JM2112 Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 After picking up a 77 LPC with its original T-top pick ups back in September and being absolutely blown away with it, I had to find and try a LP with Shaw pick ups. So, after looking and waiting I brought this one home. It's an 85 LPC in original condition, except for the nut. Being an 85 this means a mahogany neck with no volute, still has a three piece plain maple top, it's weight relieved, and it weighs in right at 10lbs. The pots date to late 84 and the guitar dates to early 85. The pick ups at this point in time no longer have the date stamp, only has the patent number, but they measure a bit under the nominal value of 7.5 ohms and the soldering joints look untouched. Condition-wise, it's not as pristine as my 77 LPC, but it's still in great condition. It's got some handling and wear marks as almost any guitar around this age will have, and there's some light finish checking on the headstock, but you need to reflect a light on it to see it. If this finish is considered tobacco burst it's certainly a darker one. It looks more like a desert burst by today's standards. Tone-wise, it just rocks! It has a bit more bight than my 77 LPC, and man did I ever find a sweet spot when playing it on a clean channel. I cleaned up the fret board and put a new set of strings on it tonight. So, tomorrow the fun begins. If I change anything I'll switch out the speed knobs for reflectors. The Norlin LP's: The LP Family: The Gibson Family: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn Light&Shade Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Congrats with the new guitar :) Beautiful guitar. You have a fine collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2112 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 Congrats with the new guitar :) Beautiful guitar. You have a fine collection Thanks!!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Very nice too! I'd like a Norlin Gibson.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody78 Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Love the look of your new '85 Custom. You have a great collection there I'm a big fan of LP Customs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 After picking up a 77 LPC with its original T-top pick ups back in September and being absolutely blown away with it, I had to find and try a LP with Shaw pick ups. So, after looking and waiting I brought this one home. It's an 85 LPC in original condition, except for the nut. Being an 85 this means a mahogany neck with no volute, still has a three piece plain maple top, it's weight relieved, and it weighs in right at 10lbs. The pots date to late 84 and the guitar dates to early 85. The pick ups at this point in time no longer have the date stamp, only has the patent number, but they measure a bit under the nominal value of 7.5 ohms and the soldering joints look untouched. Condition-wise, it's not as pristine as my 77 LPC, but it's still in great condition. It's got some handling and wear marks as almost any guitar around this age will have, and there's some light finish checking on the headstock, but you need to reflect a light on it to see it. If this finish is considered tobacco burst it's certainly a darker one. It looks more like a desert burst by today's standards. Tone-wise, it just rocks! It has a bit more bight than my 77 LPC, and man did I ever find a sweet spot when playing it on a clean channel. I cleaned up the fret board and put a new set of strings on it tonight. So, tomorrow the fun begins. If I change anything I'll switch out the speed knobs for reflectors. The LP Family: First of all; happy NGD! That looks like a lovely LPC; slightly jealous. May I ask what the details of the wine red LPC, are? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2112 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 Very nice too! I'd like a Norlin Gibson.... Thanks!!! :) The Norlins have the absolute best tone, IMHO! Make sure when you get one that it has the original T-top or Shaw pick ups, they really crank out some awesome tone! Love the look of your new '85 Custom. You have a great collection there I'm a big fan of LP Customs. Thanks!!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2112 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 First of all; happy NGD! That looks like a lovely LPC; slightly jealous. May I ask what the details of the wine red LPC, are? Thanks!!! :) The wine red LP is a 2011 Gibson USA model, the Les Paul Classic Custom. It has Classic 57 pick ups, a torrefied maple fret board (Gibson uses the term baked maple), and a sixties style neck. It also has no back binding since it is a Gibson USA model. Some folks turned their noses up at this model because of the torrefied maple fret board, but that was their mistake, IMHO. It's a kick a$$ guitar, and a lot of folks refer to it as the lawsuit guitar now a days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Thanks!!! :) The wine red LP is a 2011 Gibson USA model, the Les Paul Classic Custom. It has Classic 57 pick ups, a torrefied maple fret board (Gibson uses the term baked maple), and a sixties style neck. It also has no back binding since it is a Gibson USA model. Some folks turned their noses up at this model because of the torrefied maple fret board, but that was their mistake, IMHO. It's a kick a$$ guitar, and a lot of folks refer to it as the lawsuit guitar now a days. Don't see what's wrong with them lot, then; the thing is gorgeous! I had a feeling it was a Classic Custom; I've been scouring the Internet to see if I can find somewhere that still has one, but to no avail. The chrome hardware on the red looks proper good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2112 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 Don't see what's wrong with them lot, then; the thing is gorgeous! I had a feeling it was a Classic Custom; I've been scouring the Internet to see if I can find somewhere that still has one, but to no avail. The chrome hardware on the red looks proper good. IMHO, the folks who ranted about them did so because it was a different fret board wood and not ebony or rosewood. It was pretty obvious by their claims that they had never even held one in their hands much less actually plugged in and played one. Torrefied maple has been used by some other makers like Rickenbacker and Ernie Ball for several decades. Maple is a strong dense wood and makes an excellent fret board. These guitars got scarfed up, especially when the production run was almost done in late 2012. Ebay or Reverb usually have a couple hanging around for sale, but the asking price is usually higher than what they cost brand new. These retailed for about $1600 to $1800 when brand new. Just keep your eyes open and wait unless you really got to have one. Gibson did another version of this guitar, but it has a rosewood fret board, trapezoid inlays, and a crown inlay headstock if those differences matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Congrats, nice buy, what a beauty! It's a pretty collection you have there. Keep on rocking your babies, JM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2112 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 Congrats, nice buy, what a beauty! It's a pretty collection you have there. Keep on rocking your babies, JM! Thanks!!! :) My finger tips are starting to feel a bit tender, but I ain't stopping! I'm just having too much fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon S. Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 JM, VERY nice collection!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2112 Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 JM, VERY nice collection!! Thanks!!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Congratulation JM2112! Fantastic looking tobacco-burst! In fact, all Your guitars (especially the Norlins) are beautiful!!! Best wishes... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2112 Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 Congratulation JM2112! Fantastic looking tobacco-burst! In fact, all Your guitars (especially the Norlins) are beautiful!!! Best wishes... Bence Hey, Bence!!! Thanks, bud!!! :) Those Norlins play and sound as good as they look, too. The Shaw pick ups rock, but I think the T-tops are still my favorite!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 excellent collection of LPs and Gibbies you have there. I'm a big fan of customs too. and I agree with you on torrified fret boards. My SG Standard has one, [2012] honestly can't see what the fuss was all about. It plays and feels (and sounds) great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2112 Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 excellent collection of LPs and Gibbies you have there. I'm a big fan of customs too. and I agree with you on torrified fret boards. My SG Standard has one, [2012] honestly can't see what the fuss was all about. It plays and feels (and sounds) great. Thanks!!! :) I love a smooth dense fret board. So, I prefer fret boards like ebony, maple, and richlite over others. I like rosewood, too, and I have it on my SG Standard and my 2013 LP Custom, but it's not my first choice. It's all subjective and to each his own. The good news is that they are all superior materials for a fret board. I think that so many folks really liked the torrefied maple fret boards made the purists who turned their noses up at it even more mad. I would like to see torrefied maple as an option, I would take it every time over rosewood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 I saw it referred to as 'terrified' maple on another forum.... (You have to shout at the tree and wave an axe at it for a very long time....... ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2112 Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 I saw it referred to as 'terrified' maple on another forum.... (You have to shout at the tree and wave an axe at it for a very long time....... ) Oh, it's been called lots of things! Sometimes by misspelling and sometimes not... :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Hello! In fact, if it was dyed black right in the factory, noone could have told it's not ebony. It's that good. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 What a beautiful quartet! I must admit the newest addition is my favourite of the bunch but they are all gorgeous. I, too, like the B-M and Richlite 'boards (and the Grenadilla 'boards as well). I've no idea why folks complain about the woods Gibson (and others as has been said) have used recently. I get that some don't like the Richlite as a concept and even I would hope to get ebony on a 'normal' LP Custom but that's for purely historical reasons. On a Classic Custom Richlite makes a wonderful 'board almost indistinguishable to the touch from ebony IMO. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2112 Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 Hello! In fact, if it was dyed black right in the factory, noone could have told it's not ebony. It's that good. Cheers... Bence Actually, some will take streaked ebony and dye it black. It's then just a matter of the dye lasting and how deep it gets into the wood. Considering the density of ebony I'm willing to bet it does not get very far down at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2112 Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 What a beautiful quartet! I must admit the newest addition is my favourite of the bunch but they are all gorgeous. I, too, like the B-M and Richlite 'boards (and the Grenadilla 'boards as well). I've no idea why folks complain about the woods Gibson (and others as has been said) have used recently. I get that some don't like the Richlite as a concept and even I would hope to get ebony on a 'normal' LP Custom but that's for purely historical reasons. On a Classic Custom Richlite makes a wonderful 'board almost indistinguishable to the touch from ebony IMO. P. Thanks!!! :) As far as the finish and tone is concerned my 77 LPC with the natural finish is my favorite. The natural finish is just stunning and the original T-top pick ups sound so awesome! Of any burst finishes, tobacco burst is my favorite. I understand folks having a preference for a particular fret board wood and other things, too. We all have our favorites, and that's just fine. It was the tiny minority that wants to pretend and rant that anything else other than what they prefer and want to see is inferior. If things never changed we would all be playing LP's with a trapeze tail piece. I would like to see ebony comeback to guitars like the LP Custom and some other high end guitars for historical and traditional reasons as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Actually, some will take streaked ebony and dye it black. It's then just a matter of the dye lasting and how deep it gets into the wood. Considering the density of ebony I'm willing to bet it does not get very far down at all. Hello! Donny did dye baked maple with good results. He mixed linseed oil with dye. Boiled it, and applied it to the fretboard in several layers. Then, He used micromesh on the fretboard, and kept applying the mixture until the micromesh did not remove residues of the dye anymore. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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