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Posts: 6444
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
Les Paul Gold Top Makeover
After my Strat upgrade comes a Les Paul makeover. I had this cheap copy by 'Vintage' for some years in Spain and I just brought it home, so I decided to replace the real SG I gave to my nephew with a 'tribute' Gibson for myself i.e. a complete fake that will really kick some arse.
It's a very good platform - solid mahogany with a fixed neck and rosewood fingerboard. The action when setup is a dream. Cheap hardware and electrics though.
I found an interesting pickup guy in London who really knows his stuff and I am having some custom P90s made up to my spec. for a very reasonable price compared to Bare Knuckle, so I am giving him a try. Alnico 2s for the neck, 5s at the bridge.
Full rewiring kit is on order (500k pots, jack, period wire, orange drop caps etc.). Meantime, to the cosmetics. First, I had to fix the headstock (library photo of another guitar is the last one below) I found some scale plans on the interwebs, so I used my trusty Dremel and some files to reshape the headstock to an approximation of the old style Gibson pattern.
I'll spray it with black nitro and place the gold effect logo artwork that is on its way. Then a coat of clear to seal. A period nut cover and bone nut plus new Klusons should top it off nicely.
I'm going for an aged look. Not really roadworn or reliced, just old and faded.
Bright work has been cooking in a soup of salt and vinegar to pit and rust a little. A quick jiggle here and there to let them bash against themselves to take the shine off.
Cream plastic parts were steeped in tea and cigarette butt juice overnight to try and yellow them a bit - which worked quite well but may go back for some more.
The top was WAY too sparkly, so using the point of sharp kitchen knife I have scratched some crazing into the varnish to give it a patina. When rubbed down with 600 wet and dry, buffed with black shoe polish and toothpaste it is getting where I want it to be.
If you want, I'll update you on progress. It is my Christmas break project to take my mind off coding and microprocessor design for a while. I trust you find this interesting.
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Posts: 6444
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: Les Paul Gold Top Makeover (in reply to El Kiko)
quote:
interesting project , but sounds smelly when you put it like that..
Try the rotten eggs from the salt and vinegar reacting with the screws - a weak hydrochloric acid solution producing toxic hydrogen sulphide, if I recall my school chemistry.
RE: Les Paul Gold Top Makeover (in reply to Escribano)
You've done a nice job changing the headstock and relic-ing the finish. Simon, it seems you are an artist with many talents. Definitely keep us updated on your progress...
BTW: I think you have guitar acquisition syndrome (GAS).
Posts: 6444
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: Les Paul Gold Top Makeover (in reply to guitarbuddha)
quote:
Hey don't forget the Explorer and Flying V.
Ah, but where to stop? First came the Tele, then the Les Paul then the Strat in reply. That's all I can handle at the moment, although I am hankering after a sunburst or black 335 tribute based on the Epiphone Dot
Posts: 6444
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: Les Paul Gold Top Makeover (update) (in reply to Escribano)
I have nearly finished my Christmas project. A Les Paul homage/tribute/fake. The guitar I always wanted, but couldn't afford. Based on a Vintage V100GT from Korea.
Everything except the body, neck, bridge and tailpiece has been swapped out. Finish has been aged and crackled by hand with a sharp knife. Headstock reshaped, nitrocellulosed black, then a very neat Gibson logo applied, with a clear gloss over the top. Screws and bolts have been rusted and the brightwork pitted as if aged (not worn out through playing).
I also removed some of the horrible polyurethane with wet and dry to let the sound out.
A bone nut, new tuners, pots, capacitors, complete rewire, switch and jacket socket. Period correct speed knobs for an early Les Paul. The only genuine Gibson part is the truss rod cover, which is waiting to be fixed into place.
Now then...... about these pickups. Where do I start?
For all that is holy in the Church of Rock and Roll! They are wailing banshees that will turn milk sour at 100 yards. Switch on the bridge pup and you might as well have unleashed afterburners from an English Electric Lightning jet.
The bridge pup is deep, growling and bluesy but put them together and the Heavens are cleaved aside. I've been around the block with guitars, but these Firewatch pups (£100 from Oil City Pickups) are the Hellhound's dangly bits. Handmade in London with some help from Thor on his day off.
I'll do a sound sample/video that might just be able to demonstrate the effect.
Suffice to say that this light-hearted project has exceeded my expectations many, many times over. Someone will have to struggle through the Devil's forest to try and kill this thing with a silver bullet. It's a monster. Seriously.
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RE: Les Paul Gold Top Makeover (update) (in reply to Escribano)
Very cool guitar ..... fantastic job! Hope you continue to enjoy. I've just bought myself a Gretsch 5120 electromatic,orange,bigsby and very very cool!! Been after one for a while and am over the moon with my purchase. Will take some pics and try and upload soon.
Posts: 6444
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: Les Paul Gold Top Makeover (in reply to Escribano)
The P90s are notoriously noisy i.e. picking up a lot of EMF, but mine were especially so at volume. Then I realised that I had used unscreened cables to the pup switch, so I struggled to get new screened cables through the holes. The original wiring used very thin wire and it is nigh on impossible to enlarge a hole that runs diagonally within the body. Much fiddling with a tapered wood file, drill bits and lubricant, but got there in the end.
I also screened the pup cavities with copper tape and now it is behaving. As quiet as the Strat.
Then it turns out that I had a duff volume pot that started to short circuit everything (a bit too much heat in the re-soldering, I think). Replaced that and now looking to swap out the tone pots to logs as the liners are either dark or bright (oddly at both extremes of rotation).
Still got some other tweaks to go, like raising the bridge pup and getting rid of some fret buzz on the low E. It's a bit of a monster and I really appreciate the handling of a silky Strat after a session with the brute.
RE: Les Paul Gold Top Makeover (in reply to Escribano)
So, what wiring scheme did you use - Gibson modern or the magical Gibson 50's ?
It is an interesting project and the guitar really sound good in your latest Blues Journey video. I'm always switching out pickups in my electric gear trying different makes: Lindy Fralin, Bill Lawrence (R.I.P.), Seymour Duncan, etc. I can't leave well enough alone. Thus, I am always working on a perfectly good electric guitar.
Posts: 6444
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: Les Paul Gold Top Makeover (in reply to SephardRick)
Standard Gibson Les Paul wiring with quality components and screened wire. The Oil City P90s are very powerful and great tone. You should check the guy out, he has lots of different designs and will custom make to your spec.
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