IanHenry

I believe the stopbar should be set so that the strings just clear the back edge of the bridge, clearance of about the thickness of a piece of paper, very little more. I think any difficulty bending the strings is probably more likely to be related to the Truss rod, worth taking it to a guitar tech if you don't feel confident doing it yourself. For strings it's probably worth trying something like the Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky's: Ernie Ball 2222 Hybrid Slinky 9-46 Electric Guitar Strings (stringsdirect.co.uk)

It's also quite possible that they will use a grain filler depending what sort of finish they want to achieve.

I imagine that they use a stain on the Timber before the lacquer coats.

I don't think it's a "Custom Shop" guitar, I maybe wrong and I'm sure someone will correct me if I am, but I understand Les Paul Customs are Gibson USA built guitars.

Sadly Dan McCafferty, the original singer with Nazareth has passed away. I believe he'd been ill for a good number of years, hence the reason he quite the band in 2013. Dan certainly had a distinctive voice. Nazareth singer Dan McCafferty dies, aged 76 - BBC News RIP Dan

Don't forget, people pay extra for that 🙂

This is a useful guide:

It always fascinates that those guy's back then were starting with a blank canvas and everyone who followed just took it all for granted, so thanks for that. RIP Jerry

We have a government?

Mickael, can you not use the tone controls and EQ on your amp to get the sound that you want? I ask this because personally I'd rather have brightness than muddy because you can always turn it down. If necessary, you can always screw down the pickup pole pieces and raise the pickups, but do it one turn at a time and count how many turns you've made so that you can always reverse it if you don't like it.

It sounds like the music for a Bond movie to me. Anyone interested in Queen should listen to the "On Air" The BBC Sessions, it's really good, mostly their early stuff but more "pure & less produced" sound than their album versions.

I was surprised to learn that Gibson has made their Custombuckers available to purchase as an aftermarket product. Gibson | Explore The Pickup Shop

Try what Jdgm suggested and then polish with Gibson Pump Polish, it contains a small amount of lacquer which hopefully will get it looking something like new. Good luck.

Oh, how disappointing, I was so looking forward to using it next time I do a gig in some grotty pub.

I've read in another forum that the price is circa $50,000, I was going to pass on it until I noticed the Pick Tin and 6 Kirk Hammett Jazz III picks, then my resolve weakened 🤣

Are those the Murphy Lab ones?

I use Dunlop Jazz Carbon Fibre picks, the reason that I started using them (electric only) was because of the finger grip's as I don't drop them. All my friends can't understand how I can use them, they hate them. Dunlop 471R3C Max Grip Jazz Iii Carbon Fibre Guitar Picks - Pack Of 6 : AmazonSmile: Musical Instruments & DJ

I live in the UK, and I've never heard anything like this. Sounds to me like it's nothing to do with Gibson's quality control the guitars are damaged, buy from somewhere else.

That's absolutely shocking for a teacher to do that.

I had a science teacher called Mr Porter who used to set the class work and then he would sit on a bench at the back of the class playing an acoustic guitar (he wouldn't get away with that today). When I asked him about his guitar he said if myself and a few of my mates wanted he would teach us to play during lunch hour, so I got my parents to get me a guitar (it was a second hand 12 string with six strings on it) and Mr Poter was true to his word, he taught us a few chord's and riffs and we were off!

Should the jack plug socket not be on the face of the guitar like on a 335?

You can probably tell by the size of the neck, if it's a Standard I believe it will slim profile 60's neck but a Traditional will have a substantially larger one.

No, the guitar in question has uncovered pickups.

All the Church bells are mournfully tolling today. Yes, 96 is a good innings.

I want to leave the solder and wiring as it is, I don't want any re-soldered joints.