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For TABS and BACKING TRACKS, check out:
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Believe it o...
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For TABS and BACKING TRACKS, check out:
http://gewerh44.b...
Believe it or not, this is a Gibson Les Paul Custom (made in 1981).
I bought it for 1000 pesos (around 80 dollars).
Great deal, but the guitar was also in terrible shape as you can see. I think this guitar had several owners. Maybe the first one actually knew what he had in his hands, but, after 30 years, I guess the next owners had no clue about guitars, I just cant imagine the scenario. Who would brush paint a Les Paul Custom? And pink color!?!? C'mon! xD
Anyways, they really f'd it up. Where do I start?
The headstock looked so bad and mistreated, and it was missing some of the binding on a side. Thank God, the Gibson logo and Custom logo MoP inlays were intact!!!
The original and kickasss looking tuning machines were also very rusty (at least the two it had left, by the way you cant find those tuners with the little lever anymore). The other 4 tuners were cheap ass brand.
They also changed: 2 of the original knobs and 2 of the original potentiometers were missing too. The bridge was changed.
You can see how the original stopbar looked. And the pickups... poor pickups...
Anyways, about the authenticity of this guitar... I know some of you might doubt it is a Gibson haha, but it is, trust me. I did my homework.
The serial number says it was made at Nashville, TN, on September 8th, 1981 (Production number: 87). But I know that a guitar having a working serial number doesnt mean it is an original Gibson... However, there are things to check out next...
The last owners changed some parts, but they left enough of the original stuff.There were still 2 of the original tuning machines, the same tuners that Gibson used on their Custom models that year (they came with a little lever that you could take out and use it to turn the tuner faster when putting new strings to your guitar).
If you know how to spot a fake Gibson, check out this guitar and you'll know the knobs on the body are symmetric, the Custom Logo has the right size and position, the truss rod cover is correct, the binding on the fretboard has those little ups and downs according to the frets, the fretboard is ebony, etc...
Also, the toggle switch and the jack are correct. They both come with a very nice shielding cilinder. The whole wiring comes inside a shielding can too. Chinese copy makers dont even get close to that kind of quality on the wiring and electronics.
The original potentiometers had a serial number and I checked Gibson for help. Turns out, thats the kind of pots they used that year on their Gibson Custom's.
So... told ya. Despite the terrible looks, that poor pink guitar has a Gibson soul inside.
Process:
First, lets get rid of that pink paint!
The body is mahogany with maple top; the neck is maple with ebony fretboard. I checked and thats one of the combinations of wood that Gibson used on their Customs that year.
The fretboard couldnt be fixed. The luthier had to make a new one with the best ebony, mother of pearl inlays, binding plastic and fret wire.
I decided to paint it vintage white, with natural back and sides. The back of the neck is maple, but we tinted it to match the mahogany back.
I used the original PAF pickups, we just changed the rusty screws and put gold covers on them.
Except the strap locks (which are Schaller) and the capacitors (Orange Drop), everything else I put in this guitar is genuine Gibson replacements (tuners, truss rod cover, pickup covers, pickup rings, 5 ply black pickguard, speed knobs, historic knob pointers, Nashville ToM bridge, stopbar, jackplate, potentiometers, historic switch cap).
The Switch Washer is the old one, I couldnt find an original new one.
The old 3-way switch works perfectly so I kept it. Same with the original old fashion CTS jack inside a shielding cilinder.
What else can I say?
After so much time working on this project, I see the result and I just cant believe this guitar is actually mine! Gonna take some time to get used to the idea... xD
About the cover, for this video, I decided to play a basic classic rock song, Rock And Roll by Led Zeppelin. One of my favourite rock songs ever. I didnt play it note for note, I kinda made my own version of the song, mixing details from the studio version and the TSRTS version. I used a free backing track that contains drums, bass, keyboards and vocals. Obviously, I took care of the guitar work.
Thanks for watching!
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it's such a tragic loss and we wish you the best
R.I.P Gary Speed