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1960 Burst Restoration

ourmaninthenorth

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
7,119
^

So is that a yes or no on whether or not I can change me strings?

I'm leaning towards a maybe...
 

deytookerjaabs

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Messages
1,592
^

So is that a yes or no on whether or not I can change me strings?

I'm leaning towards a maybe...



Change strings? Just rub'em with a little shot of WD-40 can't solve, known for it's water displacement but under appreciated for it's manly musk, the ladies will be envious.
 

Jumping@Shadows

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 11, 2003
Messages
1,330
Wow, thread’s got legs!

I’ve stayed out of this as I’m neither going to convince the naysayers, nor really sought the approval of those who dig the process/results, but I will say despite this guitar going through two of the most established vintage dealers/restoration experts in the business both of whom identified it as a factory maple capped LPC, no one on earth knows it better than I, and I’m fully qualified to identify it as what it is, no matter how impassioned long distance theorists/critics may be.

As for the ‘moral’ outrage- as has been stated by various contributors- this was for sale all over the net and at major guitar shows for months, completely ignored, steadily falling in price until the owner offered it to me as a husk as in his own words he was ‘done with it’.

Long and the short is, it was a curious oddity who’s structural quirk was never meant to be known or celebrated, amateurishly, poorly and permanently modified to the point it was completely unattractive to play by normal Les Paul standards (perhaps that’s why it didn’t sell at the shows...), then aesthetically improved to make the most of its most obvious strength, the flamey Burst body, but without the fundamental neck/playability issues addressed, and which everyone screaming murder had endless one click chances to buy and cherish, at a rapidly falling price, but absolutely nobody wanted..

Now it’s perhaps the best sounding and playing Les Paul I’ve had to date, and having spent years around original Bursts and PAF Les Pauls day in day out, it’s 100% there tonally, and if you step away from the outrage, I think most would agree..

https://vimeo.com/user92292343

Here’s another clip from my Instagram page:

https://instagram.com/p/Bqw8CNhHL3o/

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m about rebuilding rejected wrecks, and I take on the projects no one else will bother with, and pride myself in producing an end result that regularly astonishes, and I think this is my best outcome to date, and having the background I do and my familiarity with what a Burst looks, feels and sounds like, I’m pretty sure there’s not a vintage PAF Les Paul out there who wouldn’t be blown away by it.
 
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Dave P

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 13, 2001
Messages
976
People are (still) hacking up perfectly good P90 Goldtops and don't get the hate like this guy did. Have a replica built, and you get raked over the coals for that too. So you're fucked either way. :hee
 

goldTopDeluxe

Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2001
Messages
91
Anyone who knows me, knows I’m about rebuilding rejected wrecks, and I take on the projects no one else will bother with, and pride myself in producing an end result that regularly astonishes, and I think this is my best outcome to date, and having the background I do and my familiarity with what a Burst looks, feels and sounds like, I’m pretty sure there’s not a vintage PAF Les Paul out there who wouldn’t be blown away by it.

Well - consider me blown away. Really impressive work! Just watched the video and would love to see more.
Its going into my database of references for great Les Paul tone examples.

Is that you playing as well? At 12 seconds into the youtube clip, you bend from a D to E on the G string, and then F# to G on the B.
I'll be spending the rest of my entire night trying to rip off that lick! :dude:
 

Jumping@Shadows

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 11, 2003
Messages
1,330
Well - consider me blown away. Really impressive work! Just watched the video and would love to see more.
Its going into my database of references for great Les Paul tone examples.

Is that you playing as well? At 12 seconds into the youtube clip, you bend from a D to E on the G string, and then F# to G on the B.
I'll be spending the rest of my entire night trying to rip off that lick! :dude:

Ha! Thanks man! It’s a superb guitar, and I literally can’t freely move for vintage Gibson’s in my tiny workshop :)

Yeah that steel lick is sweet, and I’ve not played it in years, but the tone was so crystalline and glassy, and the notes bloomed and fused so beautifully, that’s just what came out, and it was also a deliberate attempt to demonstrate a great PAF LP, is as transparent and versatile as any Tele.
 

Keefoman

Active member
Joined
Nov 4, 2009
Messages
576
I think you’ve got a real beauty of a guitar, and your playng an sound is impeccable! :salude
 

Wilko

All Access/Backstage Pass
Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
20,854
I'm one who converted a decent '56 Les Paul into a "Burst". It was well documented here from before I bought it on eBay. It had a fairly lame refin and some other issues. I rebuilt it without disturbing the original neck joint and it was a Tune-O-matic guitar. Yeah, there's some special magic with a Les Paul built in the "golden era".

I think your work is amazing and I'm sure the guitar feels just a great to play as many Bursts. :salude

I don't really care what it it's called--conversion, restoration, etc.
 
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