• You're one step from joining Guitar Discussion Forum - The Fret.
    Create a free account to post, follow threads, and never miss an update.  Sign up free →

Calling all Lesmeisters!

Guitar Discussion Forum - The Fret

Help Support TheFret.net:

N

Nelskie

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 13, 2005
Messages
930
Reaction score
0
And what's this? ZERO activity on the Gibson section of the form since . . . *gasp* . . . MAY 30TH? :eek: My six-string brothers, that's over a MONTH! Such a travesty. Seems to me that this happened a little while back on the Stratocaster section of the forum, and it was Nelskie's Guitar 911 that responded to this rock n' roll emergency. As happy as I am to see folks posting pictures, and enjoying discussion about fantastic Fender guitars, I'm once again completely amazed of the need to once again resuscitate a most-important thread.

Many a guitar legend have called upon this slab of six-stinged perfection to create some of the most amazing music ever created. Clapton. Page. Bloomfield. Green. Townshend. Allmann. Kossof. Zappa. Moore. Rossington. Collins. Perry. Schon. The Reverend. Frehley. Frampton. Knopfler. Sholz. Slash. Wylde. These are but a few players who have made their mark with a trusty Les Paul slung over their shoulder.

Myself, I was fortunate to have crossed path with an Epiphone sunburst model Les Paul way back in 1990. Sixteen years later, when I need to bring the mojo, there's only one guitar I reach for - my Epi Les Paul.

I've owned lots of guitars in the (23) years I've been playing. But I can honestly say that there is only one instrument that made me feel like a real, honest-to-goodness rock star - my Les Paul. Fretters, THIS guitar is what rock n' roll is all about! Bad-a$$, in-your-face, let's-get-it-on rock n' roll!

How about it, fellow Lesmeisters? You got game? Let's see / hear about it! ;)
 
You know, its very timely that you posted this thread... While I was reading it, CMT was doing a special on the 20 Greatest Southern Rock Songs. Toy Caldwell was layin' it down on his Les Paul, with the bittersweet lines of "Can't You See" wafting through the air with all the profound sadness that lost love can bring.

For all the meannes it can bring, the Lester has a sweet side, too, when played by the likes of Caldwell or Dickey Betts. It's funny, I don't own a Les Paul, but when I play one (or one of its many clones), it tends to bring out the more melodic side to my playing...

Beautiful guitar, man!:DR
 
Katastrophe said:
For all the meannes it can bring, the Lester has a sweet side, too, when played by the likes of Caldwell or Dickey Betts
Click to expand...
Oh man! I can't believe I forgot Dickey Betts! He was the primary inspiration behind my most recent Les Paul purchase - a beautiful Epi '56 Reissue Goldtop w/ P-90's. Dickey's country-fused tone and less-is-more approach have both been major influences to my own style, esp. these last few years. A lot of folks ramble on and on about Duane's playing (and rightfully so), but Dickey's style provided the perfect counterpoint to his, and as such, the Allmann sound still continues to be a primary component of the rock n' roll sound to this very day. As for Toy Caldwell and his work with the Marshall Tucker Band - yet another glowing example of country-fused rock / blues. Nice call on both of those, Kat! ;)

Katastrophe said:
It's funny, I don't own a Les Paul, but when I play one (or one of its many clones), it tends to bring out the more melodic side to my playing...
Click to expand...
And so, my advice to you: Don't let that magic get away. Who knows where it will lead . . . ;)
 
i just got my first les paul...a 1998 Gibson Les Paul Special SL. It is a rare spearmint green color with p100's. The guitar is completely stock and i am going to keep it that way.

I love the sound of this guitar, especially through my peavey classic 20.

ww

lp-1.jpg


lp-2.jpg


lp-3.jpg
 
Last edited:
WOW! Fabulous guitar, Warren. That Peacock Green is just awesome, esp. with the standard top & black P-90's. BTW - where you been hidin'?
 
Nelskie said:
How about it, fellow Lesmeisters? You got game? Let's see / hear about it!
Click to expand...
Now, this is really weird! To wit:

  1. I was thinking exactly the same thing today, noting all the Fender activity of late, and the last thread in the Gibson forum was bemoaning quality problems. Not exactly a stellar showing! I thought to myself, "Geez, somebody should start a Show-us-your-LP thread..."
  2. Next, I read Kat's posting about Toy Caldwell playing "Can't You See?", when I just bought the Marshall Tucker Band anthology CD yesterday and played along with that tune for the first time in probably 25 years.
  3. When I open up this thread & start reading it, I'm in the process of jamming along to the live version of "Whipping Post" from the bonus live CD that comes with the "deluxe" version of "Eat a Peach". So I've literally got Duane wailing in one ear and Dickey in the other, while reading their names in the thread!
  4. Yesterday, I exchange PM's with Warren and he shoots me those same pix of his gorgeous new Green-with-a-capital-G LP Special.
So with all that incredible coincidence swirling around me, here's a couple of pix of my beloved Epi Elitist LP Standard. The smoke & sparks from all that Allman Bros. jammin' doesn't seem to have left any permanent marks! :DR

LP_new_pups.jpg
LP_bodyshot.jpg
 
Very nice guitar Warren! That green color is awesome :)
I bet that there is a little fella at your house that intends to "borrow" this guitar a lot.
 
Not a Gibson, but this is the Ibanez "lawsuit" Les Paul from 1974 that I unfortunately sold a couple of years ago... It had a maple neck which gave it a slightly different sound than the rosewood variants.
 
Warren – Nice looking guitar. Green is my favorite color by the way. I think that color would really stand out on any stage. Looks like Nelskie has already named her for you: “Peacock”. It kind of has a ring to it
 
thanks tim...i've been working on a name....green meany is one idea but since i got it from a friend of mine during my trip to nyc to see etta james and susan tedeschi at carnegie hall....i was thinking of working a nyc theme into it...

ww
 
Swede - That Ibanez looked awesome. I'll bet it played well, too!

Warren - How about "The Mean Green Blues Machine" ? Beautiful guitar, man! You are building up quite a nice collection...:DR
 
Alright here is my 20 year old Gibson Les Paul. Again for those that don't know the history I got it at a local shop for practically free....($250 cash after a little bartaring). The guitar was sitting in a shop in another part of town from the store it originally sat in. That particular store burned in a fire and a lot of their inventory was destroyed...some of it was salvageable. Is that spelling right? In fact I remember seeing this guitar on the rack when it came into that store brand new before the fire. Despite it's history (which I think is very cool and adds a bunch to the mojo level) the guitar plays wonderfully and has no problems at all. Intonation is good, guitar keeps it's tune and the neck is strong and true. The only concern I've had which I told Nelskie about was the exposed headstock joints which are 3 pieces of mahogany as you will see on the pics. So far it's held up and plays like a new guitar!

Here's a shot of the bottom of the guitar where it took a DING from falling off the wall hanger during the store fire. There is some finish cracking at the pots and some discoloration on the body. Also a few other dings made by me.

View attachment 347

This is the headstock from the back. You can see how the nitro finish has been burned some from the wall hanger at the neck. The other side is burned the same way. You can also see a finish gouge/crack that has so far held up...apparently cosmetic only.

View attachment 348

Here is the back of the guitar. If you look closely you can see many many little dings and discoloration. Some is from the fire but also some is from being played over the years.

View attachment 349

The headstock is an interesting sight. You can clearly see the 3 pieces of mahogany that are glued to form the headstock. When I got the guitar most of the nitro finish was still on there but there was some peeling that had occured. Over the course of 20 years it has peeled even more. You can also notice dings all around the headstock from being played. I've played this guitar in bars, backyard parties and one decent sized concert hall. Plus all the time playing it at home and at friend's homes.

View attachment 350

Here's the front of the body. I brightened up the photo some for view but in real life the color is actually a cream color. It was originally Alpine White I believe...

View attachment 351
 
Last edited:
tone2thebone said:
You got your Gibson Warren sweet! *2 thumbs up*
Click to expand...
yes i did! Man that les paul of yours has definately got some mojo working!! Perfect for playing those "hot licks". Thanks for the pics.

ww
 
I been relooking at yours Warren and I really love that green color and the black pups and pickguard. Have a name for it yet? I used to name my guitars too...my old 70s LP that was stolen was named "Judy". *smiles*

SS - This guy I knew had one of those Ibanez LPs. It was cream colored like the way mine is now and it had the maple neck. It was really a cool looking guitar and he played it through a Carvin half stack.

Great Les Paul pics you guys. I love my Fenders but I'll always turn to my Les Paul. One of these days I REALLY would like a Gibson Custom Shop '58 reissue or a '60 reissue. A '59 reissue is still way more than I would pay unless I won a lottery or something. I hope to have my Nashville Gibson Studio for another 20 more years....maybe even 50 years more!
 
tone2thebone said:
I been relooking at yours Warren and I really love that green color and the black pups and pickguard. Have a name for it yet?
Click to expand...

yea...i love the green color too....here is a closeup that shows the dark grain pattern of the wood...ties in nicely with the black pickguard and p100's.

Haven't given it a name yet...but it is definately my number one. I played it through the valve jr. yesterday and it sounded great (i have been playing it through my classic 20).....

and yes ss....conner asks to play it all the time...i let him play it a little :)

lp-1a.jpg
 
SuperSwede said:
Not a Gibson, but this is the Ibanez "lawsuit" Les Paul from 1974 that I unfortunately sold a couple of years ago... It had a maple neck which gave it a slightly different sound than the rosewood variants.
Click to expand...
Swede - What a cool guitar! From the photo, it appears to have an abalone binding on the top. Am I correct? Looks like solid mahogany, too. The maple neck, surprisingly, looks right at home on that guitar. Set neck, I'm assuming. From what I understand, these guitars also have some collectability. Why did you part with it?
 
Tone, that LP of yours has a mojo level that can't be measured. That's just way too cool to have an instrument with that kinda history.

Thanks for sharing, man!:DR
 
Nelskie - Yes it had a set neck, and abalone binding was a correct guess as well. I dont know what wood it was, but I think it was mahogany. However, it wasnt totally solid, it had some kind of tone chamber (you could knock on it and hear that) , but it was not visible from the pickup/controls cavities.
They (Ibanez) built really nice copies in the first years (72?-75), but they were sued by Gibson (thats why LP´s from that period is called lawsuit copies) and had to change their headstock design.

It was a really nice guitar, and those Ibanez super 70´s pickups was really awesome.. so why did I sell it? Well I was piss poor when my oldest girl was born so I needed the cash (and I got paid well for it). I also sold my Gibson LP (sorry no pic of that) a few months later. I think that at least a few of you guys here have similar experiences....

Tone - I havent seen any cream colored lawsuit LP´s , did it also have the super 70´s pickups ? If it had those it would have been a "custom" and those are the ones to look for, the standard versions had two rather sub-standard pickups.
Your LP really looks fantastic!! Another 20 years and the relicing will be complete :DR
 
Last edited:
Not a Gibson here...A 2000 SX SLPJr Les Paul clone. Solid mahogany, set-neck, two raunchy P90s. Refinished almost two years ago in clear lacquer (used to be really thick clear poly). Sound and plays great, especially with its huge frets.

sxlpjr-004.jpg
 
WHAT ??? A guitar lying on the ground! This is an outrage. Put that guitar in a cradle or stand where she belongs. Nice looking guitar there Kerc.
 
Tim said:
WHAT ??? A guitar lying on the ground! This is an outrage. Put that guitar in a cradle or stand where she belongs. Nice looking guitar there Kerc.
Click to expand...

Hahahahaah! Thanks! Lemme assure you, I placed it carefully over the floor.

:D
 

Similar threads

Brian Krashpad
Gig Report: Amber & the Antidotes at Cypress & Grove Brewery, 5/29/26
Replies
5
Views
303
Brian Krashpad
Brian Krashpad
helliott
The King of Blues is dead
Replies
7
Views
2K
Jipes
Jipes
Robert
Scott Henderson Interview, November 2015
Replies
8
Views
3K
Robert
Robert
Blaze
Joe B. news & tricks
Replies
0
Views
623
Blaze
Blaze
Jimi75
Read & laugh - A. Skolnick on Firebird X
Replies
19
Views
7K
Ch0jin
Ch0jin

Latest posts

Back
Top