
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Post by zontar on Aug 31, 2021 20:17:32 GMT
Hanging out with my Iceman.  |
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Post by zontar on Aug 31, 2021 20:18:18 GMT
In the case I initially wanted double black bobbins, but could only find zebra coils--without special ordering. So I got them, and are to like the look.  |
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Post by zontar on Aug 31, 2021 20:19:24 GMT
Oh yeah--I also replaced the switch tip--the original is slightly crumbled--so got a black plastic one.
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Post by zontar on Sept 1, 2021 22:00:41 GMT
Will I ever mod another guitar?
Who knows.
It's not in my current plans--unless one of my current guitars is damaged, or I get gifted one (Or win one) that isn't quite what I'd like-or t's too similar to what I already have--(and in those cases I might also re-gift it or sell it)
Still I have some spare parts that maybe I'll have to get some other parts & make one.
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