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anybody seen this one before?? 57 switchmaster custom..?

0 2339

Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2017
Messages
166
just stumbled upon this one and thought it might be worth sharing...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323466638617?ul_noapp=true

33977320if.jpg



cheers
 

Tom Wittrock

Les Paul Forum Co-Owner
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
42,567
That thread still works for me. Hmmmmm

I just looked again and the photos show again. Weird!

But, I also get a "potential threat" message constantly repeating every time I open that thread! :wah
 

DrRobert

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2003
Messages
6,050
It's troubling that there were so many strange features noted by the guy who played it in the other thread.

Assuming it IS original from the factory, what would it be worth? The highest I've seen a 3 pickup LPC with no "star history" sell for is $120k in mint condition, back at the peak (2007). Given the wear, $60k seems about right for a regular LPC, but does the custom switching increase the price, and how much?

Quoted from @Frutiger's post:

In the Gbase listing they state that it's a factory original, custom order.

Here are some of my observations (just observations - I'm not an authority on this type of thing and wouldn't want to authenticate a guitar of this value):

• The tuners have been changed (as you can see from the pics) but the remaining footprints are wrong for a custom - it should ideally have Super Kluson outlines, but it has standard Kluson outlines (it's also had Schallers by the look of the extra holes). Has anyone ever seen a Custom from any year with standard gold Klusons on it? Unless it was a factory Grover to start with - then Klusons, then Schallers, then back to Grovers?

• The bridge has been changed to a wired one. In the Rob Lawrence book the bridge looks original, maybe it sunk and had to be replaced?

• The dots at the end of the fretboard binding are badly installed and look to be too low in the binding, could have had work done in that area though.

• The binding is very yellow, way more than any of my vintage Gibson's.

• The nut's been replaced.

• The last inlay is thinner.

• None of the wear on the pickups seems to match - some of which you could put down to different people with different playing styles owning it. The middle pickup has very little wear, maybe whoever owed it dumped the pickup into the cavity so it didn't get in the way?

• It's heavy, or at least it's a couple of pounds heavier than my '56, although it's got an extra PAF, two more pots and that 4-way switch!

• If it is a custom order then they took an already drilled body and modified it - you can see through the gap in the 4-way that it's been drilled for a toggle switch and then cut for the switchmaster switch afterwards. The paint goes into the cutouts, so it was painted after the work was done

• The screws holding the switch in place aren't the screws typically used, but that doesn't mean they're not original.

• The top finish doesn't have any of the depth my custom does (even though mine is heavily checked you can see the paint is rich and has depth to it). It also doesn't seem to have the patina the hardware displays. Again, that's not to say there's anything untoward, just that all the vintage customs I have played have had rich, glossy black paint with a real depth to the finish.

If anyone else gets to check it out I'd be interested to hear if your observations tally with mine.

It's very, very cool but not without issues.
 

brandtkronholm

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2006
Messages
2,737
Given the wear, $60k seems about right for a regular LPC,...

For a regular 3 Humbucker Black Beauty: $25K - $30K, maybe $35K if it's mint.

... but does the custom switching increase the price, and how much?

This is a seriously cool guitar - but I can't imagine the Switchmaster guts increase the price/value of the instrument. My guess: $27K - $32K if it's as described. If it's missing original parts then it's worth much, much less.
 

Ed Driscoll

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
4,691
Does anybody know how the guitar is wired up, and what controls what on the switch? (Is number 3 the neck or the bridge pickup, for example?) Does it still have the out of phase setting that a traditional Les Paul three pickup Custom from the late '50s has? It would be great to hear some clips of this beast.
 

VamboRool

Active member
Joined
Nov 25, 2015
Messages
424
On an ES-5 Switchmaster, position 1 is up: neck pick-up only, like the Rhythm position on a normal Les Paul; position 2 is the middle pick-up only and position 3 is downward: bridge pick-up only like the Treble position on a normal Les Paul and position ALL of course is all three pick-ups together. With individual volume knobs for each pick-up it allows you to select any pick-up by itself or any combination of pick-ups that you can't do on any other three pick-up guitar. I'll assume that this Les Paul is wired the same as a Switchmaster. I haven't played a Switchmaster in awhile, can't remember how the pick-ups are wired in relationship to each other, but I think it is in parallel and in phase.
 
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