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Help / advice needed identifying and reg my late fathers les paul.

atosoup

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2019
Messages
19
HI,

Im not sure how much or how little info to put here so ill keep it brief, My father was a guitar player and vocalist in some big-ish bands in Birmingham England back in the 70s, He sadly died when I was just 4 years old on the way home from a gig in Coventry.

I grew up as a child on rock n roll from my mum and my dads guitars and gear always knocking around the house, I remember as a teenager playing dads guitar but always wanting a sunburst standard got one at 15 and my dads went into the loft... Until today

My mom popped round and dropped dads guitar in,,,, brought a lump to my throat ( Im now 42 and a father myself )

I would so love to find out exactly what it is and when it was made and restore it so I can play it !

All I know about it is, Its a gibson les paul something??? ( Mom has the receipt somewhere Iv asked her to dig it out )
The neck or head stock got snapped during a gig early 70s and it got repaired, ( It now has nothing written on the head stock) Mom seems to think it was sent over to the US for repair but she isn't sure,

Other than above and occasionally seeing old friends of my fathers who always ask me if Id sell it to them as they always loved the sound of it,,, I know nothing

Any help or advice with this would be so much appreciated,

Here are a few pics

http://www.atinof.com/dadsguitar/5.jpg
http://www.atinof.com/dadsguitar/4.jpg
http://www.atinof.com/dadsguitar/3.jpg
http://www.atinof.com/dadsguitar/2.jpg
http://www.atinof.com/dadsguitar/1.jpg
 

brandtkronholm

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2006
Messages
2,737
It appears to be a heavily modified Les Paul Junior. I'm guessing Jr. because I see holes for the dog-ear bridge P-90. These were made from 1958-1960. It may be beyond restoring - but that's my opinion. I say play it as it is! This is how your Dad had it and that seems really wonderful.

There's a healthy and fanatical cult of the "three legged dog" guitars on this forum. A "three legged dog" is what we here call a ravaged but loved vintage Gibson that still gets played and sounds great - but has been so heavily modified/damaged/repaired that it barely has any value as a collectible guitar while possessing infinite value as a beautiful musical instrument. This old Gibson (and I think it is an old LP Jr., ... or possibly Special or TV) is the text-boo example of a beloved "three legged dog."

Don't restore it. Take it to a luthier and ask that it simply be set-up to be played.

Here's one link to check out: https://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?179467-Three-legged-dog-owners-unite!!!-(Les-Paul-Conversion-content)&highlight=three+legged+dogs
 
Last edited:

wmachine

Active member
Joined
Mar 17, 2016
Messages
303
...........This is how your Dad had it and that seems really wonderful.

There's a healthy and fanatical cult of the "three legged dog" guitars on this forum. A "three legged dog" is what we here call a ravaged but loved vintage Gibson that still gets played and sounds great - but has been so heavily modified/damaged/repaired that it barely has any value as a collectible guitar while possessing infinite value as a beautiful musical instrument. This old Gibson (and I think it is an old LP Jr., ... or possibly Special or TV) is the text-boo example of a beloved "three legged dog."

Don't restore it. Take it to a luthier and ask that it simply be set-up to be played.

Here's one link to check out: https://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/...nversion-content)&highlight=three+legged+dogs

I've not heard the term before, but I like it, understand it, and really can appreciate that. To preserve it "as is" is to preserve its history and I'm all for that. Relics are pretenders to these REAL road-worn beauties.
 

GuitarMikey

Active member
Joined
Mar 1, 2013
Messages
910
Definitely not beyond restoring, but I think it's killer just the way it is!
 

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,349
What bands was your Dad in? Nice Jr. I have an unmolested dbl. cut Special from `59. You can tell us what year the guitar was made by telling us what # the serial number starts with that's on the back of the headstock; it'll be either 8, 9 or 0.
Cheers mate!
 

atosoup

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2019
Messages
19
you know,, Reading these reply's brought a lump to my throat.. what was I thinking? My dad would never have wanted me to revert this guitar back to what it looked like originally.. it's probably the only possession of his other than my mother that I know he loved. It would be criminal to loose this.

I have been thinking about this all day and what I am going to do is clean it up and set it up, some parts I know are broken and will need replacing but all the scars on here were put there by dad., the tuning nuts are stained yellow because he always wedged a cigarette in the head stock between the strings when gigging ( I have seen photos of this ).

One thing I know for sure is that Dad always moaned to mum that after the neck/head was replaced it lost the gibson rear stamp and gibson logo on the front, So I would love to replace this in homage to him.

I would still love to know exactly what model this is and what year, Is there anyway of finding out from what I have here?

Thank you all for your input, It means so much.
 

atosoup

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2019
Messages
19
What bands was your Dad in? Nice Jr. I have an unmolested dbl. cut Special from `59. You can tell us what year the guitar was made by telling us what # the serial number starts with that's on the back of the headstock; it'll be either 8, 9 or 0.
Cheers mate!

The guitar doesn't have the original headstock, it was snapped off at a gig when someone opened a fire escape door and knocked a pa speaker onto it, I'm still trying to find out where he got it repaired.

As for the bands he was in, I had to call my 71 year old mum for most of this info and had her talking about dad's band days for over 2 hours but the ones she remembers are

The mode
Alice
Union express
Frogmore
The crack..
May west

She also always carries on about the period his band toured with slade before they was signed and how they tried on many occasions to poach him... How true this is I don't know but mom's convinced
 

Tom Wittrock

Les Paul Forum Co-Owner
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
42,567
I would still love to know exactly what model this is and what year, Is there anyway of finding out from what I have here?

As has been posted already, it is a [heavily modified] Les Paul Junior. That version was offered from late 1958 to very early 1961. If the two original pots are still there, their date codes could narrow down the year.
 

montesada

Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2008
Messages
713
I'd add that it's not likely a '58 because of the body edge being more rounded. The neck profile should be pretty definitive, whether it's full feeling ('59) or flattish (60-61). Of course one of the pot sets may be original and tell you more. Those pickups look like Patent Sticker T-Tops to me, and will no doubt sound fabulous. I'd definitely play it as-is.
 

atosoup

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2019
Messages
19
Great info thanks so much..

I'm gonna give her a clean and pop a set of strings on at the weekend, plug her into the Marshall and see what happens!

Would this be an appropriate place to ask for info on getting the Gibson logos reinstated on the head or should I create a new thread in the tech forum?
 

0 2339

Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2017
Messages
166
totally awesome guitar and i love the story behind !! double cut is my favorite shape of any guitars and the jr. pickguard with added neck pickup is just the cherry on top of the cream. bit rough drilling for the additional pots and switch, but man, it just screams rock n roll!!! congratulations and enjoy her in good health : )))
to your dad, he sure had a great taste !

edit: maybe the mods can move it to the 52-60 les paul pub, that's where it belongs imho. maybe some of the members here can advice you to some techs in yor area who actually know what they are doing and know what they are dealing with

once more, great guitar !

edit II: here are embedded pics ; ) enjoy... is that still the original finish? and reverse neck hb... would love to hear her!

36122054wv.jpg



36122055eu.jpg



36122057dt.jpg



36122058zp.jpg



36122059sx.jpg
 
Last edited:

atosoup

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2019
Messages
19
Thank you 0 2339.. Thank you.
Reading your post and then re reading my original post makes me sound somewhat ungrateful of what I had been left.

To clarify, my dad died in a car crash driving home from a gig that night and life for me and mom changed forever, as a 4 Yr old I didn't really understand any of it but when I hit 10 ish and showed an interest in guitars and playing the music mom was listening to I had no idea what this guitar was, and mom was so protective over it I was kinda to scared to play it... Mom brought me a couple of cheap guitar I started to learn to play on then at 14 she brought me a les Paul studio in black with gold hardware, I adored it, mom had to pay for it over several years as money was something we didn't have....

Sat here now with this guitar in the house still makes me feel a bit strange, mom never had another man in her life and still mourns dad to this day.. I am now lucky enough to have a house a wife and a son of my own, and 3 Gibsons of my own, dad's now making it 4!

This weekend I will play that guitar..

Thank you
 

atosoup

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2019
Messages
19
totally awesome guitar and i love the story behind !! double cut is my favorite shape of any guitars and the jr. pickguard with added neck pickup is just the cherry on top of the cream. bit rough drilling for the additional pots and switch, but man, it just screams rock n roll!!! congratulations and enjoy her in good health : )))
to your dad, he sure had a great taste !

edit: maybe the mods can move it to the 52-60 les paul pub, that's where it belongs imho. maybe some of the members here can advice you to some techs in yor area who actually know what they are doing and know what they are dealing with

once more, great guitar !

edit II: here are embedded pics ; ) enjoy... is that still the original finish? and reverse neck hb... would love to hear her!


As you said you wold love to hear her,,,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5K65p9ZxXs&feature=youtu.be

This is an old tape recording of my dad (70s) playing live on lead guitar (with this guitar ) and lead vocals,,,

Ill post a video of what she sounds like now when I have her all set up.
 

0 2339

Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2017
Messages
166
thanks a lot for sharing and i hope you had a great weekend with that awesome guitar!
 
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