Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Supping up my Les Paul


Mad Rax

Recommended Posts

I'm souping up my Les Paul, this is a custom shop Joe Perry model...............or was.

I made the mistake of buying her on the internet, we should always try them out before we buy, and learned the meaning of "50s neck". I hated it......way to thick for me. I couldn't just have shaved it down because the finish on the back is not really black (as it looks on the pics.), it's rather a beautiful very dark brown. I thought it would look horrible if I tried to equal the finish so I had better make it look onpurpose, so a friend of mine painted on it before giving it a nitrocellulose varnish.

The first time I showed it I got a good response; "I don't like the drawing". Which was perfect since it means that people think I went for the painting idea and thus they don't realise that I shaved down the neck. A good camouflage job.

I also installed a Bigsby with a roller nut.

I changed the pickups for two EMG 89ers which include coil tap. I prefer Seymour Duncan live wires but they cannot be coil taped. I also prefer passive pups however I'm playing with a lot of distortion and EMGs are sooooo silent that I was able to ditch the noise gate and go back to guitar-cable-amp (no FX) setup.

When you coil tap you get a lower output so I also installed an EMG afterburner which is why there is an extra knob on the Les Paul. The EMGs required some routing on the LP so a new cover on the back had to be set in, it looks ugly so I will change it.

Any comments are welcome.

Bone305front.jpg

Bone305neck.jpg

Bone305back.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow! That is one sweet looking guitar. It certainly has that Joe Perry bad boy look going on. I'm not a fan of the Bigsby's, however with that top and the black pickups it has undeniable character and a bad attitude. Rock on! BTW, why is that control cavity cover larger than usual?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow! That is one sweet looking guitar. It certainly has that Joe Perry bad boy look going on. I'm not a fan of the Bigsby's' date=' however with that top and the black pickups it has undeniable character and a bad attitude. Rock on! BTW, why is that control cavity cover larger than usual?[/quote']

Thanks.

The control cavity had to be enlarged to fit in the electronics of the EMG afterburner, which is the black knob where the neck tone pot was, now the neck tone is where the neck volume was and a new knob was inserted right below the bridge. That is now the neck volume which is where I like it; in the reach of my little finger.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brother Mad Rax, you just modified a $5000.00 guitar and lost tons of value on it. Would've been better to find yourself a guitar that suited your left hand and the modifications. By modifying your Joe Perry Sig, you just made other owner's of the same guitar richer & happier. Oh well. To each his own.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow...... I love that neck. I would have put the full bigsby though with the nice big tailpiece like on the black beauties. The knobs, i would have left original. The back plate i would have left black. I might not have done all that to it though. I would have added a full bigsby and a coil taps, otherwise stock. cos i cant do the neck like that....... : (

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...