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'69 Custom, '70 goldtop, '71 stripped...

Progrocker111

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Dec 10, 2003
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and weighed these babies. The custom and the goldtop are both just under 9 and three quarter Lbs. The stripped P-90 guitar is a little over 10 and a half!!! :bug

Another false anti Norlin myth is, that they are too heavy. Most early Norlins were in 8,5 - 10,5 lbs range like many 50 LPs too.
 

Progrocker111

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Dec 10, 2003
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The gold top has been "my guitar" for over 40 years and has watched many challengers come and go including 3 '50's gold tops. It sounds like all those old records. I've not owned another guitar that I thought sounded as good as it in all those years until.... this Custom. This Custom is a freak. It has what I'm pretty sure are the original frets. Still has nibs. Tiny, flat and crazy low but for some reason I have no trouble playing this guitar at all. That ebony board offers absolutely no resistance when bending. I've not played a guitar and experienced this before. Freaky!
The custom has the one piece body with deep tenon route and a 3 piece neck with transitional tenon. Original 6852 pots and original pickups. One is an early patent number and the other has one T-top coil and one earlier coil. These pickups are great sounding, lacking nothing to me. Ive not played another custom ever that sounded like this, it really sounds like a '50's standard.
The stripped guitar is a cannon. Big, fat round neck and a pair of smokin' Throbak P-90's. this guitar is the heaviest of all three but is the easiest playing LP I've ever played. It was refretted, new nut, callaham bridge, etc. before I got it. I don't know who odd the work but the person was very good. Bending is effortless, intonation all over the neck is crazy good. The pickups are really punchy and fat. I would change nothing. I love the look too.

Thanks for report :). The neck profiles are similar on all of them?
 

Mark Kane

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Jul 18, 2001
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The goldtop neck is very large and has a bit of a D shape to it. The stripped guitars neck is big and deep but C shaped without the shoulders. The custom neck is C shaped but not as big by the nut. At the 12 th fret though its almost as big as the other two. It gets big fast moving up the neck. I've really had a hard time putting the custom down since I got it. It really has a great old LP tone with lots of knock to it. None of these guitars have dead spots either and great sustain all the way up.
 

Bruce R

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Mar 2, 2007
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Agreed, that is one fine looking trio you've got there. I'm partial to the Custom, obviously. Mine's a bit on the bright side, compared to my R8 and most any Standard, but with the right amp it is a wonderful guitar. Congrats!
 

Mark Kane

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Jul 18, 2001
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I've been on a huge Canned Heat/Henry Vestine kick since I got this custom! I really love Vestines playing,
I was really surprised when I first plugged the custom in as I expected that snap and brightness I've always got with a custom. For some reason this one doesn't do that at all. It plays freakishly good with the tiny frets too. Never been able to get around on frets like this before. I fully expected a refret coming but not now. This guitar has really been a surprise in a lot of ways.
 
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