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Single cut Les Paul Jr - new pickguard!

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 12:37 am
by mynameisjonas
Many years ago I owned a 70s Arbiter single cut Les Paul jr copy (made in Japan I assume), which I for some mysterious reason decided to sell, even though it was a great guitar, and it had cost me almost nothing (and I got almost nothing for it). I've been thinking about that guitar a lot lately, and I've been overcome with GAS. Especially since I have a project where a simple rock machine like that would be perfect.

Vintage and custom shop Gibson are out of my budget (which is somewhere around $500-900), and I've been pretty uninspired by the cheaper made in USA versions I've tried ('faded' and whatnot), plus I'd really prefer sunburst one.

I've been looking at the Tokai LSJ-80 and the Japanese Epiphone LQ version (which might be the strongest contender right now). Are there any other ones I should be looking out for?

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 2:13 am
by oid
If in the style of is close enough there are the way fun old Silvertone Jupiter/1420/23 sorts.

I would probably go with the Epiphone if I wanted a more proper Jr, they are fun guitars!

Beat to hell old single cut Melody Makers can still be found in that price range.

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 3:37 am
by StevenO
How about the Univox Les Paul Junior? I've never played one, but they look pretty decent!

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 4:19 am
by shadowplay
What about an old (80's) Gordon Smith? You'd most likely have to put in a bucker size P90 because that's how they came and the double cuts (like the one Robin Guthrie had in the early 80's) are more common but I bet you could get one with patience well within your budget.

I've always quite liked how 'no image whatsoever' the more basic GS's were.

D

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 7:18 am
by mynameisjonas
oid wrote:
Tue Dec 04, 2018 2:13 am
If in the style of is close enough there are the way fun old Silvertone Jupiter/1420/23 sorts.

I would probably go with the Epiphone if I wanted a more proper Jr, they are fun guitars!

Beat to hell old single cut Melody Makers can still be found in that price range.
Yeah, I'm pretty set on a 'proper' Jr, but I've always had a soft spot for Melody Makers. And I actually preferred the LP style Melody Maker from around 2010 over the LP Jr from the same time. All the ones I played just seemed more well put together than the faded Jrs and Specials.

StevenO wrote:
Tue Dec 04, 2018 3:37 am
How about the Univox Les Paul Junior? I've never played one, but they look pretty decent!
Didn't realize that they had a LP jr model, but it does look interesting (I can only find the DC model right now though). I suspect that they'd be very similar to my old Arbiter, possibly even made in the same factory? I'll have to do some digging...

shadowplay wrote:
Tue Dec 04, 2018 4:19 am
What about an old (80's) Gordon Smith? You'd most likely have to put in a bucker size P90 because that's how they came and the double cuts (like the one Robin Guthrie had in the early 80's) are more common but I bet you could get one with patience well within your budget.

I've always quite liked how 'no image whatsoever' the more basic GS's were.

D
I hadn't heard of Gordon Smith before, thanks for the tip!

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 7:32 am
by thenewromance
I got terrible GAS for a Godin Summit SG P90. It's a 2018 model, and Godin makes great quality for rather small money. It's all made in Canada.

https://godinguitars.com/product/summit ... hg-047123/

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 8:44 am
by NickD
I had a (modern) Gordon Smith that had been custom ordered with vintage Les Paul Jr. specs, including P90. It was a great guitar.

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:13 am
by StevenO
It's possible that Univox only ever made double cuts. I kind of just assumed they made single cuts as well. I know we both like Univox guitars, so I figured I'd mention it! :)

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 2:03 pm
by Paul-T
Gordon Smith are great; and they're real, not copies. They do come up now and then second hand, although the single cut are rarer, and are great value, eg:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instru ... 1294266487

In the UK there was also a realy good arbiter copy but they mostly seem to be double cutaway. I agree that the single cuts are better guitars; just a bit more solid and chunky.

I don't know how they play, but there are some good looking recent Gibson single cut melody makers. I have an old one that I love, although I'm still trying to get a P90; just received a Novak that fits in the original cover, although I wonder if the Lollar is the way to go

Image

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:59 pm
by mynameisjonas
Man, that's a great collection of guitars :-* :?
Paul-T wrote:
Tue Dec 04, 2018 2:03 pm
I don't know how they play, but there are some good looking recent Gibson single cut melody makers.
This guy sure seems to enjoy his (bit of an understatement ;D ), and it looks cool with the P90s. I like the type of sunburst they did on these, much nicer than the sunburst Juniors (apart from the CS ones).

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 1:23 am
by UlricvonCatalyst
Would you consider the Trevor Wilkinson-designed Vintage brand? The V120s/V130s shown here are cheap, cheerful, and well-made by all accounts. The sonic blue V120 looks nicer than the sunburst one to me. Plenty to be had 2nd-hand for even less money, I'd assume, maybe in other finishes and variations on the same theme.

That said, a Gordon Smith is a great idea too, though their finishes are generally pretty uninspiring.

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 2:26 am
by mynameisjonas
I saw those yesterday, but there's something about the shape that bothers me. I've played a couple of Vintage guitars before, they were pretty decent guitars. They seem to have changed the shapes of their SG models though, they used to be more faithful to the real deal (C&D-letter from Gibson perhaps). So maybe the older Jrs are more correct too. I'll have to investigate.

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 6:35 am
by marqueemoon
The AXL Bulldog looks interesting, but I’ve never tried one.

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2018 12:38 pm
by Fiddy
What about an MIJ Epiphone?

Not sure they have sunburst but they are very good guitars.

Re: Single cut Les Paul Jr copies?

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2018 11:38 pm
by mynameisjonas
They do come in sunburst, and I actually mentioned in the OP that they're at the top of my list :)

Image

Unfortunately they don't seem to pop up very often :(