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I want to know Al Di Meola's Les Paul

Red Baron

Red Baron

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Jul 14, 2004
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Here's a hypothetical... since we don't see many bursts refinished in a solid colour (and resale value aside), if you were lucky enough to score Al's refinned '59, would you...

A) leave it as is

B) restore it back to original specs (including a new burst refin)
 
Frank Sottile

Frank Sottile

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Itsallmuscle said:
I love his PRS
Click to expand...
The Transparent Black one is real cool, the rainbow Prism is ... (maybe a bit too colorful for ME).
rainbow.jpg


But Al likes it and that's all that matters
 
Frank Sottile

Frank Sottile

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Red Baron said:
Here's a hypothetical... since we don't see many bursts refinished in a solid colour (and resale value aside), if you were lucky enough to score Al's refinned '59, would you...

A) leave it as is

B) restore it back to original specs (including a new burst refin)
Click to expand...

Leave it as is, it would be worth a lot more base on who owned it, then what a refinished (2x) is worth.

What is a Les Paul that was owned you Les Paul be worth?
 
H

Huc

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Jul 6, 2003
Messages
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Al sounds like "Al" regardless of what he's playing. I have heard the Al D model PRS is a great guitar..but what the bucket, he could play anything and sound great.
 
cherrick

cherrick

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LPNick said:
Im a little confused on what a"Clown Burst" is. Im guessing its a cherry-sunburst where the outer cherry color goes too far into the middle of the guitar, is this right?
Click to expand...

red donut, yellow donut hole.

do a search of the LPF on clown burst and you'll find mucho pictures. Once you see one you'll never be confused again.
 
Frank Sottile

Frank Sottile

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andy fuchs said:
I'm guessing your friend is "Mikey P." ? :)

They are non-original pickups (didn't say whose, but I'm guessing DiMarzios, as they sounded like their PAF clones to my ears). I also meant to ask who refinished it (and when), but it slipped my mind. When you're as caught up in a moment like that (being at the home of someone this cool and famous), you can sometimes forget to ask questions....

Check out Al's playing and his amazing tone here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxC5Ng13af8
Click to expand...

Andy,
Do you know if the Custom was/is wired for Coil Tapping or S/P?
You can see 2 toggle switchs mounted on the Custom...
elegantgypsy.jpg
Do you know what they do?
 
andy fuchs

andy fuchs

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Aug 24, 2001
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I really did not notice toggle switches on the Black Lester at the show, nor Al's home. The Elegant Gypsy guitar on the album cover may not be "THE" Les Paul we're talking about here. Those pickups look snow white, while the RTF tour guitar (I believe) had cream pickups and snow white knobs. Not to say things haven't been changed around on the guitar. Who knows if Al even remembers..
 
vintage58

vintage58

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andy fuchs said:
I really did not notice toggle switches on the Black Lester at the show, nor Al's home. The Elegant Gypsy guitar on the album cover may not be "THE" Les Paul we're talking about here. Those pickups look snow white, while the RTF tour guitar (I believe) had cream pickups and snow white knobs. Not to say things haven't been changed around on the guitar. Who knows if Al even remembers..
Click to expand...
The guitar on the cover of Elegant Gypsy, as Andy suggests, is definitely not the RTF reunion tour guitar. The guitar on that album cover is a Les Paul Custom, whereas the Les Paul that Al used on the tour is (for lack of a more precise term) a "Standard." Specifically, I'm pretty sure it is a vintage 'burst that was refinished in black, and—again, as Andy says above—the guitar's knobs appear to have been replaced with white barrel knobs. That guitar, along with Andy's great-sounding amplifiers, can be seen and heard in excellent detail, on the following DVD, which (trust me on this one! :)) is the best $14.98 you will ever spend in your life:
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............http://www.amazon.com/Live-Montreux-2008-Return-Forever/dp/B0024EWOYA
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Note that a lot of this DVD shows Al playing a Prism, his PRS signature-model guitar, as opposed to the black Les Paul under discussion here.
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 .
 
G

guitarmandp

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Apr 26, 2004
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About the Les Paul Custom that is on the cover of Al's Elegant Gypsey album. I asked Al if he still had this guitar a few years ago when I met him after the show, he said "yes" and I asked him what it was and he said it's an "early 70's Les Paul Custom".

BTW, I'm 99% sure he said it's a 1971 Les Paul Custom but I used the phrase "early 70's" because I'm not 100% sure
 
Last edited:
Wilko

Wilko

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Resurrecting because I came here looking for more info on that Black refin. He's been touring with it again, and all the pics show a low logo not typical for 1959.

Does anyone have better pics?

Sure we'd all claim our guitar was a '59 if we could (Rick Neilsen's favorite one turned out to be a '68!).

dimeola_black_dumble.png
 
andy fuchs

andy fuchs

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Messages
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Wilko said:
Resurrecting because I came here looking for more info on that Black refin. He's been touring with it again, and all the pics show a low logo not typical for 1959.

Does anyone have better pics?

Sure we'd all claim our guitar was a '59 if we could (Rick Neilsen's favorite one turned out to be a '68!).

dimeola_black_dumble.png
Click to expand...


My understanding (and I can confirm with Al when he's back in the states) is that it's a '59 which Tom Doyle refinished many years ago. I held and played it briefly at Al's house during the Elysium sessions. It's quite heavy (gotta be 10-12 lbs like my LP Personal), I think the pickups are DiMarzio Super Distortion, it has many check marks on the top from the refinish. Al said it was refinished because it was a pretty tired sunburst, he wanted a black Paul, and had a bigsby on it and when it was removed there were holes he wanted filled. It's an amazing sounding iconic guitar for sure. The s/n is not stamped but a decal of the original numbers which were worn down during the refinishing. It's possible Tom moved the logo maybe ?
 
R

Redhod

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May 2, 2002
Messages
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I was halfway through the thread before I realized most of the preceding was six years old.

Nevermind. I did happen to notice the recent Fuchs ad in Guitar Player and was surprised to see Al Di holding an LP. Made me wonder if he'd left his PRS contract. But, you know, he's one of those few players who would probably be recognizable -- and tremendous -- on a broken ukulele.
 
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