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Any info on this 2001 Custom Shop Les Paul?


silver_mica

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This is a 2001 Custom Shop Les Paul - and it seems like a pretty clean guitar.

 

I did notice that the Ebony fretboard isn't as smooth compared to my other two Les Paul Customs (1992 LPC+ and a 1995 LPC).

 

Also, the binding is different compared to my other two guitars. If you scroll down to the 3rd picture from the bottom and look where the cutout is located - you see the binding and the maple cap. It's a little hard to see since everything is white - but you can see the maple cap just beside the binding right where the cutout is. On my other two Les Paul guitars the binding gets wider at this point.

 

The serial number appears to only be paint - I could be wrong - but when I ran my finger across the serial number I didn't feel any type of indentation. My other two Les Paul guitars have their serial numbers pressed/indented into the wood itself. Is this a Custom Shop thing or something?

 

The routing on the headstock where the inlays are look different as well (might be easier to show a picture of my 1992 LPC+ and/or 1995 LPC)

 

I can't really tell if this is a 60s profile neck or not - but didn't seem much different - again comparing to my other two LPC guitars (which have, I believe, a 60s slim neck).

 

I'm guessing the pickups are 490s for each position - based on a DC ohm measurement of just under 8k.

 

Anyway, tell me your thoughts.

 

Thanks!

 

-David

 

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...I did notice that the Ebony fretboard isn't as smooth compared to my other two Les Paul Customs (1992 LPC+ and a 1995 LPC)...

All new/nearly new 'boards get much smoother with use. Your other pair are both well over 20 years old and have undoubtedly seen quite a bit of action. Judging by the near-total absence of wear on the gold-plated parts of your recent arrival it would appear not to have seen much playtime at all. Your new one just needs to be played a lot more.

 

...the binding is different compared to my other two guitars....you can see the maple cap just beside the binding right where the cutout is. On my other two Les Paul guitars the binding gets wider at this point...

On the original '52 - '60 LPs the binding was an even width all the way 'round the body. This means that there is what's known as the 'maple smile' crescent visible in the horn cutout as, obviously, the exposed part of the maple body cap is wider here than anywhere else on the circumference of the rim. In the late '60s (I believe) Gibson went over to the wide-binding style where the binding was always level with the mahogany/maple interface. Both styles are used currently with the many of the USA-line LPs having the wide binding whereby the vast majority of CS / Re-Issue models have the narrow style.

 

Here are two of mine which shows the difference - and the (in this case cherry-red stained) Maple Smile - clearly;

 

Binding_comparison.jpg

 

...The serial number appears to only be paint...Is this a Custom Shop thing or something?...

Yes. Again this is a nod to the originals. Up until the early '60s (1961?) Gibson used ink-stamped serial numbers. The Custom Shop tends to use this system on their instruments.

 

...The routing on the headstock where the inlays are look different as well...

I believe Gibson does use a rather different process for the peghead routing/inlaying work these days.

 

Nice guitar!

 

Pip.

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Thanks!

 

Looks like the outer metal casing of the potentiometers get their ground through the braided wire and the two yellow wires.

 

Very nice guitar. msp_thumbup.gif

 

It's probably there, but I don't see where/how your bridge pots are grounded. Unless they are just relying on the braided wires touching each other. msp_crying.gif

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Thanks!

 

Looks like the outer metal casing of the potentiometers get their ground through the braided wire and the two yellow wires.

 

 

 

From what I can see in your pictures, each of the shielded/braided wires look like they have good ground to the pots. The neck p/u volume and tone pots are grounded to each other by the yellow insulated wire, as are the bridge p/u pots, but the bridge and neck pots are not connected to each other by any wire that I can see.

I do see a bare wire that is your ground heading out from the neck volume pot into the body to the tailpiece.

There should be a wire from the bridge p/u pots to the neck p/u pots. Easy to do if it's not there.

 

 

 

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Also, I'm not sure those are 490 series p/u's. They have a "PAF" sticker on the back. I'm not totally sure but, I think those are more likely Custombuckers. The 490's should have a Gibson USA stamp on the back or something else indicating the model.

 

You're correct, considering the vintage of that guitar, I think it should have come with 490's.

 

If someone ever changed the p/u's that may account for the ground wire thing, if they messed with that.

 

It could have also been a custom order with PAFs.

 

Anyway, I'm not at all trying to "pick on" the guitar. It looks very nice and these are just minor details. In fact, I think it would be cool to have a "modern" Custom (with a maple top) and PAFs!

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@Black Dog - no worries man - all comments welcome. I don't know much about Gibson guitars - I bought my first Les Paul in Nov. of 2016. It's been downhill since! Haha!

Some time ago I measured the inductance of my 1992 Les Paul Custom Plus. When I have time I'll have to do the same for this guitar. My preference is to have similar pickups between the three Les Pauls that I own so that I have a spare guitar in a pinch - should a string break or something like that.

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