• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

Pancake bodies

JR.Deluxe

New member
Joined
May 4, 2003
Messages
570
I don't know what year they stopped but I love my pancake, volute, wide headstock goldtop. This thing has been broken twice, refretted, uncountable pickup swaps , no original hardware left but the wood and what's left of the finish. You can have your historics. I'm a norlin man.
 

Mats A

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2008
Messages
799
Does there exist any LP´s with pancake bodiy after 73? I got a book written by Paul Bacon and Tony Day and there it´s written that they stopped making pancake bodies in 1973. I guess they are not correct then.
 

Progrocker111

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Messages
4,013
Last year was definitely early 77. All LP Customs, Deluxes or Standards (even Personal and Recordings) except 58 Standard (wrongly named) and 54 Custom reissues (72/73) had pancake bodies since late 69 until early 77.
 

Progrocker111

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Messages
4,013
Yeah... 77 was the transition year...

There were some exceptions, like mostly late 76 Customs with non pancake body, it was transitional period. :)

Interesting question is, why they added another extra thin veneer under maple top. It wasnt perhaps to lower the production costs.

IMG_4540.jpg
 

JR.Deluxe

New member
Joined
May 4, 2003
Messages
570
How about the canoe paddle sized headstocks? What years did non customs have those?
 

Bob Womack

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2002
Messages
2,191
The cross-banding was to add rigidity. I'm not sure how many remember but the biggest tonal concern of the time was sustain. The then-current approaches to acquire sustain were mass and rigidity. So high-mass, rigid bodies, heavy brass hardware, etc., were all a product of that. At the same time the company was trying to lessen problems with neck twist so they went to the three-piece neck. As implemented that was a failure. My '74 with three-piece mahogany neck had a compound bow from the time I got it in '77 until a luthier planed it out in '96. They tried maple when they moved production to Nashville to both control twist and increase sustain.

I think, think, the company went to the single headstock size sometime in '71 and kept it until about '77.

Bob
 

shred

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 13, 2003
Messages
4,667
There were some exceptions, like mostly late 76 Customs with non pancake body, it was transitional period. :)

Interesting question is, why they added another extra thin veneer under maple top. It wasnt perhaps to lower the production costs.

IMG_4540.jpg

That looks like an early 70's custom with the thin binding in the cutaway. A 76 custom I'm looking at now has wide binding in the cutaway like a 70's Deluxe. The 73 has narrow binding in the cutaway like your pic. Here's a quick shot comparing the binding width in the cutaway... '73 on the left, '76 on the right:
photo_zps4e7a0977.jpg
 
Last edited:

gibson-r8

Active member
Joined
Jul 15, 2004
Messages
574
That looks like an early 70's custom with the thin binding in the cutaway. A 76 custom I'm looking at now has wide binding in the cutaway like a 70's Deluxe. The 73 has narrow binding in the cutaway like your pic. Here's a quick shot comparing the binding width in the cutaway... '73 on the left, '76 on the right:
photo_zps4e7a0977.jpg

Customs had narrow binding in the cutout up until late 75. In 76 they went to wide, I have no idea why the Customs kept the narrow binding while the Deluxe had wide (with overlap on years of course).
 

LAARS

Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Messages
79
Ace Frehley's Budokan Custom is from 1974 and its a pancake body.
 
Top