Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Peter Frampton LP Custom - anyone own one?


Skyline_UK

Recommended Posts

I just bought a beautiful new Peter Frampton LP 3-pickup black Custom.

I'm very pleased with it, except the case is a piece of cheap junk. Brown, poorly made, no 'apron', I'm appalled actually that Gibson supply such a dreadful item entirely out of keeping with the instrument. If you own one, what type of case did yours come in? :( [sneaky]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

If you woke up in the morning with a Sherman in your hand would you feel like Peter does?

 

Peach top, peach tails... Never fails.

 

***

 

As for the axe I don't own one and don't know anyone that does...

 

I do however recall the miraculous story of how Peter got back his original Black Beauty after 30 years after thinking it was lost forever around 1980 in the cargo plane crash... That story is simply fantastic...

 

He speaks of how light that guitar was, are the reissues light like his was?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, you can't make up a story that good. Love PF when he was with The Pie. "I Don't Need No Doctor"

 

Hell ya! Marriott and Frampton were one hell of a combination!

 

In one of the interviews about getting back his Black Beauty he said it was originally a '54, but I don't remember it being a wrap-tail on the cover of Frampton comes Alive...

 

Maybe he had it converted, or it was converted before he got it?

 

But yes, that is one of the coolest stories ever!

 

Watching him play it live at a gig for the first time in Madison Square Garden (on Youtube, I wasn't there) was awesome! I think I cried a little...

 

And he can still play! He is one bad-@$$ with a Les Paul!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Frampton is one of my early guitar heroes and the reason I still play today.

 

Guitar Center in Canton, MI has one used for $3600.00 (or thereabouts)...Just bought a LP Standard so have no dough.

 

I have 6 Gibsons...some have the apron and some don't. Doesn't really matter much to me, but I ALWAYs look for 4 clasps and the lock on the case...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I saw him live in Detroit a few yrs ago{Pine knob outdoor venue} and he played his 3 PU Black Beauty,,and he also had a ,,it looked like a tiger maple top,butterscotch LP w/ 3 PU's,,sounded fantastic,,along w/the 4-5 leslie cabs inline with his marshalls,,wow,,blew me away. I like those 3 PU pauls,,but Id rather have the 3 PU SG/white,,a,bit lighter on the shoulder,,but for studio work the 3 PU Paul would be great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

These guitars are amazing! I purchased one in 2011 and picked up second one last year. I love the weight, quality and neck profile. I picked up the second to grab it with an ebony fingerboard while still available.

My favorite guitars!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Very nice geetar, Skyline, a real beauty. Belated congrats on her, mate! [thumbup]

 

There's nothing wrong with the case I think. Have some of same make, too. They came stock with several of my Gibson USA guitars and basses. In contrary, I have some trouble with the Custom Shop cases. Their neck supports are made of polystyrene foam and cause the finish going dull and sticky. However, it gets better with time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

The issue of the specs on the original FCA guitar can (finally) be cleared up if anyone is interested. The guitar is a '54 Custom....and that's where the similarity ends. What happended was this. It obviously survived throughout the '50s and most of the '60s, through many hands, primarily intact as is,

until...someone(?) decided he wanted to covert it to a Black Beauty. So the router came out and, bingo, a third pup was installed. Now, remember if you can, the hot item pups back then making the end of '60s and early '70s rock sound were the 490R and 498T's (the original hot alnico sisters). Comming on the tail of these, early '70s, were the 496R and 500T hot ceramic sisters. All the hot axe men of the time were playing around with these pups. So, when the third route was done.....(wait for it!)....installed were brand new pups from the factory, and they were as follows. 496R neck, 498T mid, and a thumping 500T bridge. Although the pole pieces on the 498 didn't exactly line up, it still worked. The reason for the line up like that was the resistance and the power (keep in mind, this was all they had to play around with output power wise at the time, so these four pups were the hottest ticket out). Now, by this time Steve aquires the instrument (when exactly, no-one knows but the point is he's got it now). He gives it to Pete (very generous fellow!) and pete falls in love. Plugged through Pete's chain and then the amps and cabs and you had that very distinctive Frampton sound. Then the axe dies ( a moments silence please). But Pete and Gibson don't know what the pups were except for the bridge (500T). This was because at one time Pete had the 500T re-soldered at the factory (keep in mind, it's an old instrument and wiring does degrade). So, they knew what the bridge was but not what the other two were. When Gibson re-built a new guitar for Pete every one assumed that because of the age of the guitar that it would have had '57s in it (remember the age...big clue). So, the next one had the "57, '57+, 500T configuration, and everything following including everything everybody is getting now is that way. Who out there has aquired one of the signiture models, played it and thought, "Yeah, close,......but?" This is why. I have. Reason for the true identity of the other two? Shortly after Pete was given it, it wound up in the factory having some unrelated work done on it (re-fretting actually). The guy who worked on it peeked at everything else in it just to be thorough. He shortly after left Gibson for other work. But, HE knew.So, if you and anyone else want's to REALLY replicate Pete's FCA sound, buy a nice ebony Custom, a set of 496, 498 and 500 pups, find a good lutier, and have him do what the original went through. Then you'll have a real Frampton guitar. Trust me, it's worth it, I have two converted myself, and I know what the real sound was. I was around when Pete was in Humble Pie, Camel and when he went solo and I was around when FCA came out. Oh, and by the way, the newer models don't have the original period vol/tone knobs that were on the FCA guitar. Speed knobs didn't come out until after then. Apart from the pups and knobs, everything else on these signiture models IS correct.

Speculation and arguments cleared up guys, it's now up to you.

p.s. By the way, closely related. Anyone wanting to replicate the real rock sound of the '70s, it's quite simple and straight forward. Buy a Les Paul Standard, rip the new pups out (and sell them to some wood duck on ebay!) and put in either the 490R/498T alnico sisters or the 496R/500T ceramic sisters. Easy! Don't mess around with trying to replicate the sound with these tweaked modern variations that only come close, go straight to the source. Gibson still make them, and for a very good reason! Just stop for a moment and think why that is.

Sorry for the tome, nuff said.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...
The issue of the specs on the original FCA guitar can (finally) be cleared up if anyone is interested. The guitar is a '54 Custom....and that's where the similarity ends. What happended was this. It obviously survived throughout the '50s and most of the '60s, through many hands, primarily intact as is,until...someone(?) decided he wanted to covert it to a Black Beauty. So the router came out and, bingo, a third pup was installed. Now, remember if you can, the hot item pups back then making the end of '60s and early '70s rock sound were the 490R and 498T's (the original hot alnico sisters). Comming on the tail of these, early '70s, were the 496R and 500T hot ceramic sisters. All the hot axe men of the time were playing around with these pups. So, when the third route was done.....(wait for it!)....installed were brand new pups from the factory, and they were as follows. 496R neck, 498T mid, and a thumping 500T bridge. Although the pole pieces on the 498 didn't exactly line up, it still worked. The reason for the line up like that was the resistance and the power (keep in mind, this was all they had to play around with output power wise at the time, so these four pups were the hottest ticket out). Now, by this time Steve aquires the instrument (when exactly, no-one knows but the point is he's got it now). He gives it to Pete (very generous fellow!) and pete falls in love. Plugged through Pete's chain and then the amps and cabs and you had that very distinctive Frampton sound. Then the axe dies ( a moments silence please). But Pete and Gibson don't know what the pups were except for the bridge (500T). This was because at one time Pete had the 500T re-soldered at the factory (keep in mind, it's an old instrument and wiring does degrade). So, they knew what the bridge was but not what the other two were. When Gibson re-built a new guitar for Pete every one assumed that because of the age of the guitar that it would have had '57s in it (remember the age...big clue). So, the next one had the "57, '57+, 500T configuration, and everything following including everything everybody is getting now is that way. Who out there has aquired one of the signiture models, played it and thought, "Yeah, close,......but?" This is why. I have. Reason for the true identity of the other two? Shortly after Pete was given it, it wound up in the factory having some unrelated work done on it (re-fretting actually). The guy who worked on it peeked at everything else in it just to be thorough. He shortly after left Gibson for other work. But, HE knew.So, if you and anyone else want's to REALLY replicate Pete's FCA sound, buy a nice ebony Custom, a set of 496, 498 and 500 pups, find a good lutier, and have him do what the original went through. Then you'll have a real Frampton guitar. Trust me, it's worth it, I have two converted myself, and I know what the real sound was. I was around when Pete was in Humble Pie, Camel and when he went solo and I was around when FCA came out. Oh, and by the way, the newer models don't have the original period vol/tone knobs that were on the FCA guitar. Speed knobs didn't come out until after then. Apart from the pups and knobs, everything else on these signiture models IS correct.Speculation and arguments cleared up guys, it's now up to you.p.s. By the way, closely related. Anyone wanting to replicate the real rock sound of the '70s, it's quite simple and straight forward. Buy a Les Paul Standard, rip the new pups out (and sell them to some wood duck on ebay!) and put in either the 490R/498T alnico sisters or the 496R/500T ceramic sisters. Easy! Don't mess around with trying to replicate the sound with these tweaked modern variations that only come close, go straight to the source. Gibson still make them, and for a very good reason! Just stop for a moment and think why that is.Sorry for the tome, nuff said.
You can Google that info easily, different years had different style cases. The case I have for mine came in 2015 which was the brown Lifton Custom Shop reissue case with pink lining.You'll see some that had his signature in gold on a black shroud with black liner in a black case, some with black case and white lining, some with burgundy lining etc.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...