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Show Us Your Goldtops ('52 - '60)

blewsbreaker

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2003
Messages
1,118
Then there's always this. :rolleyes

DSCN9887.JPG




:hee
:dude:
Do you have more pics of this one Tom? Brushed PU covers right?
 

blewsbreaker

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2003
Messages
1,118
Maaaan...that GT is clean and has shiny PUs. Thought mine was clean, early SS PU covers and some oxidation of nickel make mine look used in comparison:

FF82EF16_zpsef73053a.jpg

Nah, yours is crazy clean...Original frets right? I've been 50/50 lately on refretting mine with slightly higher frets...:hmm
 
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tooold

Active member
Joined
Jul 31, 2006
Messages
2,071
I've been hesitant about getting mine on this thread, but what the hell. It's the guitar in my avatar, but it's changed a bit… :jim

It's a '55, refin by Gord Miller. Renecked as well, with old Honduran mahogany, original fingerboard, inlays and binding. All the parts are original, and the P90's are just amazing. Having a stop-tail gold top has been a dream of mine for a long time, and I could do this one only because of the refin and re-neck.

I've gone Bigsby crazy over the past couple of years; forum member bigsby'd helped me out by making a new one look old with the right screws and other details (thanks, Jonathan!) I was a little nervous about putting a Bigsby on it, but it really works for my style of playing and I don't regret it (although drilling the first hole was a little intense). Obviously, if it was a no-issues '55, I wouldn't have touched it, but this guitar had enough "wrong" with it, so I took the plunge.

The bridge is from the guys at Tru-Arc. They mostly do stuff for Gretsches. The original Bigsby bridge didn't give me any room for height adjustment, so Tim at Tru-Arc made this one for me, which allows me not only to have thumbwheels, but to use them, so it really helped with getting the action set up right. Good people to deal with, and their work is really nice.

Anyway, here are a couple of photos in the studio with its best friend, a '53 Super. You can see a bit of the nice top carve in the close-up.

LPGT1s_zpsea686d51.jpg


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tooold

Active member
Joined
Jul 31, 2006
Messages
2,071
Thanks, guys! Jonathan, I'm sorry it took so long. Saw a couple of other goldtops in this thread with renecks and refins, so I figured mine would be OK, too.

Jonathan hooked me up with a couple of other Bigsby's, as well. Great guy.
 

Three13

Member
Joined
May 7, 2011
Messages
852
Tooold - I love that guitar... I posted my recent '53/'57 conversion a little while ago, but it seems like it would be in great company here...

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tooold

Active member
Joined
Jul 31, 2006
Messages
2,071
Three13, looks like we think along the same lines… and I bet you understand the bridge problem - can you get your action low enough?

Such cool guitars in this thread.
 

57gold

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Joined
Jan 14, 2005
Messages
700
Nah, yours is crazy clean...Original frets right? I've been 50/50 lately on refretting mine with slightly higher frets...:hmm

100% stock, original frets. Kinda used to lower frets from playing vintage and acoustic instruments.

Was at bud's yesterday who had some new, custom Strats with high frets, had trouble playing the guitars.
 

Three13

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Joined
May 7, 2011
Messages
852
I wish that I could find a fixed arm bigsby - they sound soooo good to me...
 
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Three13

Member
Joined
May 7, 2011
Messages
852
Three13, looks like we think along the same lines… and I bet you understand the bridge problem - can you get your action low enough?

Such cool guitars in this thread.

Looks like bigsbys are taking over this page! I ended up using a callaham abr-1 that he shaved down for me. It was EXACTLY the right height - a tiny bit of room with a '63 style domed thumbwheel that lets the bridge rock just a little (a Larry Cragg trick)...
 
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maxwedge

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2010
Messages
674
This guitar is posted earlier in this thread, and this photo is posted elsewhere on this forum, but you know what? I'm day-drunk....so here it is again:
DSC_0004_zps53384413.jpg


'52 ....here to share the love with all the other Bigsbyfied goldtops, and also, old-fashioneds for lunch.
Yeah baby! Where can I get a red Bigs!:2cool
 
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