Les Paul Prototype Build

PhilKing

Hi Wez,  I took some pictures of my 52 for you.  The first is from the end, to show you how flat the carve is:

If I can work out how to attach the images!

earwighoney

WezV said:

i thave been trying to consolidate my pickup options so did a drawing


i definitely want to have at least one of the pickups from the Les mods section - that's based on some of the previous pics where les is clearly messing with readily available single coils.

Unconventional, but I think a Charlie Christian in the neck would sound truly delectable.  

WezV

earwighoney said:

WezV said:

i thave been trying to consolidate my pickup options so did a drawing


i definitely want to have at least one of the pickups from the Les mods section - that's based on some of the previous pics where les is clearly messing with readily available single coils.

Unconventional, but I think a Charlie Christian in the neck would sound truly delectable.  

I considered a blade for a moment

PhilKing

Trying again

Top carve and end



Front


Neck Heel

WezV

PhilKing said:

Hi Wez,  I took some pictures of my 52 for you.  The first is from the end, to show you how flat the carve is:

If I can work out how to attach the images!

If you want to email them to me I will put them up.  Is this the one that had the centre section replaced as part of the conversion?  (Think I am getting confused becayse I remembered it was a 3-piece top

PhilKing

Top from another angle (sorry about quality on this, trying to hold guitar and phone at the same time!)

PhilKing

A bit of history on the guitar.  It's on the cover of Atlantic Blues Guitar.  The wood grain is pretty distinctive, as is the sunburst (edges, as opposed to a teardrop).  The conversion and finish was done many years ago.  There is an incredible piece inlaid into the top to hold the bridge and tailpiece, which I don't know if you can see in the pictures.  It has faded and is checked from age, so I think it was done in the 50's or 60's.  It came from We buy guitars in New York, and back in the mid-90's, cost me $2,500 with 50's Lifton Gibson case.  

WezV

If you ever feel like bringing it to the UK.....


i think I will go for a bigger belly on mine, although it does highlight that I should avoid a deep recarve and overly dramatic shaping.  It's an easy trap to fall into when hand carving the top

PhilKing

One other thing is the neck was never reset, so the Tune-o-matic is almost down on the wood.  It's also really light, much lighter than any other Les Paul I've played.

PhilKing

Comparing with a 54 LP Goldtop
End and carve

Another shot of the carve


Top

Danielsguitars

Love the vintage carved tops, alot more subtle and better looking to me

I had someone ship me a carved top mapped from an original 56 because they're so bloody difficult to get right, it's to use on a copy carver

WezV

The 54 is making me question my choices

Danielsguitars

WezV said:

The 54 is making me question my choices

I'm making one now, out of a burst I looked at and a 54 I'd have taken the 54 home, lovely guitar

Love em and i think I want a bigsby too

Oh it goes on, customs next 

WezV

a subtle change, i shaved 5mm (now 43mm.  Just under the classic 1 3/4") off the front of the body which brings the starting weight down to 2361g/5.2lb .  the aim will be  to get it down to 4lb through  weight relief before this gets a top.  standard 9-hole weight relief  would take it to just over 4 1/2lb so I either need to double the number of holes, or go for some bigger chambers.   That should bring us in around 9lb. Hopefully under if I have my sums right



I am probably going to kink the main wiring channel slightly so it goes through the pickup routes a bit differently.   This way would rule out the 52 style P-90 with corner screws and I want to leave my options open.  also, it will have an extra wiring channel going to the tailpiece for grounding the strings - it won't need to be as large as shown here, but its to remind me to do it before gluing the top on

guitargeek62

If you fancy building two alongside each other...

WezV

Don't say things like that.  It makes me think I could do a 54 style at the same time 

guitargeek62

Well in that case, three

Andyjr1515

I love this bit of a build project - I like the thought processes and decision tree

The natural top (which my eyes were actually drawn to before the amazing tailpiece! ) in one of the photos above is one of those 'one day I will try and recreate that look' wow pieces...

WezV

Andyjr1515 said:

I love this bit of a build project - I like the thought processes and decision tree

I hope you realise I will likely change my mind and ignore everything I have said at some point

Andyjr1515

WezV said:

Andyjr1515 said:

I love this bit of a build project - I like the thought processes and decision tree

I hope you realise I will likely change my mind and ignore everything I have said at some point

Exactly - that's what I love about it