The next les paul(s)

WezV

First update in 2 years, and 4 1/2 years since the thread started i'm ready to post some finished pics  of the custom.

It got a cheap bigsby for a while, but then that came off and i went back to the early 50's style tailpiece

played well, sounded good but i wasn't loving it.  I could never decide if this was just down to the fact my life had changed so much since I started it, or whether there was something actually wrong with it.

Anyway, took some pics the other day, and all I could see was the knife work - far too much like the Gibson Custom Shop, and quite distracting from the overall look.   



I decided to reflatten and buff the finish, not lose the knife work, but hopefully make it less distracting

The result is a lot closer to where i want it to be, looking like a heavily abused old custom, not a custom shop version

roberty

Looks much better like that @WezV, very cool

Teyeplayer

Looks utterly incredible.

PhilKing

That looks really nice Wez

LastMantra

That looks great! 

3 pickups would have looked cool too I think. Probably a bit classier as it is though.

longjaw

Love it!

Rocker

I understand and applaud your reasons for recreating Lesters Les Paul, but I disagree with most posters as I think the tailpiece upsets the overall look of the guitar.  Somehow Gibson got it right with the stop bar and intonable bridge, that look has never been bettered. I am in two minds about the scratchplate, the guitar looks better without yet is easier to play when it is there. 

WezV

It's not just the les paul influence.  I've always loved the look of heavily adorned vintage archtops, the tailpiece is a big part of that look.

I do think it changes the sound a bit too. Not necessarily better or worse, but definitely a bit different ...and that's the point really.

It's a different look and a slightly different tone to your typical les paul.  Not everyone will want that, but there are plenty of guitars in the world already offering what they want.    Im not in it to offer a perfect recreation of models that already exist. My guitar builds always offer some degree of difference from the standard models we all know and love.