ajay Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 The original owner of my 2014 Peace Model has been far from friendly about some questions that I had about it. He made up a story about having spent big bucks to have Hamiltone of Buffalo hand wire the guitar. Hamiltone is a shop that did all of Stevie Ray Vaughan's work, and when I contacted them they had no record of the work. They said that they keep records of every guitar that goes across their bench, so no, it never happened. I got some great news from Gibson this morning. Jon Sutherland from Gibson Customer Sevice informed me that mine is one of the early Peace guitars that was hand wired. That explains why it looks like the wiring in 2014 Traditionals, yet it doesn't have push-pull pots, and the pots are mounted on a metal plate instead of a Printed Circuit Board. The specs for the Peace Guitars just call for Volume and Tone controls and the Three-Way Toggle, so the potentiometers that they used were not push-pull. This makes me love "Fred" even more, because He is one of the last guitars that was shipped hand-wired from Gibson that wasn't a Traditional Model or a Custom Shop job. This explains why his story about expensive wiring didn't include a Split-Coil setup while they were in there. It was just Gibson doing their job, keeping every guitar true to the specifications of its Model. As I said, this makes "Fred", my Orange bowling ball guitar, a keeper due to its unique features direct from Gibson. I have always loved the sweet tone, and now I know why. It is Pure, Sweet, Hand-wired '61 Pickup Tone, and I am diggin' it. I have always loved the tidy job of hand-wiring onboard, and now I know why. Because Gibson's artisans did the hand wiring! Time to jam! A little quiet Jazz for Monday Morning I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arlum Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Help me out. Is it a "hippy" guitar or a red "bowling ball" guitar? I hate to get the important parts wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajay Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 Arlum, is that guitar in Your Avatar a CS 336? If so, that is one SWEET guitar! That is the hollow body that i've always wanted. I Love the Jazz tones in a 336. So smooth. Peace Out Dude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADKNOCKER Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 It's a Hippy guitar that looks like an Orange Swirl bowling ball. Hows it sound thru the Cube ajay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajay Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 It sounds really great. I'm able to compare my 2014 LPJ and my '14 Peace by just switching guitars back and forth while leaving the Amp at the same setting. There is a fuller sound, with more volume at the same amp setting with my hand-wired Peace. I also timed the sustain of both harmonics and an open B string, and the Peace carries the tonenearly 25% longer. Also, I've been trying to get as close as I can to Edge's sound (U2) and I'm able the get much closer to his exact guitar tone using the Peace. All in all, the Peace really rips on that amp, and the Roland has plenty of volume to bother the neighbors. My nearest neighbor is about an eighth of a mile away. I don't think that He minds, though. He's my Pastor, and I play in the Worship Band. I really recommend the Roland 40GX for a small to medium power Solid State Amp. The variety of sounds are endless. You can find anything from crystal clear to Death Metal Krunch, and everything in between. The variety of available effects really make it useful for just about anything, and the Peace and LPJ both can really rip on it. I have a Hohner Strat Copy that I was given as a present, and I have yet to plug it in. I RELLY should give it a try, because it's a pretty good sounding guitar. But getting two Les Pauls in one week after 33 years without one makes it hard not to reach for the Gibson when I set up to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Yeah, I might unwire my guitar and redo it by hand for that lovely hand wired tone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajay Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 Yeah, I might unwire my guitar and redo it by hand for that lovely hand wired tone I don't know if You're kidding, but my Peace is much different than my LPJ, and they're the same pups and both Mahogany bodies with Maple caps. I don't know of any other reason for the tonal variation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Yeah, I might unwire my guitar and redo it by hand for that lovely hand wired tone I don't know if You're kidding, but my Peace is much different than my LPJ, and they're the same pups and both Mahogany bodies with Maple caps. I don't know of any other reason for the tonal variation. Guitars are the sum of their parts and the player, so they are each different. The wires in the two guitars have no idea how they were put together, if that helps at all. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 ...unless they were put together by Alex Dumble or Bill Finnegan, of course.... P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajay Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 My Brother has an old Klon Centaur that he bought around 1990. It's a great pedal, and supposedly Bill Finnegan hand made it. It has a Serial Number 26, so it's a pretty early one. It's the best Overdrive sound that I've heard on any pedal. Supposedly a lot of top players are looking for the old ones. The way this thing sounds, even through just my Roland CUBE 40GX is pretty impressive. I can only imagine pushing it.I have a friend with a barely used early 90's 350 watt Hartke Bass Amp with Tube PreAmp and 4 aluminum cone tens and an aluminum cone five inch High Range. He's making a deal that I can hardly refuse. This thing has never been played higher on volume than 2 or 3, so it should make a cool clean Lead Amp. I can hardly wait to hook up that sweet Centaur to 350 watts.My brother has MS, and can barely play anymore, so he's giving me all of his gear. I intend to put his pedal collection to good use. I really want to get that ElectroHarmonix Pitch Fork too. That thing is just insane for $150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Yeah, I might unwire my guitar and redo it by hand for that lovely hand wired tone I don't know if You're kidding, but my Peace is much different than my LPJ, and they're the same pups and both Mahogany bodies with Maple caps. I don't know of any other reason for the tonal variation. No, I'm not kidding. It seems perfectly logical to assume it's the way the wires were attached. As you say, both mahogany and maple so no variance in the natural materials could do it. The component tolerances at 10% don't seem likely to effect it either. I had a synthesiser once and it came with one of those moulded mains plugs. I wasted no time in hand wiring it with a removable plug. Lovely hand wired tone after that! I'm sorry. I'm only kidding. Like RCT says, a guitar is the sum of a lot of minutae detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 shhhhhh please Farns and rct! after I've offloaded all these 'Lawsuit Tone' pedals I've built, a 'Hand-Wired Sustain' pedal was going to be my next model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajay Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 I know that it's the Pots, and not the hand wiring. The pots on the hand wired are all metal, mounted to a metal plate. If there's a difference, it has to be the pots, because wire is wire, and they both use identical Orange Drop Caps.Also, if there isn't a difference, why do people spend $175,000 for an old hand-wired Les Paul! They both haveh ZMahogany Vbodies and Maple tops. The woods used make a huge difference in an acoustic, but not so much in an electric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Of course it's the pots. We got there in the end. But those old Pauls didn't have the metal plate, the pots where connected by a continuous ground wire, and it was put there by hand. You should try removing the plate and hand earthing it, that'll sound amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brantobrien Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Cool guitar. Play it and enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arlum Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 ajay, Pictures of the CS-336 in my avatar photo. http://forum.gibson....w-2-months-ago/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajay Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 Thanks Arlum! That's exactly the one that I want. Beautiful guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajay Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 1435099397[/url]' post='1669576']Of course it's the pots. We got there in the end. But those old Pauls didn't have the metal plate, the pots where connected by a continuous ground wire, and it was put there by hand. You should try removing the plate and hand earthing it, that'll sound amazing. I'd have to have Hamiltone's Shop in Buffalo do that. I'm just happy to have it so that components can be upgraded or replaced. Not easy to do on a PCB. One other thing. I checked with Gibson, and the pickguards were factory installed on the PEACE guitars. When they installed mine, the nut on the bottom was set so that it's touching the Nitro, so there is a pretty good mark there, almost all of the way through the finish. It seems to me that they should repair it, since it is possible to set them so that they aren't grinding into the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaygl Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 I'd have to have Hamiltone's Shop in Buffalo do that. I'm just happy to have it so that components can be upgraded or replaced. Not easy to do on a PCB. One other thing. I checked with Gibson, and the pickguards were factory installed on the PEACE guitars. When they installed mine, the nut on the bottom was set so that it's touching the Nitro, so there is a pretty good mark there, almost all of the way through the finish. It seems to me that they should repair it, since it is possible to set them so that they aren't grinding into the top. Same thing on my 2014 LP Classic and all the 2014's I looked at in my local L&M...I like th PG on, but if I didn't, I'd be pissed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajay Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 They should just put a double stick tape and pad if they insist on installing it. Naptha would take the tape right off, and wouldn't hurt the Nitrocellulose. They are living in The Dark Ages needlessly. They should just ship them in the case, or give You an 800 number to order Your free PICKGUARD. That would probably MAKE them a million dollars a year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Well they just snap on and off via attachment at the pickup ring now with no screws, so that would appear to be fixed (apart from the mini HB/P90's I assume) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajay Posted June 26, 2015 Author Share Posted June 26, 2015 I knew that they had come up with a screwless pickguard, and in the meantime, I have a Les Paul Standard with a pickguard that they installed that wears a hole through the finish. I have contacted them about it, but surprise surprise, I have yet to hear back from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 I had assumed they could be retro-fitted, but probably dumb to assume anything these days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 I knew that they had come up with a screwless pickguard, and in the meantime, I have a Les Paul Standard with a pickguard that they installed that wears a hole through the finish. I have contacted them about it, but surprise surprise, I have yet to hear back from them. They don't warrant the finish in any way. You'd have to return the guitar. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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