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famous black beauty players?


stabarah

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Posted

can you guys name all of the rockers that used black beauties ( epi or gibson ). Just to give me an idea of the sounds i can pull off with this bad boy. So far I know :

 

-jimmy page - black beauty bigsby

- neil young - black beauty bigsby

 

,Sean

Posted

I never knew randy used a Black Beauty, but found a couple pics doing a quick search, only live shots I could find of him with a les paul was with his white 2 pup custom, no live shots with the Black Beauty:

 

 

2236157659_58b5f409b5.jpg?v=0

 

 

randy_91.jpg

Posted

Herman Munster of course:

 

2989288982_a833881a3a.jpg?v=0

 

 

Amy Winehouse with a Epiphone(not sure she actually played it or if it was just a photo op):

N_AmyWinehouse.jpg

 

 

 

 

A couple of notables who played Two Pickup Black Beauty's(I have always thought of a true Black Beauty as being only the 3 pickup models, not sure if that is correct or not though) are Pete Townsend(The Who) and Steve Gaines(Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Posted

28v6R is right, Frampton played one and did indeed have a signature model. (I assume 28 was unsure, by the question mark)

 

He played the Gibson:

 

framptondp1.gif

 

Just google image "Peter Frampton" and you get many good quality images of him (young and old) with a special Black Beauty in hand.

 

Plug in that Wah pedal for maximum Frampronization!

Posted

Edited by OP

The following account is bull***t, and a test to see who was awake out there (good job CB and Nelson). Believe it or not a version of the account was actually printed in a leading guitar magazine about Peter Frampton some time ago. Just goes to show....

 

Peter Frampton was who the 3-humbuckered Les Paul was made for!

Supposedly' date=' it was made by a private luthier who had gone to a Humble Pie concert and noticed that Frampton was frustrated with his LP sound. So the guy shows up backstage a few nights later, gives Frampton his creation FREE. Frampton says something like, "well anything is better that what I have" takes the guitar onstage and the rest as they say is history.[/quote']

 

Hit every BLUE NOTE baaaby..., I'm going to play on:-"

Posted

Gibson Les Paul Custom (3 humbucker version) was introduced in 1957 (correction), according to the Gibson Les Paul Book (page 18).

So, that would have been awhile before "Humble Pie," or Frampton's introduction to that model, custom

made, or otherwise. Peter may have had a custom made version, from a private luthier, or even Gibson,

but it was not the first version, by a long ways. ;>)

 

CB

Posted
Gibson Les Paul Custom (3 humbucker version) was introduced in 1960' date=' according to the Gibson Les Paul Book (page 18).

So, that would have been awhile before "Humble Pie," or Frampton's introduction to that model, custom

made, or otherwise. Peter may have had a custom made version, from a private luthier, or even Gibson,

but it was not the first version, by a long ways. ;>)

 

CB[/quote']

 

Last year I sold my 1958 Les Paul Custom with threee PAF humbuckers and late 1957 pot codes(for enough to buy about eighty Epiphone Les Paul Customs). The first three humbucker'ed LPCs showed up in mid-1957...Frampton's LPC was an original...the story is bullsh1t. Gibson reissued the three pickup LP Custom in about 1976 after Frampton Mania created a market and it was around for a couple of years

 

 

Nelson

Guest alanhindle
Posted
Herman Munster of course:

 

2989288982_a833881a3a.jpg?v=0

 

 

Amy Winehouse with a Epiphone(not sure she actually played it or if it was just a photo op):

N_AmyWinehouse.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, I'm confused.

 

Can somebody clarify for me which picture is the one of Herman Munster and which is the one is of Amy Winehouse?

 

Alan

Posted

Yeah, I missed a period (need to change my glasses, I guess?), in that article...it said from '57 on, you could get either

a 2 or 3 pickup version. Apparently both were called "Black Beauties," because of their Black finishes, and extra binding,

gold hardware, more "bling!" The earlier versions were called "Fretless Wonders," as well...because of the thinner/lower

frets, but after '57, it says they were no longer referred to, that way, as the newer "jumbo" frets were "standard,"

apparently. I had a '68 (Reissue) in '68...and it was called a "Fretless Wonder," again...at that time. It also had the lower,

thinner frets....which I had changed, to the fatter ones, for my preference.

Another guitar, I wish I had never sold!!8-[:-s

 

CB

Posted

 

Sorry' date=' I'm confused.

 

Can somebody clarify for me which picture is the one of Herman Munster and which is the one is of Amy Winehouse.

 

Alan[/quote']

 

LOL! Actually, Amy looks pretty GOOD, there!! She's certainly had her "moments," though...no doubt!

 

CB

Posted
Yeah' date=' I missed a period (need to change my glasses, I guess?), in that article...it said from '57 on, you could get either

a 2 or 3 pickup version. Apparently both were called "Black Beauties," because of their Black finishes, and extra binding,

gold hardware, more "bling!" The earlier versions were called "Fretless Wonders," as well...because of the thinner/lower

frets, but after '57, it says they were no longer referred to, that way, as the newer "jumbo" frets were "standard,"

apparently. I had a '68 (Reissue) in '68...and it was called a "Fretless Wonder," again...at that time. It also had the lower,

thinner frets....which I had changed, to the fatter ones, for my preference.

Another guitar, I wish I had never sold!!=P~#-o

 

CB[/quote']

Two humbucker'ed Les Paul Customs from 1957 -1960 are as rare as hen's teeth...I've seen ONE in thirty odd years of looking and it was a white one.. I've owned a '55, a '56 and a '58 Les Paul Custom and I currently own (since 1974) a '69/'70 that strangely dates to 1966 by the serial number (not possible that it's a '66 ) with mixed '69 and post '70 features-small volute/stamped "made in USA"/'69 pot codes/pancake body but with a mahogany neck that is a kinda rare factory-custom cream white like the SGs of the early 70's (now YELLOW) version (with "CUSTOM" trc) with very low but wide frets and also a 2000 version that is much "whiter" but has more of the thin, low frets of the 50's models with a kinda thick 50's neck and a Nashville bridge. The '70 and the 2000 both have maple caps. George Gruhn once said he thought at first the '70 was a very early production model from '68 when they thought they were going to reissue them in white and maybe knocked a few off before switching to black but a lot of the other features are from 1970 or later so that can't be either...when I first got it it had black speed knobs but four reflector cap knobs were in the case...originally it should have had witch hat knobs...and the case is a gold-lined rectangular case that came with the '68s...very weird guitar to say the least....maybe it's a fake lol The 50's LPCs were solid mahogany.

 

As far as famous Black Beauty players, Neil's "Old Black" was a re-sprayed gold top not an LPC but John Fogerty and Albert Lee both have also used them...Albert Lee's was given to him by Eric Clapton who I believed previously used it for the Live Peace In Toronto show with Lennon. Mickey Baker of "Mickey and Sylvia" and his jazz course books fame had a few factory custom Black Beauties made for him in the 50's that had much different control configurations and these have come up for sale at incredibly ridiculous prices.

 

I wish I hadn't sold my '50's LPs either but the first two I sold to be able to buy other guitars and the last one I sold to help my son get a house and to pay my ex-wife off the money I owed her from our divorce. I sold my '58 in October of 2007 (after trying to sell it for almost a year) and six months later they were going for almost double and I wanted to kick myself but now the ones that are actually being sold are going for less than what I got so I don't feel as bad. There are no sure things in life and especially not in the vintage guitar world.

 

Nelson

Posted

Two humbucker'ed Les Paul Customs from 1957 -1960 are as rare as hen's teeth...I've seen ONE in thirty odd years of looking and it was a white one.. I've owned a '55' date=' a '56 and a '58 Les Paul Custom and I currently own (since 1974) a '69/'70 that strangely dates to 1966 by the serial number (not possible that it's a '66 ) with mixed '69 and post '70 features-small volute/stamped "made in USA"/'69 pot codes/pancake body but with a mahogany neck that is a kinda rare factory-custom cream white like the SGs of the early 70's (now YELLOW) version (with "CUSTOM" trc) with very low but wide frets and also a 2000 version that is much "whiter" but has more of the thin, low frets of the 50's models with a kinda thick 50's neck and a Nashville bridge. The '70 and the 2000 both have maple caps. George Gruhn once said he thought at first the '70 was a very early production model from '68 when they thought they were going to reissue them in white and maybe knocked a few off before switching to black but a lot of the other features are from 1970 or later so that can't be either...when I first got it it had black speed knobs but four reflector cap knobs were in the case...originally it should have had witch hat knobs...and the case is a gold-lined rectangular case that came with the '68s...very weird guitar to say the least....maybe it's a fake lol The 50's LPCs were solid mahogany.

 

As far as famous Black Beauty players, Neil's "Old Black" was a re-sprayed gold top not an LPC but John Fogerty and Albert Lee both have also used them...Albert Lee's was given to him by Eric Clapton who I believed previously used it for the Live Peace In Toronto show with Lennon. Mickey Baker of "Mickey and Sylvia" and his jazz course books fame had a few factory custom Black Beauties made for him in the 50's that had much different control configurations and these have come up for sale at incredibly ridiculous prices.

 

I wish I hadn't sold my '50's LPs either but the first two I sold to be able to buy other guitars and the last one I sold to help my son get a house and to pay my ex-wife off the money I owed her from our divorce. I sold my '58 in October of 2007 (after trying to sell it for almost a year) and six months later they were going for almost double and I wanted to kick myself but now the ones that are actually being sold are going for less than what I got so I don't feel as bad. There are no sure things in life and especially not in the vintage guitar world.

 

Nelson[/quote']I hear you, I sold off about $175k of guitars in the last 2 years, timing is everything, and no one has a crystal ball to tell you the best time.

 

You pick your place and you take it as it is.

 

I do regret selling my 56 LP Custom, even though they are not "the" model it was sweet though it was a bit rough in looks it played wonderful.

 

In the end I was, and still am, on a quest to get my finances in line as much as possible. Cars as well as guitars went.

 

I sold off my 2001 Camaro SS, my heavily modded 10 second 1992 Eagle Talon and a lot of vintage Pontiac Ram Air IV and ultra rare Ram Air V parts too, I sold heads and intakes and motors for several thousand dollars making a huge profit, who knows a few more years they may have sold for double, or half. Markets are impossible to call.

 

If you got what you wanted at the time I guess that's all that matters.

 

Hey, happy new year, hope for all the best for ya.

Posted

when shplays does it sound like a dying cat?=D>

 

 

 

Errr..... To much of the Egnog there Amigo.....=;

 

Egnog....is that anything like eggnog , paisan ?

 

 

 

Nelson

Posted

Back to topic,

 

John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival).

Jan Akkerman (Brainbox, Focus) Dutch virtuoso.

Jimi Hendrix occasionally used a black Gibson Les Paul Custom, a white 3 pickup Gibson Les Paul/SG

and a black Gibson Flying V (on Red House/Isle of Wight 1970) and a hand painted Flying V.

 

Peter

Posted
Back to topic' date='

 

John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival).

Jan Akkerman (Brainbox, Focus) Dutch virtuoso.

Jimi Hendrix occasionally used a black Gibson Les Paul Custom, a white 3 pickup Gibson Les Paul/SG

and a black Gibson Flying V (on Red House/Isle of Wight 1970) and a hand painted Flying V.

 

Peter[/quote']

 

Pretty sure that Robert Fripp of King Crimson used one too.

 

GC

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