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Calling all 1968 / 1969 Les Paul Owners.

Wilko

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Here's my pair. I think my burst has "the look", (if I do say so myself):

two_68s.jpg
 

Red Baron

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lanman, I agree with you about those pickup rings being non-standard if it is indeed a '68, there's a couple of oddities with the headstock... no dotted "i" and the 50's style large tuner rings.
Do you have the serial and a pic of the back of the headstock you can post?
 

lanman

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Red Baron said:
lanman, I agree with you about those pickup rings being non-standard if it is indeed a '68, there's a couple of oddities with the headstock... no dotted "i" and the 50's style large tuner rings.
Do you have the serial and a pic of the back of the headstock you can post?

The Serial Number is 537540. It was Grovered at one time. These are not the original tuners.


Guitars013.jpg


Guitars012.jpg


Let me know what you think!
 

Wilko

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Those are the right style tuners for a 68. You even have the right bushings on there.
 

lanman

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Hey Wilko....that is a killer pair of LPs you got there! Your refin top definitely has the "look". Did you convert them or did you get them that way? What P/Us are you running?
 

lanman

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It's kinda odd also on my LP that it has the small headstock with no dotted "i" as well.
 

Wilko

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lanman said:
Hey Wilko....that is a killer pair of LPs you got there! Your refin top definitely has the "look". Did you convert them or did you get them that way? What P/Us are you running?

Them's my babies.

The burst has PAFs and the goldtop is now loaded with Antiquities in the mid 8k range.

I did the pickup job for the goldtop and the burst was already done when I got it. It was a goldtop but I didn't like the top. Had a weird color and sheen to it. Looked like an odd overspray or something. had ugly kind of greening so I bursted it.
 

Red Baron

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Wilko said:
Those are the right style tuners for a 68. You even have the right bushings on there.

I meant those black ones underneath... would they be from the grovers?
 

lanman

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Red Baron said:
I meant those black ones underneath... would they be from the grovers?

Believe it or not, that's just an optical illusion. Those are not black bushings.....rather just the rings of the former from the Grovers. After looking at the photo, I had to go take a second look.....cause it sure looks like there are black washers on there!
 

wernerg

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What's the deal with some early '68 I seem to have seen with black pickup covers over P-90's. I seem to recall collecting pictures of Les Pauls inthe early 80's and seeing two artist with what appear to be late '60's GTs with black plastic:

www.wernerg.com/deus.gif

This guy Adriano Celentano - never heard any of his music (probably a good thing, too!), but his guitar intrigued me (sorry about the bad pic, but if you know the artist, you will remember the guitar)

www.wernerg.com/dudek.jpg

Then of course, Les Dudek - the cover of this album hides the main body of the guitar, but the black plastic is there. Or maybe these aren't GT's?

If certain '68 GTs did have black plastic, I am sure moonweasel would like to know the serial # range...
 

moonweasel

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wernerg said:
If certain '68 GTs did have black plastic, I am sure moonweasel would like to know the serial # range...

Yes, I would! Thanks.

But, pickup covers are easy to change. There would be no way to validate that they ever were black to start with. My guess, seeing as how P-90'ed GT's never had black covers, is that the guy just like the way they looked better.
 

moonweasel

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lanman said:
It's kinda odd also on my LP that it has the small headstock with no dotted "i" as well.

Dont take this as fact, but I seem to remember reading somewhere on this site that sometimes the dot was just left off on some 50s guitars.

Our database shows another 537xxx that does have its dot.

Maybe Mr. TW59 will tune in and let us know. :)
 

moonweasel

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Wilko,

Your 530xxx guitar has its dot right? I accidentally left that info off. Thanks.
 

Tom Wittrock

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moonweasel said:
Dont take this as fact, but I seem to remember reading somewhere on this site that sometimes the dot was just left off on some 50s guitars.

Our database shows another 537xxx that does have its dot.

Maybe Mr. TW59 will tune in and let us know. :)

I never paid attention to the Gibson logo. I was always looking at other aspects [the top :wink] when just looking. When playing, I can't read the headstock. ;)

Lanman's headstock sure looks refinned to me. :wink2
 

Wilko

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moonweasel said:
Yes, I would! Thanks.

But, pickup covers are easy to change. There would be no way to validate that they ever were black to start with. My guess, seeing as how P-90'ed GT's never had black covers, is that the guy just like the way they looked better.

I've seen other pics that look like black (even an old Van Halen pic) but what you are seeing is the covers removed. Les Dudek, Mike Campbell (with Tom Petty) have pics taken that clearly show that the covers are removed leaving the appearance of a black pickup.

BTW, My 1968s all had logo dotted "i"
 

juniorboy

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Jan 4, 2005
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Just watched a 1972 Dracula (dated rubbish) movie and in one of the scenes there's a band called Stoneground playing in the backround at a (groovy) party. The second guitarist had a goldtop with black P90's. I remember seeing Stoneground when they came to the UK about that time, anyone remember the guitar player or the band, there might be some more pics somewhere of the guitar.
 

zorglub!

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moonweasel said:
Zorglubs (see above) seems, although pictures can be deceiving, to be one piece with a volute. Which I havent ever seen.
Experts, I have taken these pics to help you trying to clarify what year is mine, I am lost...

I have been trying to photograph the 3-piece neck but it seems very hard! However I have taken this pic where you can clearly see it is 3-piece:

3pcneck.jpg


Also, what kind of volute is this?

volute.jpg


An lastly I would like to show you the extra maple layer between the top and the mahogany:

layer1.jpg


layer2.jpg


I hope you enjoy these stripped wood pics as I do! :biggrin:
 

keef

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A few days ago someone posted this three pickup Custom for sale - he claims it is a '69, # 500071 stamped in the headstock....rewound pickups, headstock repair. Each pickup seems to have the same amount of plating wear...FWIW
Never heard of 3 pup guitars for this era....knobs are wrong, binding looks too white...what could it be?
99260523.jpg

99260522.jpg
 
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moonweasel

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keef said:
A few days ago someone posted this three pickup Custom for sale - he claims it is a '69, # 500071 stamped in the headstock....rewound pickups, headstock repair. Each pickup seems to have the same amount of plating wear...FWIW
Never heard of 3 pup guitars for this era....knobs are wrong, binding looks too white...what could it be?

Keef,

That serial was used in the 70s as well. If its a three pickup original, its probably from the 70s.
 
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