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LP Custom 75-78 need help from experts

A-tony

Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2006
Messages
463
Hi,
someone can tell which of the following characteristics had, for every year in the 75-76-77-78 range, the LP Custom?

1) 500k vs 300k pots
2) long shaft vs short shaft pots
3) abr1 vs nashville bridge
4) pancake vs one piece mahogany+maple top body

Thanks a lot
 

El Gringo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
Hi,
someone can tell which of the following characteristics had, for every year in the 75-76-77-78 range, the LP Custom?

1) 500k vs 300k pots
2) long shaft vs short shaft pots
3) abr1 vs nashville bridge
4) pancake vs one piece mahogany+maple top body

Thanks a lot
I am going to guess that by this time period Gibson had switched to the 300K pots , most sure they were short shaft pots , I am guessing that around 76 they had switched to the Nashville bridge .As far as the pancake body I think that maybe lasted until 1980?
 

AJCR

Member
Joined
May 2, 2018
Messages
124
Hi,
someone can tell which of the following characteristics had, for every year in the 75-76-77-78 range, the LP Custom?

1) 500k vs 300k pots
2) long shaft vs short shaft pots
3) abr1 vs nashville bridge
4) pancake vs one piece mahogany+maple top body

Thanks a lot
500k I think stopped before 74
Short shaft through the 70's
Nashville introduced from 75 onward.....but not on 1st of Jan and the Customs that stayed being made at Kalamazoo simply used up old stock until gone. So the change was later than the Deluxe which was made in Nashville.
Pancake to 76.
http://www.mylespaul.com/threads/faq-norlin-history.38456/
 

440hz

New member
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
84
Pot #'s if they're visible for dating might hep you but so many get changed over years
Not easy to find pancake under paint
 

Progrocker111

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Messages
4,013
Hi,
someone can tell which of the following characteristics had, for every year in the 75-76-77-78 range, the LP Custom?

1) 500k vs 300k pots
2) long shaft vs short shaft pots
3) abr1 vs nashville bridge
4) pancake vs one piece mahogany+maple top body

Thanks a lot

1. 500k stopped in mid 73, the switch was even to linear taper pots instead of audio taper
2. short shaft since 75 or 76
3. nashville bridge since mid to late 75, there are some exceptions and time overlap even into early 76 with ABRs (older styled Kalamazoo production)
4. pancake body slowly faded out in late 76/early 77 - time overlap here too, so there is possible to see some very late non/pancake 76s and some early 77 pancakes too - but finally i have never seen pancake body LP with standard 8 digit 77 new serial number system
 

Monroe

Active member
Joined
Mar 11, 2008
Messages
1,139
My mid-year 76 as shipped:
300K pots
Long shaft pots on plate
Nashville bridge
One-piece body (no pancake)
Also:
6100 frets
Bell knob Schallers
Stickered T-Tops
3-piece maple neck
Black reflector knobs w/gold reflectors
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
My mid-year 76 as shipped:
300K pots
Long shaft pots on plate
Nashville bridge
One-piece body (no pancake)
Also:
6100 frets
Bell knob Schallers
Stickered T-Tops
3-piece maple neck
Black reflector knobs w/gold reflectors

Not 6100 frets as shipped new.
 

Wilko

All Access/Backstage Pass
Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
20,854
Layered body is very easy to see even on black guitar.

I've never seen a stickered pickup on a '76. Doesn't mean it didn't happen. I've just never seen it.

Never saw a one-piece body in '76 either.

knobs in '76 were witch hat "amp knobs"
 

Monroe

Active member
Joined
Mar 11, 2008
Messages
1,139
Not 6100 frets as shipped new.

Yes. I bought it new. At it's first refret, the cat that does my refrets (Mike Koontz) was amazed and asked me several times if it already been refretted. It had not. All nubs intact. He even measured the frets with a dial caliper. They had already been re-crowned twice so the height measured a bit lower, but the width was spot on. You don't have to believe it. You know a lot but, you're not necessarily always the final word on the subject.
 

Wilko

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Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
20,854
They had already been re-crowned twice so the height measured a bit lower, but the width was spot on.

Very possible your had frets that measured in the 61xx range, but with no height measurement, there's no way of knowing whether they were similar to 6100, 6110, 6120 or equivalent. WHo made the frets for gibson in '76?
 

Monroe

Active member
Joined
Mar 11, 2008
Messages
1,139
I am just conveying what Koontz told me as far as what he had to use to match the size of the originals.
They were definitely not "fretless wonder" frets...
and I remember when I was shopping for Les Pauls that many in the stores did have those, and that I didn't like them much.
 
Last edited:

Wilko

All Access/Backstage Pass
Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
20,854
Yep. I had a '76 for a long time. Had very wide frets like 61xx width. About half as tall though. Definitely wider than the little fretless wonder stuff.

frets.jpg
 
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