I'm back... 56 Les Paul Custom

[GilmourD]

Wait, Mayer plays a knockoff strat. Anyone know the name of any Bonamassa songs?

Didn't Bonamassa just say he finally figured out SGs?

Turns out you have to plug them in the front. Who knew?

[JSett]

Jokes/bullying aside (don't worry, I'm not mad about it ) I did managed to secure that pickup and cover last night. £487.17 including delivery. The only other one I found so far was 650 for the pickup and 160 for the cover, so that's a nice chunk lower (but still galling).





Current total £4508.32

[F15hface]

I saw someone trying to sell a boutique PAF replica for more than that on Facebook the other day so the price of that pickup only seems mildly offensive. Maybe even less offensive than the link to the new Jimmy Page double neck I very almost sent last night.

What’s left to get sorted other than the serial number?

[JSett]

I saw someone trying to sell a boutique PAF replica for more than that on Facebook the other day so the price of that pickup only seems mildly offensive. Maybe even less offensive than the link to the new Jimmy Page double neck I very almost sent last night.

What’s left to get sorted other than the serial number?

I saw that double neck. Utter madness.

Apart from the serial that's it. Unless a cheap enough OG case appears.

[i love sharin foo]

Damn! You are pretty much all the way there! Awesome I know you were on the fence about whether you’d keep it or not… if it were me, I would hold onto it knowing that there would never be an opportunity to get another. But in the back of my mind also be aware of the value and the fact that it’s only going to increase. Some point later in life, if you were in a big financial bind or looking for retirement funds, it would be a considerable windfall. If you were to cash it in now, you’ll lock in that value differential. By deferring it, it’ll only widen more. I’m envious just thinking about that guitar!!

[JSett]

Damn! You are pretty much all the way there! Awesome I know you were on the fence about whether you’d keep it or not… if it were me, I would hold onto it knowing that there would never be an opportunity to get another. But in the back of my mind also be aware of the value and the fact that it’s only going to increase. Some point later in life, if you were in a big financial bind or looking for retirement funds, it would be a considerable windfall. If you were to cash it in now, you’ll lock in that value differential. By deferring it, it’ll only widen more. I’m envious just thinking about that guitar!!

You basically summed up my plan at the moment. As it stands, I love it. It's a joy to play and is wildly different from all my other guitars. It's a shame it sounds so good with the band because I could never gig it. Maybe one day I'll get a reissue

I wish you, any of you in fact, were closer because anyone would be welcome to come and have a go.

I'm envious of your collection Justin. Every 5th 'setup of the day' post from you shows me a fucking cool guitar I forgot you owned (the Bean for instance). You got a lot of yours at the 'right time' really.

[F15hface]

I wish you, any of you in fact, were closer because anyone would be welcome to come and have a go.

I’m hoping you’re getting the serial sorted after I pick up that musicmaster.

[budda12ax7]

congrats......we don't hate you at all....we are happy for you...

[JSett]

I wish you, any of you in fact, were closer because anyone would be welcome to come and have a go.

I’m hoping you’re getting the serial sorted after I pick up that musicmaster.

More than likely. I was potentially going to drop it off this week coming but I think I'm going to wait until the parts have arrived and I've got them all installed so that's the last piece of the puzzle.

[JSett]

March Update:

Most of the parts arrived so I got a massive head start on this. Threading the harness through the cavities was a royal pain in the ass even with a guide wire. It was very tight and theres 5 or 6 braided cables to squeeze through some very small channels. Still, I got it done.

'56 Centralab pots and bumblebees:



'56 Switchcraft output jack, repro NOS celluloid plate:



'56-'57 (impossible to tell) P90





Repro Catalin tip





All that's left is the toggle switch, a gold one is on the way but stuck somewhere in eBay's bizarre e-commerce courier network. For now, the 80's one in there will do fine.

Next stop, serial fix. At some point.

[i love sharin foo]

Top wrapped, too Looks awesome! The pots and caps are perfect. I think I’d be pretty damn content with it now.

How does the correct bridge pickup compare to the ‘60s one?

[JSett]

Top wrapped, too Looks awesome! The pots and caps are perfect. I think I’d be pretty damn content with it now.

How does the correct bridge pickup compare to the ‘60s one?

Yeah, I've tried top and regular wrap and I prefer the feel with it over the top. Main thing now is the serial restoration. The proper switch coming is a quick, easy and small job to do which is only relevant for completionist points.

The correct pickup is weaker than the 68/69 one. I actually probably prefer the later one as it's a bit more ballsy but this one still sounds great. I might keep it in case I ever get another P90 guitar that would benefit from it as it's a fantastic pickup.

[GilmourD]

The correct pickup is weaker than the 68/69 one. I actually probably prefer the later one as it's a bit more ballsy but this one still sounds great. I might keep it in case I ever get another P90 guitar that would benefit from it as it's a fantastic pickup.

Is there any way to move the whole pickup higher and sink the poles a little lower into it?

[JSett]

The correct pickup is weaker than the 68/69 one. I actually probably prefer the later one as it's a bit more ballsy but this one still sounds great. I might keep it in case I ever get another P90 guitar that would benefit from it as it's a fantastic pickup.

Is there any way to move the whole pickup higher and sink the poles a little lower into it?

yeah, just more foam I guess. Doesn't make any real difference apart from aesthetic

*Edit: you made me go back and check the pickup setup and it was a bit too low. I dug out some foam and bumped it up a little. The pickup covers on these are pretty short so there was a limit to how big the whole unit could go. Poles still had to wind out a bit extra though. Sounds much fuller now (no surprise)

[GreenKnee]

Looking really sick! Is the bridge on backwards? Careful with the intonation screw dropping out too!

I love how rough and ready this thing looks