My latest ‘50s Les Paul conversion project- eye popping original flame top!

sawyer

Gonna be feckin awesome! Watching with interest hoping for lots of pictures

stonevibe

That was mutilated finish wise, be good to see it looking more natural.

jumping@shadows

jimmyguitar said:

@jumping@shadows what are you going to do about the shallow neck angle? Reset?

None needed dude! It will accept an ABR flat on the deck, with good break angle  

Teyeplayer

Wow...one of those amazing (and disappointing) moments where you think: if I could just sell every guitar I owned, maybe? Only to realise you still couldn’t stretch to it!

That is going to be stunning.

p90fool

Please don't rout it for humbuckers, those P90 routs have survived for 65 years. 

jumping@shadows

p90fool said:

Please don't rout it for humbuckers, those P90 routs have survived for 65 years. 

Don’t worry, their spirit will live on once they’re reborn as factory exact Gibson humbucker routes which this guitar would have got 4 years later anyway, so 61 years of historical Gibson manufacturing process will still be present 

jumping@shadows

P90fool? That’s rather appropriate 

jumping@shadows

And let the games begin! 

jumping@shadows

LOL P90fool, you’ve got a lot of bitterness and anger to strangers on the internet who are engaged in their passion and doing what they love, and just sharing the joy of a cool find anyone into vintage guitars would be excited to see- feel free to continue to spout your negativity, and maybe kick the cat, but I’m off! See ya! 

meltedbuzzbox

p90fool said:

Got to admit I think it's criminal if it's going to lose the p90s.
A real fucking shame in my opinion.

Brize

p90fool said:

That's pretty rude. Who gives a hoot about original routes when little else is original? If Yuuki's going to give it a burst finish anyway, humbuckers would be a more faithful choice than P90s.

jumping@shadows

Teyeplayer said:

p90fool said:

jumping@shadows said:

And let the games begin! 

And so begins the systematic destruction of yet another business users reputation... have we really learnt nothing about ourselves lately or is it that because we’ve tasted blood once, we’ve grown a taste for it? 
I love this place but the way we are treating each other of late is horrid.

It’s all good man, if tediously predictable.. Ive been on various forums for almost 20 years and the general idle sniping, bickering, lack of decorum and infighting here is remarkable, and I have great respect for those long standing and knowledgable members who manage to stick it out, and who are always welcome to get in touch if I can help at all, but I am off to more salubrious venues  

jimmyguitar

jumping@shadows said:

Teyeplayer said:

p90fool said:

jumping@shadows said:

And let the games begin! 

And so begins the systematic destruction of yet another business users reputation... have we really learnt nothing about ourselves lately or is it that because we’ve tasted blood once, we’ve grown a taste for it? 
I love this place but the way we are treating each other of late is horrid.

It’s all good man, if tediously predictable.. Ive been on various forums for almost 20 years and the general idle sniping, bickering, lack of decorum and infighting here is remarkable, and I have great respect for those long standing and knowledgable members who manage to stick it out, and who are always welcome to get in touch if I can help at all, but I am off to more salubrious venues  

Tbh i’m shocked at @p90fool ‘s comments. I love vintage guitars and completely ‘get’ the idea of not wanting to mess with old instruments... BUT... this guitar has been altered and dicked around with so much that it’s completely fair game. It’s also @jumping@shadows property to do whatever he wants with and I would do exactly the same! Would I humbucker route my own original 56 goldtop? No. But that’s because it’s in its original (but heavily worn) state.

impmann

Shame you feel like that, Yuuki.

But equally, the parts to restore that guitar back to original (yet refinished) condition are available. It doesn't really sit right with the other guitars you've done, which I agree were train wrecks that you've given a new lease of life to. This one could be restored to original - or improved from original, if it can accept an ABR. By "converting" it into a fake burst (sorry, but we all have our opinions on what these converted guitars are) by re-routing it for humbuckers is just as bad as whoever fitted that Varitone - worse, actually because it won't be easy to put it back as it was.

Obviously, its your guitar - do with it what you will. But I think it goes against your own ethic to modify this one, as it still has factory routes (based on what you've said before about these guitars) - and I can understand @p90fool point, as it does appear that the £££s are more important to the outside observer.

Personally, I feel that it would be a more interesting guitar if it were finished in an aged burst (especially a very honey-like one) but keeping the P90s... it would then look like a long-lost prototype... food for thought?

Peace love and sausage rolls, and all that.

p90fool

Ok, I may be rude, but this is not John Birch in the 1970s hacking up common-as-muck ten year old Strats - as much as that now makes us wince - this is 2018 and someone has come on here seeking praise for routing out a pretty well intact 1953 Les Paul, effectively doing more damage to it than it's seen in its first 65 years, purely to make money. 

Yes I'm rude, but I'm nowhere near as rude as that. 

Teyeplayer

jumping@shadows said:

Teyeplayer said:

p90fool said:

jumping@shadows said:

And let the games begin! 

And so begins the systematic destruction of yet another business users reputation... have we really learnt nothing about ourselves lately or is it that because we’ve tasted blood once, we’ve grown a taste for it? 
I love this place but the way we are treating each other of late is horrid.

It’s all good man, if tediously predictable.. Ive been on various forums for almost 20 years and the general idle sniping, bickering, lack of decorum and infighting here is remarkable, and I have great respect for those long standing and knowledgable members who manage to stick it out, and who are always welcome to get in touch if I can help at all, but I am off to more salubrious venues  

I just think it’s a crying shame that so many vendors, retailers, finishers and builders are ‘off to more salubrious (and no doubt welcoming) venues’ of late and respect you for taking this latest snipe on the chin. 

In many respects I agree with @p90fool and have on many occasions valued his knowledge and opinions -he is more than welcome to a differing opinion but the way it has been expressed this time seems (to me), to be symptomatic of the ongoing refusal to abide by rule one around here. It’s a shame.

RiftAmps

I like to think we’re lucky to have someone like @jumping@shadows taking his time to get these bastardised guitars back up and playing, rather than left in the state they’re in.

I’m pretty sure that if this particular guitar didn’t have such an amazing top then it’d be tastefully restored back to ‘53 specs. Either way I have no problem with it all, in fact I love it.

Keep going man, you’re a hero.

p90fool

RiftAmps said:

I like to think we’re lucky to have someone like @jumping@shadows taking his time to get these bastardised guitars back up and playing, rather than left in the state they’re in.

I’m pretty sure that if this particular guitar didn’t have such an amazing top then it’d be tastefully restored back to ‘53 specs. Either way I have no problem with it all, in fact I love it.

Then why rout it? Why not fit P90 sized humbuckers or indeed P90 sized anything? Why permanently alter it? It's purely for cash, that's all. 

Look, I'm well aware that @jumping@shadows has done a fantastic job rescuing some real basket cases and turning them int0o fantastic guitars, but I'm sorry, this one sucks.  

John_A

p90fool said:

RiftAmps said:

I like to think we’re lucky to have someone like @jumping@shadows taking his time to get these bastardised guitars back up and playing, rather than left in the state they’re in.

I’m pretty sure that if this particular guitar didn’t have such an amazing top then it’d be tastefully restored back to ‘53 specs. Either way I have no problem with it all, in fact I love it.

Then why rout it? Why not fit P90 sized humbuckers or indeed P90 sized anything? Why permanently alter it? It's purely for cash, that's all. 

Look, I'm well aware that @jumping@shadows has done a fantastic job rescuing some real basket cases and turning them int0o fantastic guitars, but I'm sorry, this one sucks.  

The only difference is the routing is being done a good few years later than it would have been if it had been a humbucker model originally.  What he's doing is turning a total wreck of a guitar in to an affordable version of one of the most desirable models there is, and someone will get loads of pleasure from buying it and playing it.  A sympathetic restoration would still be mostly non-original anyway, dont see any issue in what he's doing, in fact i think it's great work.

And as for some of the comments on here, there's absolutely no need at all to be offensive, you can disagree without resorting to childish name calling.  

Brize

p90fool said:

Ok, I may be rude, but this is not John Birch in the 1970s hacking up common-as-muck ten year old Strats - as much as that now makes us wince - this is 2018 and someone has come on here seeking praise for routing out a pretty well intact 1953 Les Paul, effectively doing more damage to it than it's seen in its first 65 years, purely to make money. 

Yes I'm rude, but I'm nowhere near as rude as that. 

You're defeating your own argument by saying that Yuuki is motivated by cash. The vintage guitar market is extremely mature and sophisticated, in contrast to the 1980s, say. If someone is prepared to pay significantly more for a 53 Les Paul converted to 58/59 spec, the market has determined that Yuuki's course of action is appropriate.

To my mind, the idea that non-original vintage guitars must be restored to as close to original spec as possible is just puritanism. Personally, I love 53/54 spec Les Pauls, but I wouldn't touch one that didn't have its original finish.