It followed me home

[Kap'n]

Pulled the trigger on a ebony Les Paul Standard today.

Pix in the next day or so.....

[blackonblack]

Congrats

[Don]

I usually like transparent finishes on my guitars, but there's something about an ebony Les Paul that I really like.
It really shows the carve of the top and I like the way the cream binding looks.

On the other hand, buying a Les Paul is heading down a dangerous path!
I play my Les Paul 80-90% of the time now. In fact, I pretty much just use my Les Paul and my Strat unless I'm trying to get a special sound.
My USACG T-Style, ES-135 and PRS Soapbar Don't get much use at all these days.

[ziess]

Congrats man! I hope that works out well for you.
I had a similar incident where a Gretsch followed me home the other day...

[Kap'n]

I usually like transparent finishes on my guitars, but there's something about an ebony Les Paul that I really like.
It really shows the carve of the top and I like the way the cream binding looks.

Yep. I dig the black of a custom, but I don't like the big headstock, black guard, block inlays. I also think multilayer binding looks better on a transparent finish.

Besides anything Neil Young and Jeff Beck have in common can't be all bad.




Yeah, I know Jeff's is "oxblood."

[NeoFauve]

I love black LP's.

My first electric was Black LP Custom.

Of course, it had a bolt-on neck, imitation humbuckers that you could disassemble by removing the covers, and it was made by Memphis.

But for a few years there, it was a Les Paul, as far as I was concerned.

[Don]

Of course, it had a bolt-on neck, imitation humbuckers that you could disassemble by removing the covers, and it was made by Memphis.

I wonder how many of us ruined perfectly sucky pickups by trying to take the covers off and ended up with a disassembled copper furball?

[NeoFauve]

I wonder how many of us ruined perfectly sucky pickups by trying to take the covers off and ended up with a disassembled copper furball?

No, no, no.
I didn't ruin them.
I just peaked behind the curtain, and discovered they weren't real HB's.
The 6 screws went through the cover, into a piece of metal bent into a sort of "A" shape. The coil was wound onto a white bobbin and seal/wrapped in tape. Maybe there was a magnet inside there.
Once you took the screws out, the cover came off and you take the coil off of the metal doohickey. I imagine the doohickey and the 6 screws were magnetized by having the coil sitting on it and being all screwed together.
This "discovery" is probably the basis for my vast un-knowledge of pickups and electronics.
I've been lucky in mostly finding stuff that I just liked when I plugged it in. After the Memphis, I didn't go poking around subsequent doohickeys.

[Kap'n]

Nationals and Supros had faux-humbuckers, too.

[NeoFauve]

Nationals and Supros had faux-humbuckers, too.

In other words, my Memphis WAS cool.
???

Congrats on the LP.
I gotta say though, after seeing phtots of you playing the HK Strat, I have trouble imagining you with a Lester.

[Rickenjangle]

I had an Ebony LP Standard, once upon a time. Really classy-looking git-fiddle. Had to sell it. Wish I hadn't.

Lately I've been gas-sing for (in addition to my ever-present GAS for a Gretsh Double Anniversary and an electric 12-string) a white Les Paul with gold HW. I might have to go with an Epiphone if I wanted one---those darn Gibbies are too rich for my blood.

Congrats, Kap'n!

[Kap'n]

Lately I've been gas-sing for (in addition to my ever-present GAS for a Gretsh Double Anniversary and an electric 12-string) a white Les Paul with gold HW. I might have to go with an Epiphone if I wanted one---those darn Gibbies are too rich for my blood.

Yeah, they are a little more expensive, but I was given a great deal, less than one might pay for Classic via mail order.

Believe it or not, this is all part of my plan to shrink my guitar collection. I figure I'm gonna off a couple of instruments shortly, and I'm cleaning house of unused effects, test gear, and PA stuff.

I want to get down to stuff I really use, which is the Strat, the Gretsch, the LP, and one decent acoustic. Basic food groups of instruments. Maybe pick up a good tele at some point, but only if it's really nice.

[Guitar_Mc]

Believe it or not, this is all part of my plan to shrink my guitar collection. I figure I'm gonna off a couple of instruments shortly, and I'm cleaning house of unused effects, test gear, and PA stuff.

I've justified like that myself Kap'n. The GAS won't stop. You might hold it off for 6 months or so, but it'll never stop.

[Kap'n]

The GAS won't stop.

No, it's going to become PAAS, next. And just in time for easter.

[Kap'n]

Here's a pic of the black one, with some old friends:

That's one nasty looking SG there, Fezz. Custom pickguard, too.

[pc]

Cool! Can't wait to see pics.

[Kap'n]

A Million Miles Away.

Love that tune!

Who's holding the SG?

[Don]

Believe it or not, this is all part of my plan to shrink my guitar collection.

I've been shrinking my collection too.

It took several guitars to entertain me while playing alone in my basement.

Now that I get together with some guys once or twice a week, I've find that I only need a Les Paul and a Strat.

I find that I mix and match them in very unconventional ways (to my thinking anyway), only needing the Les Paul for Les Paul type sounds and only needing the Strat for Strat type sounds.
Otherwise I interchange them freely.

The Les Paul has proven to be quite the clean R&B guitar (as well as country and rockabilly).

[Kap'n]

I find that I mix and match them in very unconventional ways (to my thinking anyway), only needing the Les Paul for Les Paul type sounds and only needing the Strat for Strat type sounds.
Otherwise I interchange them freely.

Very true. In a set, I'll find myself compelled to have to change guitars only for a few signiture pices, like The Core or Diz-Knee-Land need to be a strat, and the goofy stadium-rock numbers end up being the other more beefy guitar I have with me.

[Tonedog]

A good LP is a good thing. I've had people frown upon my '71 Custom(Ewww Norlin), until they heard it.

Is it all original, or have you changed the pots? I changed the pots in a Norlin eral LP I had, and did the same in one of my friends and the guitar reallly came to life. Mine came with 300k volume pots and 100k tone pots and sounded like it was stuffed full of wet sox... After I put 500k volume and tone pots with the 50's wiring BAM!! It sounded absolutely fantastic. My friend thought he had gotten a whole new guitar after I re-wired his... Of course on his I took out some EMGs he had installed back in the 80's and put the original pickups back in.

[Kap'n]

OK, here it is.

Please excuse my crappy photog skills.

[pc]

Nice!!!

[Don]

OK, here it is.

Please excuse my crappy photog skills.

That's a beaut!

[Don]

All new pots and 50's wiring. The pickups are just ridiculously good.

Here it is on a GuitarG track: I 10 Alternate Route

It's a baddass guitar.

That's fat as hell! Baddass is an understatement!

I didn't like Les Pauls all that much before installing 500k volume pots and changing the wiring to '50s style.

[MarkL8]

Real nice Kap'n BTW how do you like that Princeton? I just picked up its cousin a Blackface white knob 6g2 and I gotta tell ya it one sweet amp and I still waiting for a speaker (what speaker you got in that?) and caps to bring her back. Playing it in stereo with my 69 Blackline PR is fantastic. Especially with my 335. Enjoy your new guitar its beautiful.

[Kap'n]

MarkL8, I dig the Princeton. I've got a Weber C10Q in it (10F125), and it's good, but sometime I'll probably replace it with a 10A125.

[MarkL8]

I ordered a Jensen P-10Q I know Im in the minority I just dont care for the webers they just dont speak to me.....no pun intended. Thats a fine LP may you get many years of pleasure out of it. I almost got an LP but there was this ES-335 and.....it spoke to me!! well you know the story.

[NeoFauve]

Ooh, mama.

I like it even better leaning on that amp.
I didn't realize you had one of those.

[Gravity Jim]

Schweeeet. It's got the right tuners and everything.

[Kap'n]

Schweeeet. It's got the right tuners and everything.

Jim, I had no idea you paid attention to single vs. double ring Klusons.

Besides, as Wilko knows, tulip knobs really belong on Fenders.

[Rickenjangle]

OK, here it is.

Please excuse my crappy photog skills.

Sweet! It looks just like the one I bought from Chuck at Money Lovers' Shoppe a dozen years ago...and sadly had to sell 10 years ago...congrats.

Fezz, I love the white Rickenbacker in your picture. Are all those guys and gals friends of yours, or stars I just don't recognize?

[Kap'n]

The lefty is Elliott Easton. As Fezz mentioned the guy with the Magnatone is Jimmy Bryant's son.

I don't know the name of the guy with the Rick, but Million Miles Away was a great record by The Plimsouls. I don't know Big Mike D. Maybe I should.

[Don]

Schweeeet. It's got the right tuners and everything.

They started putting the right tuners on them in 2002. Now it's up to you to Grover them (though it's seldom necessary).

[Tonedog]

All new pots and 50's wiring. The pickups are just ridiculously good.

Here it is on a GuitarG track: I 10 Alternate Route

It's a baddass guitar.

It's totally amazing how much gibson robbed the tone in those norlin era guitars by putting the wrong values of pots in them....

500K pots and good caps really wake those guitars up.

Sweet track too!!! That sounds great.

[JAM]

Seriously nice LP Kap'n!

[Kap'n]

Thanks folks.

Got practice tonight. The drummer (and at-home guitarist) is a serious LP fiend. It'll be a good surprise.

[lure555]

Dammit... I gotta play my LP when I get home!
Congrats on the new guitar!

[Kap'n]

Just finished practice.

Oh, man, what a sound. Very big and present without being stupid loud. Plugged into the bandmaster with the Dirty Dan, it was a thing of beauty. I almost forgot the big furry animal a Les Paul can be.

Another thing - I've been using single coils for so long, that I can easily max out on gain before you get wierd sounds. With the LP, I remembered, you can just keep on going, and going... Not that I needed to, the sustain was just perfect, even clean.

As the Travesty, Ltd. folks said, "Cuts through like molten lava through a jungle village."

Did I mention, this thing played well before I did my adjustments. Now, with a minor truss rod tweak and height adjustment, it's the best playing electric I have. That "50's Neck" profile just fits perfectly in my hand.

Obviously, it's not going to replace the strat and Gretsch, but I can easily see dumping all my other electric guitars.

Except the Kitty. Gotta keep that one.

[boobtube21]

I'm jealous Kap'n. That's the same color scheme I've had my eye on for a while.

Gorgeous.

[Don]

I love the smooth rich tone that I get with mine, clean and overdriven.
I didn't really appreciate it until I used it with a band.