• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

52-59 Conversion, Amazing 2 piece Plain Top

boogieongtr

Active member
Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
937
Here is a conversion I am doing for a customer. The guitar has had a refin to all gold. Lots of great things ahead so let's get started.
Ready to strip:
Strip1.jpg


Strip3.jpg



What a great find! The top is booked matched and 3/4" off center. This will make a great plain top Burst.
Strip8.jpg


OK on the down side. This is why I don't like to buy all gold refins. There is a 1/16" shim in the neck pocket.
SteamNeckOut1.jpg


And about 1/16" of wood filler in the neck joint and the body has been sanded way out of profile. I'll deal with these 2 issues later.
Strip6.jpg


First I'll steam the neck out. I pull out 4 frets and bore 8 small holes into the neck pocket for my needle.
SteamNeckOut3.jpg


A little steam:
SteamNeckOut5.jpg


The neck pops right out with a little pressure from my jig.
SteamNeckOut7.jpg


Here is another issue. You can see there are bit marks into the neck pockets bottom and sidewalls. These can all be fixed but I'm wondering if the neck is original to the body? Either way it will make a great old LP when the project is completed.
SteamNeckOut8.jpg
 

Electric Lloyd

Active member
Joined
Feb 5, 2005
Messages
3,500
Cool, Boogie! I love your projects. Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to see what's next...
 

J.D.

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
10,030
Evidence is pointing toward a non-original neck.
 

The Stumble

Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2006
Messages
716
i remember this one from ebay it had been for sale here in the uk for a while and i came very close to buying it myself but far too many red flags towards a reneck

believe it or not the first thing i noticed was the 12th fret dot markers .....
they were simply too far apart and as they say the devil is in the details

Strip3.jpg
 

Classic71

New member
Joined
Jul 11, 2010
Messages
1,745
Wow, very cool thread. Look forward to seeing this through to completion, this is the type of thread where you really learn stuff. Thanks for sharing boogieongtr :salude
 

Scott Lentz

New member
Joined
Jul 26, 2001
Messages
611
Jim, the neck may be an original neck that was reset in that body, that would explain the lack of fit and the filler on the top side of the neck. The mortise on the guitar is not kosher, drill marks and all. I especially like the bottom of the neck, is very telling in why it was removed so easy!
 

boogieongtr

Active member
Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
937
Thanks everyone. Even with the few anomolies I think the guitar will be a great player.


Jim, the neck may be an original neck that was reset in that body, that would explain the lack of fit and the filler on the top side of the neck. The mortise on the guitar is not kosher, drill marks and all. I especially like the bottom of the neck, is very telling in why it was removed so easy!

I'm sure the neck is an original 50's neck but probably not the original neck to the body. The lack of glue is why it came out in about 3 minutes.

Next up is to clean the original pickup routes so my plugs have fresh wood to bond to. I use a 1/2" router bit and enlarge the pickup cavities by 1/64".
PUroute.jpg


I cut the mahogany/maple plugs and use a 1/4" radius bit to round the corners. This will make a perfect fit.
Plugs2.jpg


Plugs made, dry fit and ready to glue into the body.
Plugs4.jpg



Plugs glued in
Plugs5.jpg


Plugs sanded and ready to move on.
Plugs008.jpg
 

MapleFlame

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 3, 2005
Messages
14,044
Great job matching up the grain lines. The plugs are one of the best fitting I have seen. Thanks for sharing.
 
Last edited:

boogieongtr

Active member
Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
937
Great job matching up the grain lines. The plugs are one of the best fitting I have seen. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Steve, it took me 3 hours to find the plug for the bridge cavity. I went thru a lot of maple to find a piece that would match the tops grain lines. It's not perfect but a good match IMOP.
 

latestarter

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 9, 2009
Messages
4,173
And to think 90% of it will be routed away...that's a professional approach. Well done.
 

boogieongtr

Active member
Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
937
Next up I cleaned up the bottom of the mortise and added a piece of mahogany. When I route the new 4 degree neck angle this will make certain the neck has a solid bottom to glue to. I also heated the binding and pulled it back for the next step.
BodyAngle1.jpg


I want the new neck angle to be 4 degrees so I use a jig and a digital level to get the correct angle.
BodyAngle2.jpg


I use a router and take 3/32" off the body thickness to get the 4 new degree body angle. I tape off the binding to make sure it doesn't get damaged.
BodyAngle3.jpg


Now the body has a perfect 4 degree neck angle.
BodyAngle4.jpg


I next have to make the binding channel 3/32" deeper. Inside of horn
Binding2.jpg


Body side
Binding4.jpg


Glue binding back on.
Binding3.jpg


Binding5.jpg
 
Top