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Bavarian Makeover II 1956 Historic Reissue by jaegerguitars

ununtrium

Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Messages
150
Most importantly…

I hope that everyone reading this is well and healthy, as well as their loved ones, of course. Right now, more than ever, it is important to take care of the people around you and to make sure that everyone stays safe.

I would love it if you accompanied me on my journey towards the transformation of my Les Paul ´56 Historic Reissue, and chimed in on the many decisions that lie in front of me regarding the makeover. It is very important to me that you give feedback and share your ideas, because the devil always lies in the details and constructive criticism gives me the support I need to solve issues that will present themselves in the course of this project.

Also, this is my way of saying thanks for sharing your projects with the LPF, by sharing my project with you :salude

Most of all, however: if this thread provides some slight diversion from the current grim circumstances and lightens your daily load just a little bit, I will have succeeded in what I set out to do here.

Stay healthy and support each other!

…and I do apologize for all the long-winded and meandering ramblings you will no doubt find below. Feel free to just skim through any them or skip any of them entirely.



I) Where the guitar comes from…

The guitar was made in 1996, one of the early historic reissues. I do not know if it is rare or not. There have never been as many ´56 reissues around as, for example, R9s, but back then, the number of historic reissues …issued (sorry!) altogether was even smaller. All the information I could get from Gibson Customer Service was that mine was originally shipped to a dealer in Hamburg, no case candy included whatsoever, just the standard brown Gibson case with lush pink interior :hmm That was the way things were done in the 90’s. I bought it in Hamburg from the original owner in 2006 or 2007 and it has been with me ever since. I decided a long time ago that this is the one electric guitar I would keep for good. Other guitars come and go. This one stays.

The guitar is very resonant and the stock pick-ups (which are still in there) sound huge. I swapped both the pots and caps for an RS Modern Electronics Kit and the stock tuners for RS aged Grovers, almost immediately after purchasing the guitar, enjoying the vast improvements in dialling in the right tone and actually getting it. It stayed like that for a while, a bone nut being the only major update. Around 2010 I had a B7 put on it and that suited the guitar to my preferences even more. The neck is quite bulky, but not uncomfortable. The back of the neck, however, has a rubbery feel that I would like to see changed. There are a few dings in the finish here and there, that have accumulated over the years, but nothing major.


II) Where I come from…

At one time I bought a set of vintage 1950s P90 pick-ups from Kim LaFleur (I think…) and I was going to have them installed in my R6 to get closer to that elusive vintage sound/vibe, but somehow I never got around to it. Having a makeover done to this guitar made sense to me, since it already possessed the resonance and tonal character that I needed as a starting point. I wanted the guitar to feel, to smell, to look and to sound more like a vintage Les Paul – MY personal vintage-vibe Les Paul. I know that each instrument has its own character and sound. Getting a makeover would never net me a real vintage one, but in terms of authentic feel, smell and, most of all, vibe something akin to the real thing. This guitar already felt great to me and I wanted to build on that, ending up with a personalized instrument that is both unique and a work of art, – an instrument that feels great to pick up and play even before I pick it up and play.

The historical inaccuracies that you find on the early historics have never been anything I was anxious to keep. Rather than being a nuisance, they made this otherwise wonderful guitar an outstanding candidate for a makeover in my book, since they offer more room for development than recent Historics that are more accurate in adhering to vintage correct specs.
I have been a long-time lurker on these forums who has especially enjoyed following the makeover threads, both by HM and Florian. Around 2010 or 2011 I had been on the brink of signing up for a makeover on my guitar, but it just did not come together for me back then.

However, reading and following the awesome and entertaining threads about restoring and embellishing the beautiful Gibson guitars of fellow forum members continued to be an inspiration to me. I never abandoned the idea and I held onto the vintage P90s…

Now, I feel the time is right to take up the old project as kind of a reward for having made it thus far. In fact, it was my wife who encouraged me to reboot this project!!! With that kind of support I contacted Florian Jäger, with whom I had already got in touch ten years before, having been completely blown away and won over by the many examples of his art posted here, once again. I called him up and he instantly remembered me from the one or two tentative e-mails we had exchanged ten years ago! I was completely hooked not only by Florian’s outstanding memory, but also by the gut feeling I got about 10 seconds into the conversation with him. It felt like, within seconds, we were on the same page about what I wanted my guitar to become. Basically, the project began for me right then and there.

I feel like things that have been in limbo for the last couple of years, are now coming together, at last. The stars are in alignment, so to speak. Adnuit coeptis, if you know what I mean :jim


III) Things are already set in motion…


Florian and I talked about the scope on which we would perform the makeover, in general terms only. We did not discuss any finer details at this point on purpose, because we wanted to remain open and unbiased for anything the guitar will present us with over the course of the makeover process.

The two things I am already committed to are that (1) the guitar would receive a Brazilian rosewood fretboard, i.e. the Bavarian Makeover II and that (2) the vintage P90s would be installed. I am also strongly considering keeping the B7, since my kids are very fond of it :hank ALL other options are on the table and up for discussion.

Here are parting pictures I took the morning before I sent the guitar off to Florian, where it would wait for the makeover proceedings to commence:

NDE0Dlq.jpg


1dW08gl.jpg


For me, a goldtop at sunrise is something magical…my limited abilities to take photos notwithstanding.

Here is the guitar having arrived safely at Florian’s, disguised as a MIM Taylor acoustic:

6bqdnLo.jpg


I can't wait for Florian to start working his magic...


IV) Where I would like you to join in…

As mentioned above, I would love to read your ideas and receive your feedback in this thread. My goal is to keep you up to date – and, hopefully, reasonably entertained – during the entire project. As Florian told me, to make this project succeed, he will need my full participation which I would like to share with you as much as possible. It would be great to discuss the different stages of the project with you and ponder all the different courses of action, as they present themselves.

For example, which kind of nut material should I choose? What will we find underneath that factory Goldtop? Should the guitar have a stinger? Should it be a darkback?

You see, there are many questions that need answering.

I will keep you posted and I hope that you will enjoy this thread as much as I do!
 
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Ace139

Active member
Joined
May 29, 2003
Messages
1,759
YES keep the Bigsby!

Upgrade the harness to go with the vintage P90s
Low to medium level relic - more finish check with a few minor dings
Adjust for less color aging under the pick-guard, switch-tip, jack plate, ...etc.
Slight wear through the finish for arm wear and mild greening
Don’t finish check the front of the headstock just some aging treatment
Get a case to go with the vibe of the guitar - aged.

I have a CC #24 and Gibson started doing the aged cases after I got it, wish I had one. I know I could get it done, maybe someday. I think it’s the cherry on top.

All that being said - it’s yours not mine. Thanks in advance for the ride! :salude
 
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Hamerfan

Active member
Joined
Dec 20, 2004
Messages
791
Hi, fellow p90 player from Bavaria here. I would love to see some pics of you vintage P90s. Preferably a shot of the back and from the side were the wires come thru the backplate.

I like a light dark back with black grain filler looking thru the finish.

image.jpg
 
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ununtrium

Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Messages
150
Many thanks for your advice. I will collect all suggestions and discuss them with Florian, when we come to those stages. I do like the aging details, indeed! Will definitely consider them when the time comes.

The aged case would definitely be the cherry on top.

I will post some information on the pots and potis tomorrow. Have to check my mail box first... :hmm


YES keep the Bigsby!

Upgrade the harness to go with the vintage P90s
Low to medium level relic - more finish check with a few minor dings
Adjust for less color aging under the pick-guard, switch-tip, jack plate, ...etc.
Slight wear through the finish for arm wear and mild greening
Don’t finish check the front of the headstock just some aging treatment
Get a case to go with the vibe of the guitar - aged.

I have a CC #24 and Gibson started doing the aged cases after I got it, wish I had one. I know I could get it done, maybe someday. I think it’s the cherry on top.

All that being said - it’s yours not mine. Thanks in advance for the ride! :salude
 

ununtrium

Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Messages
150
Hello there!
I will try and oblige you as much as I can. They were "dog ears" originally, but Kim was kind enough to mount them on brass plates for me, to be installed in my guitar. He also provided me with the original plates.

I will post pictures of the pick-ups tomorrow.

Hi, fellow p90 player from Bavaria here. I would love to see some pics of you vintage P90s. Preferably a shot of the back and from the side were the wires come thru the backplate.

I like a light dark back with black grain filler looking thru the finish.

View attachment 11359
 

zacknorton

Active member
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
731
Can’t wait to see this happen. But I would ditch the bigsby and never think twice about it.

But I hate those things and the way they alter the feel of a guitar.
 

ununtrium

Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Messages
150
Just like Ace139 I thought that vintage P90s required a different electronics kit. I, therefore, ordered one through Charles Guitars, the UK distributor for RS Guitarworks. I was happy with their modern kit over the last decade, so I figured I wasn't likely to go wrong with their RS Premium Vintage Electronics Kit!

Charles Guitars were very helpful in answering all my questions and provided excellent service, throughout.

IWoFkWX.jpg


The kit contains:
(2) 500K RS Short-Shaft SuperPots®
(2) 500K CTS Short-Shaft Audio taper pots
(1) Vintage RS GuitarCap Paper In Oil .022
(1) Vintage RS GuitarCap Paper In Oil .015 (This is the same GuitarCap as above, just in .015 microfarad. This is best used for the neck tone control, according to the distributor)
 

ununtrium

Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Messages
150
While waiting for things to start, I have been busy and sent my vintage P90s to Andreas Kloppmann, another miracle worker who is especially proficient in restoring vintage pick-ups as well as producing his own line of boutique pick-ups.

Because the P90s had been lying around for a decade, I asked him to check them out and to make sure that they are in working condition, which they, fortunately, still are :salude He was also very kind in providing me with aged pick-up covers. In addition, he told me a lot about vintage P90s and their tonal characteristics, which helped me understand and appreciate the ones I have all the more. :jim

EDxr5tV.jpg


9ORf730.jpg


pzNXANK.jpg


...and here are the aged pick-up covers:

2cM3HLp.jpg


Cheers everyone!
 

Hamerfan

Active member
Joined
Dec 20, 2004
Messages
791

What did Kloppmann say about the brass plates?

Its very sad to see vintages pickups with unplated brass plates. The original dog ears can easily converted to soap bar. You just need a rubber grommet for the bigger hole, two small holes and cut off the tabs.

If the hookup wires are both black and the phillips bottom screws are original and the magnets are long, your pickups were made between 1957 and 1962 - with short magnets between 1962 and 1965.
 
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ununtrium

Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Messages
150
I completely understand your concerns. When I received the pick-ups I was surprised to see the brass plates, but figured they were there for good reason. I never gave it a serious second thought.

Well, they may not be pleasing to the eye, but Mr. Kloppmann assured me that they both are fully functional and do what they are supposed to do. According to the expert, they should sound like any other vintage P90s. The bottom plates being what they are and looking the way they do, should have no discernable impact on how the pick-ups sound. YMMV, but that is good enough for me.

I never took the magnets out to check whether they are the long or the short ones. I do remember, however, buying them from Kim as P90s from the ´50s and I have never had any reason to doubt that I was sent anything other than what I've bought. Again, Kim's professional expertise was and still is good enough for me there.

It will be much more interesting to me, whether they will be pleasing to my ears, when they are installed together with the new pots and caps. That is the one essential aspect for me.

That is also why I will definitely hold on to the stock P90s that came with the guitar, as well as the modern electronics kit. That combination sounded excellent and may be an interesting tone alternative to come back to in the future.
 

ununtrium

Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Messages
150
A new day, new pictures!

Here is the guitar with all the bits and pieces removed...now there is only the finish between us and its natural beauty :)

Ah6mzQO.jpg


Here is the headstock. The 'Gibson' will be moved to its vintage correct position.

yoKcOlK.jpg


Here are the stock inlays which have the rounded corners and wrong pattern which both are typical of mid-90s historics. You can also see how I did NOT take proper care of the Indian Rosewood fretboard. I should have cleaned it properly before sending it to Florian... Sloppy me! :dang

7uAgCnr.jpg


At least the inlay material was correct...

Cheers, everyone!
 
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P.A.F

Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2016
Messages
78
is it me or the binding on your guitar is bigger than vintage les pauls and current historics?
 

Steve Craw

Formerly Lefty Elmo
Joined
Sep 9, 2004
Messages
5,294
The binding got thinner a few years ago in an effort to make the guitars more vintage-correct.
 

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,349
The binding got thinner a few years ago in an effort to make the guitars more vintage-correct.

Yeah, they went from ABS to the original celluloid.
Yeah, the brass plates kinda bother me. You can buy two original style bottom plates from ThroBak!. The plates should always be Tin plated Brass.
 

fakejake

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
1,274
Interesting, why are the inlays removed if the guitar gets a new fretboard anyway?
 
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