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Wiring for 58 vs 59

randall

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Feb 21, 2002
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So i was looking on the Burst log website checking out bursts, as you do and i started to notice that almost all the 58's had what we call "modern wiring" and even some early 59's had this also. Then the 59's went to what we all consider traditional 50's wiring.

Not so Modern after all. Both wiring i would say is 50's after all.

It comes down to what you prefer i guess.

Anyone else notice this?
 

randall

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Thought this might have peaked some interest? I am a fan of say Knopfler who has a 58, and his must be wired to the "Modern" way. Page also has a 58 so his must be like this too.
 

Classic

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I'm no 50's LP expert and I've never even seen a real '50's LP in person but I have seen a lot of myths debunked recently. This would appear to be another.

What j would say is that the '59 LP is the holy grail for a reason and may be the harness is one of those reasons.
 

63sg

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You only have to move the capacitor two lugs (one on each pot) and resolder for the different wiring methods.

50's all the way for me...I even rewired my 68 Custom that way to sound better.
 

jimmi

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Thought this might have peaked some interest? I am a fan of say Knopfler who has a 58, and his must be wired to the "Modern" way. Page also has a 58 so his must be like this too.

Page does not have a 58. 2 59s.

Maybe some of these you are looking at have been rewired, maybe they had a run around 58 where they changed them for some reason.

Here is my all original 54 goldtop and it has the "50s wiring".

13713500903_ec50a8f013.jpg
 

randall

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Page does not have a 58. 2 59s.

Maybe some of these you are looking at have been rewired, maybe they had a run around 58 where they changed them for some reason.

Here is my all original 54 goldtop and it has the "50s wiring".

13713500903_ec50a8f013.jpg

Every 58 on this website that showed the control cavity was wired like this.

I also thought that Page was a 58? But of course i could be wrong.
 

jimmi

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Every 58 on this website that showed the control cavity was wired like this.

I also thought that Page was a 58? But of course i could be wrong.

Looked through the log...it is more common than I would have thought. So you may be on to something and it is interesting. There are a couple with the "50s wiring". Some were mixed....again, hard to tell if some had been rewired at some point...one of the guys I let work on my guitars can make look original to everything but blacklight (could probably do that also but he isn't trying to hide his work just has a lot of pride in it :) ). Pickup swapping was relatively common. There is one that I know was basically unplayed until sold a year or so ago....that one has the modern wiring judging from the pictures on the log as do many of the 57 in the site. It could be they changed the wiring during the early production once they went to PAFs and then they went back in 59. Only a few of the early 59s have modern wiring, none of the 60s. All the p90 goldtops I have owned or messed with have had the 50s wiring. I have been looking around at bursts the last couple years and the one 58 I played had 50s wiring also but I think the pickups had been swapped in that gutiar.

In my experience, you get a little bleed when you turn down the volume with modern wiring that doesn't seem to happen with the "50s wiring" (all done in the same vintage guitar with vintage parts). If I bought a 58 I would try it first but might switch it. For me playability trumps all.

There is a Guitar world article from the 80s that mis identified Page's number one as a 58. From all other sources including Walsh who had the neck shaved and refinished before selling it to Page, it is a 59. Number 2 has an intact serial number and is a 59.
 

roadrunner

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The last 2 '58 LP's that I owned... a burst and a goldtop: The burst had "'50's wiring", the goldtop had "modern" wiring. Got each guitar from the original owners and both guitars were untouched.

I've seen other '58's with "modern" wiring but not very many, most have the '50's style wiring.
 

randall

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I think it's interesting and strange for Gibson to wire up there guitars differently within a years time. Who's idea was it to wire it up two different ways?
 

randall

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Wow! looks like it's all over the place when it came to wiring up them geetars. Thanks for that post!
 

Kris Ford

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Wow! looks like it's all over the place when it came to wiring up them geetars. Thanks for that post!

Yup..:yah
So which is the true 50's wiring?:hmm
If both were used interchangeably, seems they both would be...
 

Django2014

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Page also has a 58 so his must be like this too.

No one knows for sure, but i believe it was a 59, it originally had a double cream bridge pickup as seen on the RAH dvd, this means it could not possibly have been a 58
 

randall

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No one knows for sure, but i believe it was a 59, it originally had a double cream bridge pickup as seen on the RAH dvd, this means it could not possibly have been a 58

Very good point.

Joe Walsh could have done some swapping of burst parts? Just looking for the right combo maybe? I know just making things harder!
 

jimmi

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Very good point.

Joe Walsh could have done some swapping of burst parts? Just looking for the right combo maybe? I know just making things harder!

Dan who was Virgil Lays apprentice and now owns the shop where the work was done says it was a 59 per Virgil.
 
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