Les Paul Prototype Build

underdog

I never understand artificially aged guitars, but that is stunning, mainly because it's one of the few that looks like and old guitar rather than artificially aged. Absolutely gorgeous.

p90fool

I've just come across this thread and will settle down for a good read tomorrow, what an amazing build! 

I had no idea about Les Paul's Dynasonic pickup thing, funnily enough I settled on a slug pole P90 in my #1 gigging guitar some time ago after a few years of experimentation. 

http://i66.tinypic.com/29eizro.jpg

WezV

The dog ear works surprisingly well on that.  I ruled them out quite early on in this build

mistermarshall

Really cool built. Here is another similar old prototype with the sharp cutaway

This one was originally cremona sunburst, the in the seventies refinished in a bright clownburst. The it was amateurish refine with a hand brush and lacquer in natural/blond and is now going to be restored in Cremona sunburst. 

Some changed parts
 originally all rosewood bridge, not ABR1

[URL][IMG]https://www.flickr.com/photos/81251340@N07/shares/43UfuL[IMG][URL]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/81251340@N07/shares/43UfuL
https://www.flickr.com/photos/81251340@N07/shares/y7j925
https://www.flickr.com/photos/81251340@N07/shares/3X9Ain
https://www.flickr.com/photos/81251340@N07/shares/GAxR0x
https://www.flickr.com/photos/81251340@N07/shares/6U93FE
https://www.flickr.com/photos/81251340@N07/shares/4Ny6W9

mistermarshall

How do I get the pics to show directly?

Teyeplayer

mistermarshall said:

How do I get the pics to show directly?

Think you can paste the link in the little drop down on the right as you post your comment.

Wicked looking guitar by the way.

BigMonka

mistermarshall said:

How do I get the pics to show directly?

@mistermarshall there's a how-to here: http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/54248/how-to-post-pics-flickr

Great lookin guitar though, is it yours? What year is it?

mistermarshall

It not mine,yet. But Id hope it will be. 

Year 51-52 How knows? these were prototypes and not supposed to be out, they usually cut them up.

This one has had quite a lot of work done to it over the years.

It was owned by a collector from the 80 to the 90´s and in late 1990 it was going to be restored by a luthier. The owner however past away as the guitar was in the repair shop. Now the owner of the repair shop was selling it, however there have been som legal controversy with the guitar collectors estate so its pretty messed up. So lets see whats happens. They got to settle this...

WezV

Thanks for those pictures - looks like another oddball but it shows shows the design process on the early ones.

There are 2 features that jump out as different between the other 51 proto and the first run 52's (ignoring plates, bridges, tailpieces). 

The heel looks more like a normal les paul, but like they still haven't quite decided on the design we expect to see.  It looks like it will be a  hidden tenon from the front pic, rather than the full width of the other proto.  Looks like it is as deep as the body too, like the proto

the switch cavity is much bigger too, but it has a normal hole - the other proto has no access to the cavity on the back so the switch must drop in from the front,.  First run 52's have some hand drill damage inside this cavity.  It looks like Gibson really struggled to get this bit right and I must admit I got it wrong and had to re-drill on my first les paul too so its nice to see I am in good company

Looks like the shape is still evolving too.  the cutaway is not as extreme as the other proto

It would be great to see more pictures around the neck join to see if this one had  the same carve issues as the first

I suspect that makes it number 2, with the other being number 1.   a few steps closer to the les paul we know and love.  Really interesting pictures.  Its like a missing link!

mistermarshall

These are the pics I got at the moment until the settle their argument. They are low res Screenshots unfortunately. 

This guitar has similar carve as the other one showing maple on either side of the neck under the binding.  It is rather heave perhaps more maple in the top. I have seen the guitar in person and it has a minor extended tenon entering the pickup cavity. I think they experimented here with the tenon.

The plate in plastic has appears to have the ES-S stamp refilled with a marker pen (perhaps at one of the refines it got screwed up?) there is a more subtle stamp above that marking (not refilled) saying "1006", perhaps its a serial numer of a minor prototype batch indicating there were more like this? McCarthy spoke of at least a dosen prototypes of the first solid body. 

Another interesting feature you don't see in the picture is that the guitar has a drilled channel in the body, not a routed one underneath the maple cap as you see on gold tops. It also have straight walls and not a clover leafed control cavity (but I think the first unbound gold tops also sported this).  

It also differs from the other one as it has a two piece, center seamed  maple top.

I agree that this one is later in the prototype development line. Perhaps something like this they showed Les Paul. 

mistermarshall

The guitar has a slated not a straight switchcraft switch

WezV

I have just been playing this for a few hours and I am very happy.  I have just got the setup where I like it and it’s responding really well, quite percussive like a good 335 but sound full and round and resonant like a Les Paul should be

it has quite a familiar resonance I have come to associate with the full width tenons.... a touch of junior tone.

unplugged, it’s beautiful.  Plugged in, not quite there yet so I have more work to do.  The neck pickup is spot on.  The bridge is too bright for me currently.  I expected bright, but it’s just a bit too much.  I am going to have a play with baseplates and pot and cap values to see if I can round it out slightly.  It still sounds good, but I think it can be a bit better.  If I don’t get it where I want I will swap for a more standard P-90 and use this elsewhere.

TTony

WezV said:

it has quite a familiar resonance I have come to associate with the full width tenons.... a touch of junior tone.

This is a risky comment, but ... can you really differentiate between tones based on the width of the tenon joint?

That's a genuine Q btw.  There must be so many other variables at play!

WezV

No, not from one guitar to another.  But you can observe patterns over many. 


There me is something about juniors and specials that is not the same in les Paul’s.  Most will say it’s the maple top or difference in body thickness, but I have found the same characteristic in PRS singlecuts, The few felines I have played and my own stuff.

i did some experiments with longer tenons reaching all the way to the bridge.  They didn’t add much after a certain point.  

WezV

Oh, and I should say it’s as much about feel as anything else.  That’s why I used the word resonance rather than tone

Actually i used both words, but I reserve that right

Danielsguitars

WezV said:o

it has quite a familiar resonance I have come to associate with the full width tenons.... a touch of junior tone.

This is interesting I'm just building a dc junior now with full width tenon and can't wait to try it out
I'm off vintage spec with a gold dual foil pickup and i'll split coil it, I thought it would kick a juniors arse lol

I will compare to my special that had a normal lp long tenon

WezV

i think I am now done with this  and will be putting it up for sale shortly - lets have a few final pics to end the thread

WezV

oh, and i have named it.   "prototype" wasnt quite fitting enough, but its still a "what if..." guitar

I have called it The Earth 2 '52

Teyeplayer

Love it! Fantastic build, you must be rightfully proud of this beauty.

WezV

its certainly one of my best, but I always think that about my most recent

it sounds beautiful.  The acoustic tone is amazing, electric took a bit longer to perfect as it started too bright.  Spot on now I have made a few changes