Grog

These Schaller made tuners were stock on many Gibson models during this time. In my opinion, they are one of the best tuners Gibson used. They do the one thing that a tuner is suppose to do…… stay in tune! I’ve had them on Les Pauls, acoustics etc & never had to replace them.

The guitar showed up in better condition than I had hoped………. It was not a 25lb box of rocks! Another great Reverb transaction!

I’ve had good luck on Reverb so far…….. I have a Les Paul being delivered today that I bought last Thursday. The seller shipped it very quickly. A couple days later I was looking up other similar guitars for comparison & found the exact same Les Paul for sale on eBay in another state! I smelled fraud & contacted the seller about it right away. He answered immediately & said that he had moved from that state & eBay was using his old address. He took the ad down. I have a shipment on it’s way that weighs 25 pounds, I hope it isn’t a box of rocks………….

I use Semichrome Polish.

I was going to pay for a guitar case with cash at Guitar Center. The cashier said that he couldn’t sell it to me for cash, I’d have to buy a gift certificate with the cash & then buy the guitar case. I pulled out my debit card………..

I have been using my iPad Pro with an accessory keypad for most of my surfing. I opted for cellular so I could still use it when i leave WiFi. I do keep a desktop to store backups on iTunes.

Mine is a 1967 & looks very similar to yours. If you could get a look at your pot codes with a dental mirror or a WiFi Borescope that would help date it. Example 1376847, 137=CTS, 68=year pot was made & 47=week of year pot was made. Also, it looks like your bridge has nylon saddles & that helps identify it.

Serial numbers were really screwed up during this time period. The very earliest LPRs had a standard TOM bridge, then they switched to the harmonica bridge which you have. Yours is likely late 1972 to 1974. In 1975 they switched to an oval decal with serial # model & “Made in USA” printed on it. Also maple necks.

When they made the ES Les Paul, they used mahogany for the much thinner center block to make it sound like a Les Paul………

The bridge & vibrola were the same that were used on Gibsons during the same time frame.

I’ve been lucky on Reverb for the most part. One seller bragged about how well he was at packing. He charged more than I had ever paid for shipping. When the package arrived I was amazed the the guitar came in one piece! It wasn’t even a guitar box, just an oversized box with a smaller box over the headstock to limit the case from banging around!

The guitar was made in 2007, but it should have been made in the Nashville plant. The acoustics are made at the Bozeman plant.

Unusual! Gibson once again surprises me with an oddity…….

I’ve never seen a nut quite like yours. Could be that somebody stripped the brass nut & made one with an Allen wrench end. Many of us either are or know somebody that is in the machine trades.

It looks to me that the Les Paul Professional is a copy. The pickups have only two screws, not three like the originals. Gibson pickups have Gibson embossed on the top. Also, the bodies on these were a full inch larger than a standard Les Paul. It is very noticeable in the cutaway. The pickups are likely high impedance vs low impedance on the originals. A transformer chord was required to play these in a normal amp. Here is a photo of mine………..

Never being laid off or unemployed during my working years, I was concerned about how I would adapt to retirement. It was the most natural thing I ever did! It’s been over six years now & no regrets. Plenty of projects to do. Maintaining a pile of guitars and amps is a part time job in itself……..

Good luck!

There is a guy who posts on the “Les Paul Forum” in the “Other Gibsons” thread that worked at the Nashville factory. His name is Strings Jr and his thread is “Where are they now?” He likely knows the employee with those initials & has answered many people with similar questions. It’s an interesting read! P.S. I had to go back 10 pages to find it. The last post was June 29,2022.

I have found many hard to find items on eBay and Reverb just by watching & being patient.

The Custom has the Bright circuit, the Artist has the Expansion & Compression circuit plus the Bright circuit. They were designed by Moog.

First & fifth number should be the year manufactured. 1997.

Nice! I’ve had a pair for a number of years………

It seems a little less deeper than the case for my 2011. I have a Thunderbird bass also & the guitar case at that time was significantly deeper for headstock clearance. Should have clearance for tremolo also.

I've been using these since Schaller changed their design. I believe that they were made by Schaller & cheaper........... Fender Strap Locks and Buttons Set | Musician's Friend (musiciansfriend.com)

I’ve been using Schaller Straplocks on all of my ES guitars & basses for years. I switched to Fender straplocks after the Schallers changed their design. They seem to be still made by Schaller & look exactly like the original Schallers. I’ve never noticed being poked by the unit.