Dunlop 6000 wire on a vintage Gibson… sacrilege or sensible innovation?

FelineGuitars

lewism said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

I wouldn't put a Floyd on a 50s Les Paul ... but if someone wants to, and it improves their playing experience ... it's their instrument after all. 

That's all the permission I need!https://imgur.com/gallery/xgguP

I'm amazed at how far back off the stud the wraparound tailpiece has to be on the treble side as it is.

I'd worry that you're losing a lot of coupling from it only making contact with the grub screw.

earwighoney

FelineGuitars said:

 Yes - we've started keeping the Jescar version of this wire too (as well as the stainless steel version as well)

Is there a difference between Dunlop & Jescar frets?  I presume they use different alloys?  Is one harder then the other?  Do you ever do Evo Gold refrets? 

lewism

FelineGuitars said:

lewism said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

I wouldn't put a Floyd on a 50s Les Paul ... but if someone wants to, and it improves their playing experience ... it's their instrument after all. 

That's all the permission I need!https://imgur.com/gallery/xgguP

I'm amazed at how far back off the stud the wraparound tailpiece has to be on the treble side as it is.

I'd worry that you're losing a lot of coupling from it only making contact with the grub screw.

Blimey, I make a silly, flippant joke and what do I get in return? Considered, knowledgeable opinion from someone who's acknowledged as an expert. Wasn't expecting that. Having just frantically checked the intonation, it's there or there about considering the bridge design but you're right, it does sit pretty far back. It's a modern replacement wraptail which has some compensation for intonation so that might have an effect but in truth you may have just pointed out the reason for the small "2" stamped above the serial number! Seeing as we're talking modifying old guitars though, it's got big frets, had a Badass bridge, Schallers, and came to me with the classic 70's combo of Dimarzio PAF and Super Distortion. Once upon a time, it was just an old beginners guitar not worth worrying about hacking up. Plays and sounds great though (to my cloth ears)

Personally, I wouldn't think of replacing the frets as modding an old guitar - they're essentially a consumable like tires on a car - so go for it if you'll play it more. Stay away from the hammer and chisel though.

camf

Thanks all… fat frets on the way. I'll post some pics when the old thing has been fully fettled.

ICBM

Believe it or not someone asked me to do that to an old Les Paul Jr in the late 80s! I refused, although I know many repairers would have taken the money and not cared about it. I suggested the owner go to a good builder and have a replica of the guitar made with the Kahler fitted, which thankfully he did.

If the intonation is set right on that one it is quite likely that either the bridge holes were drilled wrongly or the neck is set slightly too deeply into the body and that is the reason for the '2', yes.

As the joke goes, in the old days Gibson used to mark seconds with a '2' because you'd always struggle to find the fault otherwise. Now, it's easy to find the faults so they don't bother stamping the 2 .