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Top ‘52 conversion people??? Need 2 fixed up

swicker

Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2002
Messages
397
Hey there everyone,

I’m looking to get a 1952 les Paul converted to a burst or Mayb a goldtop?

Curious who the best people are out there for the job?

I’m new to the conversion thing, so any advice helps

I only have heard of Lays and Historic Makeover for refin only?

Any advice or websites to check out? Your stories?

Also I’d you wanna share the cost and wait time? Thanks again
 

Reno_1ted

Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2014
Messages
665
Hey there everyone,

I’m looking to get a 1952 les Paul converted to a burst or Mayb a goldtop?

Curious who the best people are out there for the job?

I’m new to the conversion thing, so any advice helps

I only have heard of Lays and Historic Makeover for refin only?

Any advice or websites to check out? Your stories?

Also I’d you wanna share the cost and wait time? Thanks again

Where are you based?
 

barsinister

New member
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Messages
29
Lay's is great! and very reasonably priced. Dan Schinn at Lay,s has done 5 guitars for me-Beauties. It WILL take 18 months though. They know their stuff and no flim-flam
 

jimmi

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 8, 2012
Messages
2,077
Hey there everyone,

I’m looking to get a 1952 les Paul converted to a burst or Mayb a goldtop?

Curious who the best people are out there for the job?

I’m new to the conversion thing, so any advice helps

I only have heard of Lays and Historic Makeover for refin only?

Any advice or websites to check out? Your stories?

Also I’d you wanna share the cost and wait time? Thanks again


Gibson repair will actually do the work for you. I saw one a while back that look good and I think they can get Murphy to do the finish.

Dan at Lays does great wood work...not sure how his burst finishes are...you could always let them do the wood and Historic Makeovers (who doesn’t like to do the wood work for conversions) do the finish.

Tom Standler at Carter’s does great work. Turnaround could be an issue but he will tell you and it is a good price and he has vintage guitars on hand to compare with for the coloring you want. He does a good job matching vintage look and feel.

Bartlett does a great job also but you will wait a year.
 

60'sGold

New member
Joined
Mar 4, 2016
Messages
59
The last place you, or anybody else should send a guitar, is to Lays. They're butchers. The last time they, (Dan), actually gave a shit about the quality of his work was about fifteen years ago.
 

Jeffrec

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2002
Messages
226
Chris Mirabella of Mirabella Guitars here in NY (Long Island) does excellent work. I played a refin/burst he did years ago and it was beautiful.
 

agogetr

Active member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Messages
451
many options. the first thing i wondered is if this is an all original 52? have you pegged it through an amp?.. thought about a glaser tailpiece? 52's with a good tailpiece have their own thing goin on. they are awesome in my experience. maybe just buy an r9 or whatever they call them. keep your 52 straight up. (unless its had a neck break or whatever). my wooden nickel
 

jimmi

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 8, 2012
Messages
2,077
The last place you, or anybody else should send a guitar, is to Lays. They're butchers. The last time they, (Dan), actually gave a shit about the quality of his work was about fifteen years ago.


Sounds like a story behind this!!! I had then work on a guitar about 10 yrs ago and the wood work was great. The finish was so so. Maybe standards have dropped since then.
 

Jumping@Shadows

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 11, 2003
Messages
1,330
I’ve knocked up a couple on occasion:

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Last edited:

thin sissy

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 2, 2006
Messages
2,691
What is it you guys dislike about old goldtops to have them refinished? There is something really beautiful, and unfortunately very hard to recapture, about the gold finish on 50's Gibsons IMHO :salude
 

jimmi

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 8, 2012
Messages
2,077
What is it you guys dislike about old goldtops to have them refinished? There is something really beautiful, and unfortunately very hard to recapture, about the gold finish on 50's Gibsons IMHO :salude
I like Goldtops a lot. I have a great ‘54. There are a lot that other people have already messed with. Those are the only ones I would finish the conversion on.
 

Steve Craw

Formerly Lefty Elmo
Joined
Sep 9, 2004
Messages
5,294
What is it you guys dislike about old goldtops to have them refinished? There is something really beautiful, and unfortunately very hard to recapture, about the gold finish on 50's Gibsons IMHO :salude

I LOVE figured wood, but I'm flamed out. Gibson puts AA or better on Studio and other entry-level Les Pauls, so flame maple is everywhere. It makes it less special. I've come to not only appreciate goldtops, but really prefer the look. Kind of trashy and classy at the same time.
 

Tom Wittrock

Les Paul Forum Co-Owner
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
42,567
What is it you guys dislike about old goldtops to have them refinished? There is something really beautiful, and unfortunately very hard to recapture, about the gold finish on 50's Gibsons IMHO :salude

Who is doing this? :hmm
 
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