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First 50s Les Paul?

aladdinsane

Active member
Joined
Feb 25, 2004
Messages
156
Considering trying to get my first 50s LP. I have 68s, but no 50s. Thinking about a refin BB alnico custom or a 52-53 goldtop. They seem to be in the same ballpark. I've always wanted a 50s custom. Anyone have any thoughts? Better to always get something with no refin/mods, regardless? Or better to try for your #1 with issues?
 

DutchRay

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2015
Messages
880
Mine has issues, so what, it's a great guitar and it's what I can afford. It has been my number one since I got it!

goldtop55.jpeg
 

aladdinsane

Active member
Joined
Feb 25, 2004
Messages
156
I bet it's amazing. I'm looking at an original 52 with the case and a refin alnico custom (new case) right now. My number 1 is a 50s alnico custom, but it's a refin. The non-mod originals are just out of my reach now.
 

VamboRool

Active member
Joined
Nov 25, 2015
Messages
424
If you get a 52/53 with the trap tail piece you might want to consider getting one of the new replacement tail pieces. Get the best one you can and I think you'll be happy.
 
C

ckouba

Guest
"With issues" is the only way I could afford a real 50's, and this is the one I found:

ZRSqP8r9J5_lD58aPjH2C-ZHjYAjrN4WG2jXuFkETRkc6zDon86ceEXLpbTB731F0j48-kf66tgpYRZ3pEgZ9Ea8r6rRwIr1HnGsZ_dBrfG8qJdtDl8GrhKiBghrg9vCweNXrlDzmVsg1HtwVRtVu5g66YNCNGN5J1_JXBMi5pn87WQF3pUrbUVc5QhOeTeANFHsnkZW6bC1W1ewnSr0emEWyh2py5wK3Z16AWutToMoOiQEJzbin1Xwt_OMgZCfVAk0xUHROw1PWz1Da1G8LKHUzOrP5546j1P3FZznrqxZqaxiZLbtxaJw-xg4sEWSc7wTJF-pYKhG4iZ-YcgcQA6kwhL_cSc0ps2DmOpMPB4pchO0R5AH-9AEDVpmziega6qP1aWZvixOUR2c1wdKH0goBD0-tXmVQAHhTyBoSbCZT7GR0y1JGnYSdIL8OGaj48gi-lruwCnDskmUc77t1YBx-0gnoHRr4zeT23ZOEFy7MLp7_-5cAWOaWVb6bpbqMPAO0yZ9tEX4lei6qfewu5-2JoHaaoZAczCXdoTKj-e7mcG6nZtiHLxN1NDnAKqJKRkFzsmKJZ5N5jQsVFw4ZtptDtp4GAgezhCjgwVYB6CMv8c8fDP0vGgBaBfiA07-D5thTAydrj-ialEnws4tiL4kZLHUbTEPN8MBZYBtoJkKZT7YXVuxri2ChKkv9_dXhJKg4JQmZgEfrpDds7DpV1UTUw=w528-h937-no


I posted about it here when I got it. I love it. It's beat down enough to be in my budget range and worked over enough to be imminently more capable than me. Plays fantastic, sounds fantastic. I couldn't be happier.

When looking, my criteria were 1) budget, 2) play/feel and sound (equal), 3) everything else. Refin didn't matter to me but I preferred a crack/break-free example over a repaired one. A repaired one might have been more in my budget but it also clouds the valuation. I was lucky enough to find this one without such issues, although plenty of other things have been replaced- as in, this could be viewed as a repair and it clearly impacted its valuation. In the end, I wasn't buying it for an investment though. I wanted it to play it, and the most enjoyable thing is it plays well and I am not afraid to take it out and use it. It was my perfect storm (location, budget, condition, specs), so I jumped on it.

Chris
 
I

irishbog

Guest
50s Les Pauls
Here are the 50/ Les Paul’s I had last year.
All gone now :(
The 52 had been converted to 56 specs.
The 55 Custom had some kind of headstock repair and neck refin.
Great guitars but I became a Fender convert so swapped them for 50s Fenders
 

aladdinsane

Active member
Joined
Feb 25, 2004
Messages
156
"With issues" is the only way I could afford a real 50's, and this is the one I found:

ZRSqP8r9J5_lD58aPjH2C-ZHjYAjrN4WG2jXuFkETRkc6zDon86ceEXLpbTB731F0j48-kf66tgpYRZ3pEgZ9Ea8r6rRwIr1HnGsZ_dBrfG8qJdtDl8GrhKiBghrg9vCweNXrlDzmVsg1HtwVRtVu5g66YNCNGN5J1_JXBMi5pn87WQF3pUrbUVc5QhOeTeANFHsnkZW6bC1W1ewnSr0emEWyh2py5wK3Z16AWutToMoOiQEJzbin1Xwt_OMgZCfVAk0xUHROw1PWz1Da1G8LKHUzOrP5546j1P3FZznrqxZqaxiZLbtxaJw-xg4sEWSc7wTJF-pYKhG4iZ-YcgcQA6kwhL_cSc0ps2DmOpMPB4pchO0R5AH-9AEDVpmziega6qP1aWZvixOUR2c1wdKH0goBD0-tXmVQAHhTyBoSbCZT7GR0y1JGnYSdIL8OGaj48gi-lruwCnDskmUc77t1YBx-0gnoHRr4zeT23ZOEFy7MLp7_-5cAWOaWVb6bpbqMPAO0yZ9tEX4lei6qfewu5-2JoHaaoZAczCXdoTKj-e7mcG6nZtiHLxN1NDnAKqJKRkFzsmKJZ5N5jQsVFw4ZtptDtp4GAgezhCjgwVYB6CMv8c8fDP0vGgBaBfiA07-D5thTAydrj-ialEnws4tiL4kZLHUbTEPN8MBZYBtoJkKZT7YXVuxri2ChKkv9_dXhJKg4JQmZgEfrpDds7DpV1UTUw=w528-h937-no


I posted about it here when I got it. I love it. It's beat down enough to be in my budget range and worked over enough to be imminently more capable than me. Plays fantastic, sounds fantastic. I couldn't be happier.

When looking, my criteria were 1) budget, 2) play/feel and sound (equal), 3) everything else. Refin didn't matter to me but I preferred a crack/break-free example over a repaired one. A repaired one might have been more in my budget but it also clouds the valuation. I was lucky enough to find this one without such issues, although plenty of other things have been replaced- as in, this could be viewed as a repair and it clearly impacted its valuation. In the end, I wasn't buying it for an investment though. I wanted it to play it, and the most enjoyable thing is it plays well and I am not afraid to take it out and use it. It was my perfect storm (location, budget, condition, specs), so I jumped on it.

Chris
Looks amazing. Are those Firebird minihums? What year is yours?
 

dwagar

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
4,503
You have to decide if you want an investment piece, or a player. No way I could afford investment quality, so I went for players.

I didn't even think about player guitars until I discovered there was such a thing on this forum. Over the years I've found 2.

The '53 needed a refinish and had been routed in the top for an ABR1 bridge with a shortened trap. I converted it back to a normal trap with a Mojoaxe bridge to compensate for the neck angle.

The '57 Special had a broken headstock and a horrible finish. Greg Platzer put it back together and finished it for me.

(The only pic I found with both also has my '64 ES330. It is stock except for the tuners that were changed on it when I bought it in '69)

full
 

aladdinsane

Active member
Joined
Feb 25, 2004
Messages
156
You have to decide if you want an investment piece, or a player. No way I could afford investment quality, so I went for players.

I didn't even think about player guitars until I discovered there was such a thing on this forum. Over the years I've found 2.

The '53 needed a refinish and had been routed in the top for an ABR1 bridge with a shortened trap. I converted it back to a normal trap with a Mojoaxe bridge to compensate for the neck angle.

The '57 Special had a broken headstock and a horrible finish. Greg Platzer put it back together and finished it for me.

(The only pic I found with both also has my '64 ES330. It is stock except for the tuners that were changed on it when I bought it in '69)

full
Wow. How's the goldtop with the mojoaxe? That's what I would get.

My dilemma is that you can probably get a pretty stock 52 or 53 for the same price as a refin alnico custom. And both would be amazing to have.
 

dwagar

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
4,503
The Mojoaxe is perfect, gets the action down to where I like it. And intonation is good.
 
C

ckouba

Guest
Looks amazing. Are those Firebird minihums? What year is yours?
Thanks!! They are Chandler mini hums. Not sure if they were designed for a specific application though. They are fantastic.

The guitar itself is a '52.
 

CptZar

Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2016
Messages
76
Considering trying to get my first 50s LP. I have 68s, but no 50s. Thinking about a refin BB alnico custom or a 52-53 goldtop. They seem to be in the same ballpark. I've always wanted a 50s custom. Anyone have any thoughts? Better to always get something with no refin/mods, regardless? Or better to try for your #1 with issues?
 

aladdinsane

Active member
Joined
Feb 25, 2004
Messages
156
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