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Beauty of The Black Beauty - The "Alnico" Custom thread

Hellrot

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Feb 27, 2015
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It was a long, long, long time ago... One guy named Joe "Alnico" Parish was walking through the sandy land of Texas. He was very thirsty and had to find shelter from the terrible sand storm he had encountered.

While looking for an adequate place to hide, he knocked into a guitar shop. Small, family shop. Was very curious what's inside. Stepped in. Silence. Only a bunch of guitars hanging in terrible dissorder on the walls. Looks like it's been a while, since the last customer came here.

A strange noise started to come out from the far right corner of the shop... like someone was pulling strings... he stepped into the small door... an old man was playing with her... with HER!!!

Joe had never seen such a beauty in his life. All Joe's romances were with some "girls next door" in his remote village on the South-East of the state: plain and simple.

Now THAT girl was giving him goose pimples and got his mojo risin'.

Wow, I gotta have her! I GOT TO HAVE HER IMMEDIATELY!!!





Woohooo!!!

what a fiddle! :)

What's the story on it? :2cool
 

zhivago

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Sep 29, 2004
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1,417
It was a long, long, long time ago... One guy named Joe "Alnico" Parish was walking through the sandy land of Texas. He was very thirsty and had to find shelter from the terrible sand storm he had encountered.

While looking for an adequate place to hide, he knocked into a guitar shop. Small, family shop. Was very curious what's inside. Stepped in. Silence. Only a bunch of guitars hanging in terrible dissorder on the walls. Looks like it's been a while, since the last customer came here.

A strange noise started to come out from the far right corner of the shop... like someone was pulling strings... he stepped into the small door... an old man was playing with her... with HER!!!

Joe had never seen such a beauty in his life. All Joe's romances were with some "girls next door" in his remote village on the South-East of the state: plain and simple.

Now THAT girl was giving him goose pimples and got his mojo risin'.

Wow, I gotta have her! I GOT TO HAVE HER IMMEDIATELY!!!


Sounds like it was destiny!! :jim
 

zhivago

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Sep 29, 2004
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I bought Steve Earle's "The Low Highway" on vinyl yesterday...an excellent album, and the inner sleeve shows Steve playing a 50s Alnico Custom! :jim

I snapped some pics for everyone to see:

20150329045339-f25f00ed-me_zpsnij65i9v.jpg


20150329045406-e19da00a-me_zpsfow054pd.jpg


20150329045429-ff2dc300-me_zpswwjz4b9t.jpg


20150329045452-88b2541d-me_zpsxsp4gskd.jpg
 
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zhivago

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Sep 29, 2004
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Bonus image for the Easter weekend...Les in 1955 :)

20150403064140-4a8f3429_zpsglzrolh2.jpg
 
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API

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Aug 1, 2007
Messages
241
I bought it in ca 2006-2007, so i paid alot for it, but its an amazing guitar and 100% original.
Got it more or less out of the trunk of a car at the Guitar center parking lot on Sunset in LA.
Sold by a guy that was smart enough to sell all his "Rockstar guitars", as he called them, at the height of the market.
He had a few bursts and other cool guitars, he probably should have kept the burst though...

Have been agonizing over doing that refret or not....
 

zhivago

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Messages
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I bought it in ca 2006-2007, so i paid alot for it, but its an amazing guitar and 100% original.
Got it more or less out of the trunk of a car at the Guitar center parking lot on Sunset in LA.
Sold by a guy that was smart enough to sell all his "Rockstar guitars", as he called them, at the height of the market.
He had a few bursts and other cool guitars, he probably should have kept the burst though...

Have been agonizing over doing that refret or not....


very cool! :)

I would definitely re-fret...I played mine for about a week with the original frets (I was waiting for my slot at the luthier's), and when I got it back it had been transformed.

Before it felt a bit like having a flat-ish tire (although chording was a breeze), afterwards it felt super-charged :dude:
 

zhivago

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Black Beauty alert!

I was flicking through a book of mine on Country music, and noticed a Custom on the Grand Ole Opry! :jim

The year was 1955...

20150406110926-1d10659a_zpsm7wps1xd.jpg


and close-up, it looks like it has a bigsby

20150406110920-6ea2d6f2_zpsfiuscn2j.jpg
 
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API

Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2007
Messages
241
Yes, i should get mine refretted as well, played a few that were and its a night and day difference to the better.
Do you know if all customs had the R/T pokerchip?
Mine does not ever seemed to have one, but it could of course have been removed early on.
 

zhivago

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Sep 29, 2004
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Yes, i should get mine refretted as well, played a few that were and its a night and day difference to the better.
Do you know if all customs had the R/T pokerchip?
Mine does not ever seemed to have one, but it could of course have been removed early on.


I think they all had the poker chip, but to be honest, I like the look without one a lot :) :jim
 

zhivago

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Very early Les Paul Custom have shorter hadstock than later ones.


It is a weird one...wasn't there an early one on the other LP forum a while back that also had the shorter headstock? (or at least a shorter-looking headstock!)
 

poor man's burst

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It is a weird one...wasn't there an early one on the other LP forum a while back that also had the shorter headstock? (or at least a shorter-looking headstock!)

I don't now about this one, but you can check on these two '54 :
http://www.gbase.com/gear/gibson-les-paul-black-beauty-1954-black
http://www.gbase.com/gear/gibson-les-paul-custom-1954-black-1

The trussrod cover touches the nut and its upper screw sits above the E strings tuner posts, between the two lower triangles of the split diamond inlay. Compare to the headstock pic on post 124 where the TRC sits about 1/8" above the nut and its upper screw almost in line with the E strings tuner posts and doesnt touch the split diamond inlay.
 

zhivago

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I see what you are saying...how strange that these guitars were like that :)
 

zhivago

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Here is another one from my archives...no serial number known, but by the knobs I'd guess '55/'56/'57...

This one has been played a lot...lots of divots on the fretboard :)

1_zps4prn29ud.jpg


2_zpsbvddxyfx.jpg
 
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