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L6-S Fan Club


JamGuy

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Hi all... Thought I'd see if there's any love for the L6-S out there. Mine's named Mable... found her about 10 years ago at a used music shop. For years it was my go-to guitar though admittedly, she's not the easiest beast to tame. Other than having to change out one pot, it's all original. I believe it's from the first year of production based on the serial number. Anyhow, it's the only Gibson I've got (though I do have an Epi G-400 SG.) It's the one electric guitar I'd own if I had to get rid of the rest... probably more for sentimental reasons than anything else... this was my first "nice" guitar. I really do like the range of tones and playability of it with the wide low frets. Anybody else a fan of the L6-S?

 

dynamicduo.jpg

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Hi all... Thought I'd see if there's any love for the L6-S out there. Mine's named Mable... found her about 10 years ago at a used music shop. For years it was my go-to guitar though admittedly, she's not the easiest beast to tame. Other than having to change out one pot, it's all original. I believe it's from the first year of production based on the serial number. Anyhow, it's the only Gibson I've got (though I do have an Epi G-400 SG.) It's the one electric guitar I'd own if I had to get rid of the rest... probably more for sentimental reasons than anything else... this was my first "nice" guitar. I really do like the range of tones and playability of it with the wide low frets. Anybody else a fan of the L6-S?

 

dynamicduo.jpg

 

I have had mine since 1978. I know it's a 1974 or 75 model, but I haven't found enough information yet to narrow it down any more. I have recently started playing it after decades of nothing but closet duty. I love it, I just wish I could find more info on the guitar's history. that is why I found these boards

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Theres a midnight special that occasionally spends some time (usually about a month at a time) at my house. I don't own it, but I wish I did. It sounds pretty good, and the neck, even though its pretty big, doesn't feel big at all...Its an all around great sounding and playing geetar...I'm a fan. [thumbup]

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  • 3 weeks later...

If anyone can tell me... Do the pickups sit parallel to the strings? Or can that vary? I only had one original pickup for mine, and it was bad so I bought a couple of Toni Iommi's for my L6-S. It looks stock again, but the rear pickup is definitely not parallel to the strings.

 

Any answers will be greatly appreciated.

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Another question for all you luthiers out there.

 

Since the pickups were installed I am getting much more fret buzz, especially on the low E and A strings. I know he adjusted for intonation. Could I have another problem here?

 

Again, any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

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I have a Les Paul Standard in which the pickups sit absolutely parallel to the strings - and also an SG Standard in which they are anything but parallel. I like my guitars to look the part as well as just sound the part - and it niggles me no end. On the other hand, if anything, the tone of the SG is better than the Les Paul ! So, I'm not sure just how important that is.

 

Take a look on the Gibson website for the Firebird V 2010. The photographs there show its pickups sitting at angles which are anything but parallel to the strings.

 

 

I'm looking to get another Gibson and had been swithering about the Firebird (reverse style) which I have always loved - but rarely see here in Scotland. I had heard that the banjo tuners were a bit of a problem and replacing them with Steinbergers made a dramatic improvement - and then Gibson went and brought out the 2010 model in which they have made this replacement. On deeper checking however, it would appear that they are not using the classic mini-humbuckers of the "original" Firebird, which has made me stop for a moment. They then confused me further by bringing out (in limited numbers) the Les Paul Deluxe - I have played two Deluxe models - and they were the best sounding Les Paul's I've ever heard !

 

With all this pondering, someone then suggested I look to get an L-5S or an L-6S, so now I sit in complete confusion. I think I will have to arrange a holiday to London to trawl the shops and see if I can find a little Gibson treasure buried somewhere !

 

WGB

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  • 3 months later...

Some day I'm gonna get me one of those with a rosewood fretboard....

 

Sweet AXE!!! [thumbup]

Dude, the maple is half the appeal!

 

Has anyone seen or tried the new L6-S yet?

 

I was looking at them, they look pretty close to the originals.

 

the differences I noticed are the headstock, the pickups, and the white markings by the chickenhead switch.

I find the fact that they didn't use the right headstock shape jarring when the put the appropriate headstock on the Midtown.

 

But I'm still gassing hard for both a maple and silverburst.

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I found a 1978 L6s in a pawn shop about 3 weeks ago,it,s pretty dirty from use but no cracks,chips,breaks and it sounds and plays great.It's got some kind of stain on the 2nd fret but its not a fill in or anything to care about just a stain the whole guitar needs a good cleaning.The pawn shop got it from the original owner a session player from Nashville.the 6 way chicken switch is totally different from the new ones that just split coils

Here is the original settings

Both pickups, in series

Neck pickup, alone

Both pickups, in parallel

Both pickups, parallel out of phase, with the neck pickup's bass response restricted thought a series capacitor.

Bridge pickup, alone

Both pickups, series out of phase.

and here is the wikipedia page with some good info on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_L6-S

plus the 3 control knobs one for volume one for tone and one for mids, real different.

heres mine before clean up.

2399736580043544858S425x425Q85.jpg

I dont know if it's stock or not but I have a TP6 bridge.

2764388720043544858S425x425Q85.jpg

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I'd love to pick one up some day, but it was never the highest on my priority list and i fear with used prices doing what they have been the last few years, and other things I need to take care of, I may not get one.

 

I did get an opportunity to pcik up one of the new ones in the shop a month or so ago. I was looking at SG's but my sales guy pointed out the L6-S and the LP Classic Customs to me as well.

Another difference I noticed was the vintage model was equipped with that harmonica bridge.and grovers with metal keystone buttons, and I think they may have had a volute on the neck?

 

I did a bunch of research maybe 4 or 5 eyars ago, this is all stuff I read on the interwebz, but apparently when Bill Lawrence was working for Gibson back in the 70's they asked him to make a new model but were very particular about price point/budget. The original had HB's in it that he designed, I don't recall their specs, but they had covers without cutouts for adjustable pole pieces. Later on, the midnight special version was introduced as a simplified version along. The other two differed in that they had a 6 way rotary switch or a 3 way toggle. I don't remember all the dates and stuff anymore but Iv'e seen vintage ones with both maple and rosewood boards and with dot and sometimes small block inlays. When I started price hunting used ones on fleabay maybe 5 eyars ago or so, they were running about 600 or so for one in great shape, now i see people all the time asking a grand or more for ones that are pretty banged up.

 

The one I looked at in the store was very heavy and solid feeling. You could probably drive railroad spikes with it. Very pale blond color, I imagine after a year or two, the nitro will start to yellow up nicely and within a few years it'll have that nice golden color to it. I did not play it, as I said, I was looking for SG's, btu as stated above, there were some minor changes to the original, nothing major. I wouldn't expect them to go to challer or whoever their vendor was and re-source a part that's been out of spec like the bridge for a gutiar that is not in their custom shop price range. I think the street price on it was 1699 or 1799 USD.

 

 

*oh, and I don't think TP-6's were stock, but they're fun so if you like it, it's all good :)

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I am not sure if the TP6 was stock I cant find a lot of info on the model.The TP6 was put on Les Paul Artesian and a few other LP models from 1978 also so it is possible.All in all it dosent matter is fits fine and I guess might be an unusual bridge to have.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I had a 1973 black L6-S custom, I bought it in 1977, I really liked the guitar, but I was young and dumb back then, and I traded it away in 1980. A buddy of mine that builds guitars from scratch, has offered to cut a neck thru body for me, he is going to cut it and I'm going to finish it, it will be made from walnut and maple and have seymor duncan pup's, rotary chicken head switch, and the same wiring of the 73. The problem is I don't have a tracing of an L6-S body, and have not had any luck finding a drawing or dimensions, I know how wide it is and how long it is, but we can't make a template from that. If anyone could point me in the right direction it will be much appreciated!! [thumbup]

post-38639-074134600 1325730383_thumb.jpg

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I had a 1973 black L6-S custom, I bought it in 1977, I really liked the guitar, but I was young and dumb back then, and I traded it away in 1980. A buddy of mine that builds guitars from scratch, has offered to cut a neck thru body for me, he is going to cut it and I'm going to finish it, it will be made from walnut and maple and have seymor duncan pup's, rotary chicken head switch, and the same wiring of the 73. The problem is I don't have a tracing of an L6-S body, and have not had any luck finding a drawing or dimensions, I know how wide it is and how long it is, but we can't make a template from that. If anyone could point me in the right direction it will be much appreciated!! [thumbup]

Drawing issue has been solved, no longer need. [thumbup]

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  • 2 weeks later...

It had been years since I'd cracked the hood of my L6-S... I kinda thought that at one point I may have replaced one of the original pots that had failed and wanted to check. Good news... I must have had it confused with another guitar, she's untouched in there and clean as can be. I was curious about dating the pots, based on the lower serial number (1219XX), it's hard to tell exactly what year it is but I've always thought it was a 74. The pots dated from the 41st week of 73. It's still impossible to pin down the exact date of the guitar I guess, but it seems likely a 73 or 74.

 

Anyhow, it was fun to take a peek and see how it was all wired up in there...there's a lot going on to say the least... I'm not sure I'd know where to begin wiring one of these up from scratch!

gibsonl6s.jpg

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Real beaut!

 

I think I might have looked at a wiring diagram for one a few years ago and I am definitely not an electrician. I was back at that store earlier this week but I opted to take home my first SG instead. Tone and other appeal aside, I have enough back-killing guitars already, hahaha.

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Real beaut!

 

Tone and other appeal aside, I have enough back-killing guitars already, hahaha.

 

Yeah, definitely not the lightest guitar around... I wonder how the reissues compare in weight? Pretty similar I'm guessing...

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  • 3 months later...

I've got 3 L6-S Customs from the 70s and 1 of the new ones. The new one has some differences, the pickups are different, but the character of the guitar comes mainly from the use of maple, so it's pretty close, and the necks on the 3 old ones are all a little different from each other anyway. Mine are all natural and I love them dearly, I'm really tall and a Les Paul looks like a ukulele on me, so the wider body is better. I've never sold one from my collection and they'll be buried with me!

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  • 9 months later...

Hi!

 

New member here! Definitely an L6-S fan! I owned an L6-S for about 25 years until it got destroyed in a bad divorce.. [crying] The good news is that I just purchased the limited edition reissue.. Not exactly the same (i.e. different wiring, different pickups, slightly different head stock) but absolutely the same vibe. When I played it for the first time, it felt like I was holding an old friend.. Very happy with my purchase!

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  • 5 months later...

It had been years since I'd cracked the hood of my L6-S... I kinda thought that at one point I may have replaced one of the original pots that had failed and wanted to check. Good news... I must have had it confused with another guitar, she's untouched in there and clean as can be. I was curious about dating the pots, based on the lower serial number (1219XX), it's hard to tell exactly what year it is but I've always thought it was a 74. The pots dated from the 41st week of 73. It's still impossible to pin down the exact date of the guitar I guess, but it seems likely a 73 or 74.

 

Anyhow, it was fun to take a peek and see how it was all wired up in there...there's a lot going on to say the least... I'm not sure I'd know where to begin wiring one of these up from scratch!

gibsonl6s.jpg

 

I know it's a little late. But I pinned mine down to '78 at http://guitardaterproject.org/gibson.aspx . Just punch in your serial number.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I know it's a little late. But I pinned mine down to '78 at http://guitardaterproject.org/gibson.aspx . Just punch in your serial number.

 

According to the site, it came back as a 70, 71, or 72... they weren't in production 'til '73 so I guess it may be safe to assume it's a '73... I guess I'll never really know for sure.

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I'm very late to this (as usual!) but back in the 80s my 1st Gibson was a wine red L6 deluxe - the simpler one - with a narrow 24-fret rosewood board, black humbuckers - Bill Lawrence? - and the "chainsaw" case. I should never have sold it, what a dumbo....wish I still had that one etc etc.

Regards!

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