1968 Les Paul Custom -- Which One Looks Original?

[Wilko]

Learn something new all the time!

I had several 68 standards, ever a Custom. Good to know that Pre-T's made it into some. 68 Customs are the best version of the LPC. Maple cap body!

 

[Jumping@Shadows]

Learn something new all the time!

I had several 68 standards, ever a Custom. Good to know that Pre-T's made it into some. 68 Customs are the best version of the LPC. Maple cap body!

Absolutely agree! I started writing a mini thesis why the early ‘68 LPC should be even more desirable as there is no vintage Gibson made Les Paul that’s closer to the ‘58-‘60 Burst in the most fundamental ways than this.
The woods are ‘50s correct, body dimensions are bang on, top carve, neck shape, glues, Centre seam maple cap etc, early spec PAT NO pickups, short seam ‘50s tailpiece, rolled plastics etc- it’s really only the slightly reduced headstock pitch, closer to 1960 neck set angle and LPC cosmetics that’s significantly different.
Observed with a luthiers eye, while one costs $250k+ and the other $20k, and all ‘Gibson made’ at Kalamazoo the differences are negligible!
I’ve had many early ‘68 Les Pauls and with ‘50s P90s in the Goldtops and a refret on the LPC, they’re every bit as good as ‘50s imho.

 

[jb_abides]

I’ve had many early ‘68 Les Pauls and with ‘50s P90s in the Goldtops and a refret on the LPC, they’re every bit as good as ‘50s imho.

I've seen very few 68-69 lefty; of course, there are several 68 LPC reissues.

Here's a 69 for sale -- a bit of a raggedy mutt. 892xxx series serial, transitional. Proper lack of dotted 'I'. Lacks a cavity shot although the electronics have been modified, "era-correct T-Tops." Been marked down recently.

Gibson Les Paul Custom 1969 Black | Reverb

1969 according to fellow reverb member..not ‘68 Incredible player with original frets in great shape. Sounds fantastic. Guitar lost most of its original gold hardware along the way. There are era correct T-Top with chrome pole pieces. The wire harness is original and so is the switch an...

reverb.com

 

[Wilko]

Absolutely agree!

I found this forum when I heard a couple vintage Les Pauls and was bitten by the tone bug. I knew what separated the vintage Les Paul from the average Norlin. A '57 goldtop in player condition would be 25k in 2001 when I started. I learned about the 1968 and never looked back. I quickly found a 1968 goldtop for 3k and a pair of PAFs for 2k.
See my history here at the forum, specially related to the 1968 Les Paul.

 

[Bruce R]

I found this forum when I heard a couple vintage Les Pauls and was bitten by the tone bug. I knew what separated the vintage Les Paul from the average Norlin. A '57 goldtop in player condition would be 25k in 2001 when I started. I learned about the 1968 and never looked back. I quickly found a 1968 goldtop for 3k and a pair of PAFs for 2k.
See my history here at the forum, specially related to the 1968 Les Paul.

I just love the way the reflector top knobs look on a Custom. I had them on my 69 for years.

 

[jb_abides]

I quickly found a 1968 goldtop for 3k and a pair of PAFs for 2k.

Curious: what became of the originals: sell to fund, keep just in case, or...?

 

[Wilko]

Curious: what became of the originals: sell to fund, keep just in case, or...?

sold two to fund a 1956 (PAFs went into that guitar) that is well documented here. One was traded for a '65 ES-335. One was sold to pay for a 1962 L-4c

 

[Wilko]

Here's the first one I bought. The only guitar I really regret selling: https://www.lespaulforum.com/index.php?threads/amazing-relic-job-not-for-the-faint-of-heart.162111/

Here's the second one I bought: https://www.lespaulforum.com/index.php?threads/cdaughtry-did-you-own-this-guitar.146785/

Here's the '56 I got with the money from the sale of two 68's:

1956 to 1959 coversion process

Here's a consolidated thread that will cover the work that I'm doing (or having done) to the 1956 Les Paul that I got on eBay a couple months back. When I got it, it looked like this--on the right: Bridge and tailpiece holes are all fine. The woods sounds real good. The neck was sanded pretty...

www.lespaulforum.com

 

[jb_abides]

Given folks removed Original Early T/T-Tops and replace with Original PAFs in these all mahogany late-sixties Customs...

Would you remove them and replace with their favorite well-matched boutique PAF clones?

 

[Wilko]

Given folks removed Original Early T/T-Tops and replace with Original PAFs in these all mahogany late-sixties Customs...

Would you remove them and replace with their favorite well-matched boutique PAF clones?

Late 60s customs are the first with maple caps. NOT solid mahoangy like 50s customs. See Mick Ronson!

I like the T-Tops, but higher output is nice. Early PAFs would be great.

 

[jb_abides]

Late 60s customs are the first with maple caps. NOT solid mahoangy like 50s customs. See Mick Ronson!

I like the T-Tops, but higher output is nice. Early PAFs would be great.

Right, my bad, super brain fart... I was doing concurrent research on a 56 Staple!