buy it now?? 54 junior

[root]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2511363272&category=33040

Will this guy be happy??

 

[Litcrit]

Pricey but NICE! I don't see how you could go wrong with such a clean piece.

 

[root]

54 junior

Litcrit,
The only thing that looks not so nice is the cracks in the finish by the bass side post.
Kinda normal for the early ones from what I hear. ...not according to Big Al though.
What killed me was the grainy mahogany back - I've never seen it like that. Have you?
root

 

[Litcrit]

I've seen some like that, but that guitar is a really nice example IMHO. I don't tend to go after "museum pieces", I won't play out on guitars that are too clean, and I'm cheap. Budget beaters are my specialty, although from a long range financial perspective, its better to pay more for the clean ones.

 

[refin]

That back is extraordinary!!

 

[BluesForDan]

damn, the bar just got raised some more.

 

[Big Al]

Nice 54. Those cracks show up from abuse. I've seen them from blows to the bridge, attempts at removing studs, and most often from low humidity, where the finsh is cracked from wood shrinkage around the stud anchors. 99% of the time they are only finish cracks from the pickup rout to the stud hole.

What I found not to be comon, and what I replied to, was the reports of studs leaning forward. Most Jrs have low bridge heights and of the 30+ that I had, I never saw a forward leaning post. I haven't seen one on any clean, well maintained Singlecut Jr, unlike the reports of this being comon on early Jrs, it is not the case, from my experience.

 

[DLX1]

My '54 singlecut had the leaning posts. Its now corrected thanks to Dan .

 

[55 Jr.]

Posts on my 55 have a bit of a list.
I followed Dan's repair thread quite closely. If I wasn't so darn poor I would consider correcting them.

For now I can live with them as is.



Regards,

Brian

 

[Michael Adams]

HEY DLX1 is the post about correcting the lean old? what was the general gist?
thanks

 

[DLX1]

I think this is all of them

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32226

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33684

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34005

The guitar now plays better but still not like a '57 Junior.I have to come up with a lower profile bridge for that. I'm going to try and have a metal shop grind one down for me sometime soon.

 

[Michael Adams]

THANKS!!!!!!

 

[Big Al]

Re: I think this is all of them

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32226

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33684

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34005

The guitar now plays better but still not like a '57 Junior.I have to come up with a lower profile bridge for that. I'm going to try and have a metal shop grind one down for me sometime soon.

I hear that!!! Something mystical must have happened in 57. I swear the best ones I had were all made that year! The P90's seem hotter too.

 

[BluesForDan]

Big Al - do you still have any of your Jrs? Got pics?

 

[Litcrit]

The JR Guru is Greg Levy of Hi-Test guitars. He's fun to talk to and what he knows about jrs is scary.

 

[root]

5% lean - factory

Greg Levy says that there was a 5% lean built in/originating from the factory.

 

[root]

1st hand gregg levy pick-up knowledge

To All LP JR enthusiasts,

Gregg Levy - Hi-Test guitars of Norwood NJ - has introduced/educated/inspired me to the delicate nuances of pick up configuratiion/shipment totals/serial #'s/ specification changes/alterations, since I have put my money where my mouth is, as far as, buying an original 55 jr. and not just "prying" about his VAST HANDS ON knowledge of any year issued Les Paul Juniors Jr. since day one of its inception

The guy deserves the utmost respect of time and energy when it comes to his many personal, reliable, hands-on, data base....... and his willfull and enthusiastic answers to questions (when he has the precious time to talk/discuss/debate) regarding issues concerning this primitive GIANT of the 1st generation electric guitar.

root

 

[davey]

Re: Re: I think this is all of them

I hear that!!! Something mystical must have happened in 57. I swear the best ones I had were all made that year! The P90's seem hotter too.

Didn't they change the length of the studs or depth they were sunk in in mid '56? If that's true that's going to change most everything about the tone.

 

[DLX1]

Hey now

I don't mean to imply that my '54 Junior has any apologies to make in the tone dept.It's just that by '57 they had figured out the best neck set angle for PLAYABILITY . Regarding tone this guitar just KILLED a '57 singlecut Jr and a '59 cherry doublecut that i had to choose from on the day of purchase.But the '54 will probably never be able to be setup as sweet as a '57.

 

[root]

4 different types of 57 juniors

1957 juniors

4 different types:

1)early ones were like 56 (not a strong magnet but a lot of windings result in -no bottom end –E and A string weaker

2) –the best w/really strong magnet and 7.5 & 7.6 reading (not a lot of windings)

buttons crumble thru mid 57

3) 8.2 resistence – too weak of a magnet –too many windings

4) In the later part of 57 Gibson started experimenting --- 8.7 has alnico 5 (not dynamic) 8.8 alnico4 (dark)

buttons non-crumble kind from mid 57 to 65

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