JellyWheat

Try a single-ended Class-A amp before all the pedals. It will do just what you describe. J/W

What Shred said! J/W

The guitar is definitely bogus... good thing you thought to check BEFORE you parted with your cash. J/W

The answer is: a garter snake! J/W [... am I in the right thread?]

medium roast Colombian/French press/black/120+ ounces per day, every day. I don't do alcohol, drugs, or nicotine: only coffee [and I sleep just fine!] J/W

I'm gonna say this once, and only once... NO !!! for chrissakes! [Now go to your room and learn to play that thang!] J/W

I do not believe this is a legitimate Les Paul Custom. 1. The fingerboard should be ebony, not rosewood. 2. The fingerboard inlays shouls be mother of pearl, not acrylic. 3. The headstock binding and nut are not true to the genuine Gibson style. 4. The headstock seems too narrow, although this may just be the paralax of the shot. 5. The color, as you mentioned, is unusual for Gibson, to say the least. 6. The fret ends go over the binding, rather than having nubs. 7. The headstock veneer and diamond inlay don't look right. My $0.02/FWIW J/W

L5Larry and retrorod are bang on. I have a '61 MM with an uncompensated wrap-around bridge. It intonates and plays just fine... My $0.02/FWIW J/W

CH = chrome hardware

Just use an inspection mirror and a flashlight... J/W

It's mahogany... slab cut rather than quartered or rift-sawn. I have one very similar to it except with P-90s and in worn red (the pictured one is brown). I really quite dislike the finish on mine, but it is my second (third?)-best guitar in terms of tone and playability. My $0.02 J/W B)

Band on the Run/ Paul McCartney and Wings

Good for you! Keep the faith! J/w

I'm no expert, but a lot of CS serial numbers are stenciled on underneath the lacquer. My 137 is a Memphis-made guitar. They call it a "Custom Shop", but I think Nashville is the real McCoy. (And I'm not dissing Memphis when I say that - my guitar couldn't be nicer, even if it came out of Nashville! Somebody please correct me if I am wrong on this!) In any case, my guitar, a 2009 model, has the pressed-in serial number and not a stencil. Gibson will tell you for sure... Good luck B) J/W