lespaul57
keep the music in your ear and the wind in your hair *****

All you have to do is  google search on 70's Les Pauls and its all there in black and white.

Sorry every time I answer your questions it's not what you want to hear.  Like I said already I should just keep my mouth shut, because NOTHING I say will ever be right where you are concerned.

How is it a lowly bluesman like me told you a year ago your intonation was out I was wrong.

You finally decide to get it fixed and this "expert" tells you a saddle is bent (next to impossible) probably worn (that would definitely make the intonation be out), and he is the all knowledgeable one.

I've been doing full setups on my guitars probably longer than you have been playing, everything except refretting, so I think I do have a bit of knowledge in the field.

 Like the old saying goes "A fool and his money are soon parted"

As far as the "after all it is a Gibson, the real deal, not a wanna be" then why is the general concensus of most players that Gibsons are way overpriced, and their sales have fallen off dramatically over the last few years. The quality control at Gibson has been a major issue for a number of years AGAIN,and it is a well known fact.  

The Gibson name is nothing more than a label on a headstock, the company is owned by a former investment banker and a friend of his. They bought it in 1986 from  Ecuadorian owner, ECL Industries, which also made concrete and beer, for $5 million dollars.

 Gibson has become a mega conglomerate buying up other musical manufacturers going bankrupt like Baldwin pianos, Slingerland drums, Epiphone guitars and amps, Wurlitzer keyboards and jukeboxes, and others.

Unless you are willing to shell out $4,500.00 plus to get a "historic edition" Les Paul with the correct neck joint you get a half a$$ed "rocking chair neck joint". Gibson themselves produced a video of explaining the difference to justify the cost of the historic edition. Why not just make the correct neck joint on the guitars that they have the balls to charge people $2,000.00 + for.

If you don't believe me I will find the link to the video and post it, you can see it for yourself.

Les Paul himself doesn't even play an archtop Les Paul here he is playing the "real" Les paul as it was intended to be.

Liqour drinkin' dope smokin' mother ****in' Bluesman.

www.billchristyproject.com

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"I love it when people get it wrong, I said I was into porn again, not born again." - Billy Idol

Based on what others have said it sounds to me like your axe wouldn't make a good investment piece, if that's why you were buying it/spending money on it.  If you're like me and buy them to play them, then the one that puts the biggest smile on your face is the one that's worth the most, regardless of it's monetary value.  Only you can decide whether or not it's worth the money to make it play better.  $500 does sound like an awful lot to me for a fret job, so look around.  Get a 2nd opinion if you can. 

Be careful, though.  If your luthier is looking down his nose at your guitar because it is the wrong year, or the wrong type, or whatever, he may not take the same care he would otherwise.  I've already confessed my undying affection for a $400 mid-70s yamaha that I bought years ago.  When the money is there, it's getting re-fretted.  There is one guy in my town who does good work, but I won't be taking it to him.  He'd take an old Fender or a Gibby quite seriously, but would probably only do a half assed job on something lesser.

That's my 2 cents.  I'll stop in again next time I feel I'm not getting enough drama at home

SG


Hey - Where are we going?  And why am I in this handbasket?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Gibson-Les-Paul-Recording-Guitar_W0QQitemZ200096567001QQihZ010QQcategoryZ33040QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If you read the spec, it's a pretty cool instrument, with some really interesting features.  I'm not sure what kind of pickups it had, but from what I've read, it was more given "bell-like" tones than the usual lp growl. I also read that the p/us were designed by some people who went on to start EMG, which, judging by the covers, isn't necessarily surprising.  The pickup mounts are also very telecaster-ish, something that no doubt pissed off the gibson faithful.

That said, the looks take some getting used to.

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"I love it when people get it wrong, I said I was into porn again, not born again." - Billy Idol

Great pictures. My understanding of the LP recording model came direct from Les Paul himself when I met him in 2004 and again in 2005. The guitar was based on a number of his earlier ideas incorporated all into one, supposedly there are 12 different combinations with all the switches and Les swears there are but many others say you can really only distinguish between 3 -5 at the most. But I sure as heck was not about to question the inventor. The pickups were his design as well according to him, although many disagree about his involvement.

I think the whole truth revolves around two men with huge egos Les Paul ( although with all his inventions including multi track recording, he has every right to his ego), and the late Ted McCarthy (former President of Gibson in it's heyday 50s and 60s.) Les claims the true Les Paul model was like the TVs slab mahogany body with no arch top. The arch top was done by Gibson themselves.  When the SG first came out with the Les Paul name on it in 1962, Les threatened to pull his name from Gibson completely (he never said they could use his name for any other model) that is why the name was changed to what it currently is "SG"

The 70's Les Paul went through a number of changes that were not approved by Les either, like multi piece mahogany bodies and multi piece maple necks. They also fist began to use non maple for the carved top with a veneer of maple as the final top wood. It was during this time frame that they really strayed the furthest away from the original Les Paul idea more than any other era, and were "boat anchors" to boot weighing in usually around 9+ pounds.  

FYI : There are less than 50 1962 SGs with the Les Paul name on them and they are coveted by collectors and fetch a pretty hefty price of $50,000.+

 

Liqour drinkin' dope smokin' mother ****in' Bluesman.

www.billchristyproject.com

lespaul57
keep the music in your ear and the wind in your hair *****