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1971 Les Paul Personal

Grog

Active member
Joined
Apr 7, 2012
Messages
562
I picked this up to round out my Low Impedance collection about a month ago. It's a heavy beast, but somehow I knew I had to buy it...............:wah The mic jack is an odd feature that I doubt anybody but Lester ever used, but this is the guitar that "The Man" himself played.



1969 Les Paul Professional
1970 Les Paul Bass
1971 Les Paul Personal
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1969 LP-12 (AKA "The Monster")
 

saxosim

Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2012
Messages
174
Congratulations thats really nice, very unusual and intriguing :)
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
Is that a low impedance amp? I have never had the pleasure of playing a low impedance Personal or Professional thru one. I understand it is wonderful. I have spent some time with a first version Recording Model and loved it. What an awesome group.
 

Grog

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Apr 7, 2012
Messages
562
Is that a low impedance amp? I have never had the pleasure of playing a low impedance Personal or Professional thru one. I understand it is wonderful. I have spent some time with a first version Recording Model and loved it. What an awesome group.

That is the Les Paul low impedance amp. It's all solid state so it's never really gained much interest. Also, it was over $1,000.00 in 1969 so you had to really want it at that price back then. Having (2) 12" universal horns on the top with (4) CTS speakers makes it quite different. You could add up to ten of the speaker cabinets if you could afford them! :lol
http://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/gibson/catalogues/1970_Les_Paul_index.php
 

Big Al

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Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
That is the Les Paul low impedance amp. It's all solid state so it's never really gained much interest. Also, it was over $1,000.00 in 1969 so you had to really want it at that price back then. Having (2) 12" universal horns on the top with (4) CTS speakers makes it quite different. You could add up to ten of the speaker cabinets if you could afford them! :lol
http://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/gibson/catalogues/1970_Les_Paul_index.php

Grog, I have only heard rumours of that amp. Never heard one with a low imp Lester. Please if you could post some sound samples I would be forever grateful. If not a description ? Oh I love big clean tones. Iwas and still am enamored with the Les Paul Recording Model. I used a pal's in Santa Barbara in the 70's but had to give it back. I just loved that guitar and I still have my little note book with my settings. Do you have my other fave the low Z L5S?
 

Grog

Active member
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Apr 7, 2012
Messages
562
Grog, I have only heard rumours of that amp. Never heard one with a low imp Lester. Please if you could post some sound samples I would be forever grateful. If not a description ? Oh I love big clean tones. Iwas and still am enamored with the Les Paul Recording Model. I used a pal's in Santa Barbara in the 70's but had to give it back. I just loved that guitar and I still have my little note book with my settings. Do you have my other fave the low Z L5S?

I have both the L5S & Les Paul Jumbo missing, it will likely stay that way. I've only seen two of these amps complete in about ten years of watching for one, both were in Texas. It was delivered on a Conway semi. The LP-1 Preamp seems to be more common, I actually have two of them for spare parts. A Gibson Plus 50 works pretty well for a smaller powered enclosure with the Low Impedance preamp. The amp sounds reasonably well, but solid state amps have come a long way in over 40 years! If you ever see a copy of "Gibson Amplifiers 1933 to 2008: 75 Years of the Good Tone" by Wallace Marx Jr., my amp is in the color photo section. It was submitted by it's previous owner before I bought it. Here is the rest of the Low Impedance pairs.........

 
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Big Al

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Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
I just saw a center seamed L5S lowZ on ebay. Too much dinero for me. Gold hardware was worn but the guitar was sweet.
 

Grog

Active member
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Apr 7, 2012
Messages
562
I've never played a L5-S, but it has to be the Birdland of the Low Impedance series. Bad gold hardware is a deterrent for me, I just about bid on a Les Paul Personal with most of the gold wore off. It would have cost me about $1,000.00 to have everything re plated. The nice gold on mine was the main selling point to me, just one wore spot on the top of the bass side stud. I've never come across a L5-s with nice plating, the owners must love the gold right off of them!
 

zombiwoof

Active member
Joined
Feb 22, 2003
Messages
3,565
That is the Les Paul low impedance amp. It's all solid state so it's never really gained much interest. Also, it was over $1,000.00 in 1969 so you had to really want it at that price back then. Having (2) 12" universal horns on the top with (4) CTS speakers makes it quite different. You could add up to ten of the speaker cabinets if you could afford them! :lol
http://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/gibson/catalogues/1970_Les_Paul_index.php

I noticed that in the info on the low impedance LP's and amps, they show the low to high impedance transformer cord that you could use to play the low impedance guitar or bass through a regular high impedance amp. My friend has an old LP Recording Bass, and since he only played it through high impedance amps he had a tech install the transformer inside the control cavity in his bass, so it had high impedance output all the time. I'm pretty sure it just used a low to high impedance transformer like the Shure ones you use to plug mics with XLR cables on them into a 1/4 inch high impedance jack.

Al
 

fender69

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Joined
Apr 17, 2003
Messages
998
I admire your perseverance. Your collection is a joy to behold. Thank you.
 

Grog

Active member
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Apr 7, 2012
Messages
562
I noticed that in the info on the low impedance LP's and amps, they show the low to high impedance transformer cord that you could use to play the low impedance guitar or bass through a regular high impedance amp. My friend has an old LP Recording Bass, and since he only played it through high impedance amps he had a tech install the transformer inside the control cavity in his bass, so it had high impedance output all the time. I'm pretty sure it just used a low to high impedance transformer like the Shure ones you use to plug mics with XLR cables on them into a 1/4 inch high impedance jack.

Al

My Les Paul Professional was modified that way when I bought it. It works pretty well, but to really hear all of the tonal possibilities, you need to have the transformer on the amp end of the chord.
 

Grog

Active member
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Apr 7, 2012
Messages
562
I admire your perseverance. Your collection is a joy to behold. Thank you.

Thanks! Seeking out specific guitars can be quite a waiting game, but it's been a fun & rewarding hobby.
 

Maplehead872

Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2003
Messages
187
I feel very lucky to have my '79' Recording to play and I would love to play out of that amp just once. Your collection takes the cake... Very nice!
 

wernerg

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Jan 27, 2002
Messages
754
Grog - aren't you missing something ? ...

Full.jpg


more here...

http://www.wernerg.com/guitars/Jumbo/Les Paul Jumbo.htm
 

Mitchell

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Feb 20, 2002
Messages
3,012
I think that Aspen Pittman built one of those low-imp amps back in the late 80 or early 90's too?
 

Grog

Active member
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Apr 7, 2012
Messages
562
I think that Aspen Pittman built one of those low-imp amps back in the late 80 or early 90's too?

A few Peavey amps had added a balanced Low impedance mic input in one channel that I've been able to make an adapter to use, as well as just plugging it into a PA.
 

Grog

Active member
Joined
Apr 7, 2012
Messages
562
Thanks to purchasing Werner's Les Paul Jumbo, The Low Impedance Les Paul collection is complete!

This also completes the 1970 Les Paul Brochure, (the Les Paul Custom is a few years newer) How nuts is that??
 
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