Ed Driscoll
Les Paul Forum Member
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2002
- Messages
- 4,743
Ever since I started playing guitar in 1982 and started learning the history of Fender and Gibson, I’ve always loved the looks of a TV Yellow Les Paul Special, and enjoyed reading the multiple and occasionally conflicting stories about the origins of the color at Gibson. (Was the color selected to not blowout a black and white TV camera? Is it the same shade as a popular line of TV cabinets in the 1950s? Was it designed to compete against the blonde Fender Telecaster as a beginner’s guitar choice? Did Les Paul ask for the color to promote the guitar on his TV series with Mary Ford? Yes/No/Maybe to all of the above!)
In any case, this is a model I recently purchased from Sweetwater. It’s the basic Gibson made in the US model, not their high-end Custom Shop version, and weighs eight pounds, one ounce, making it possibly the lightest Les Paul I’ve ever owned. I asked Sweetwater to replace the factory tuners with locking Grovers, and to add the ‘50s era Gibson “finger slicer” knob pointers, which my other Les Pauls have, to make it easy to write down volume and tone settings when recording. After these photos were taken, I replaced the strap pegs with Schallers, compatible with their locking strap holders. It plays and sounds great, and I have finally have a P-90 equipped guitar, to boot.
Replacement locking Grovers:
Thumbwheels to lock tuners:
Nice selection of case candy for a non-Historic LP:
In any case, this is a model I recently purchased from Sweetwater. It’s the basic Gibson made in the US model, not their high-end Custom Shop version, and weighs eight pounds, one ounce, making it possibly the lightest Les Paul I’ve ever owned. I asked Sweetwater to replace the factory tuners with locking Grovers, and to add the ‘50s era Gibson “finger slicer” knob pointers, which my other Les Pauls have, to make it easy to write down volume and tone settings when recording. After these photos were taken, I replaced the strap pegs with Schallers, compatible with their locking strap holders. It plays and sounds great, and I have finally have a P-90 equipped guitar, to boot.
Replacement locking Grovers:
Thumbwheels to lock tuners:
Nice selection of case candy for a non-Historic LP:
