Les Paul Custom VOS - Pelham Blue

[Betadingo]

Greetings everybody,

 

My first post here, and I must say I'm stoked beyond belief to be making it. This past Friday I parted with a few thousand of my hard earned dollars. I bought (with much soul searching and ground kicking) one of the nicest IMO Les Pauls available today. A Les Paul Custom VOS in Pelham Blue w/chrome hardware. Couldn't be happier with it. The fit, finish, playability, intonation, etc are all outstanding. Sure it's got a bit of orange peel and some over zealous sanding, and all the other cute little quirks that Gibson owners have come to love but hey, it's a monster tone machine that plays, sounds and looks like a million bucks. My reason for this post is to try to cut through the tons of conflicting information about it. I've come across posts and reviews and opinions that touch upon the things I would like to know, but nowhere have I found a definitive answer to just what model specs this beauty falls under.

 

First of all. The actual model; The code on my pricetag reads LPC VPBCH. I will interpret that as, Les Paul Custom VOS Pelham Blue Chrome Hardware. Some places I have seen people putting this guitar in with the 68RI LPC that came in black with chrome hardware. Frankly there is no indication I have that this would be a 68RI. This seems to me as more of a regular CS LPC, but with the blue VOS finish and chrome parts. I have not popped the PUs out yet, but I'm assuming they are 57 Classics. I took the back plate off and it has the standard wiring scheme with Gibson USA pots and those little orange drop caps as well as the Nashville tuneomatic. Again, not indicicative of a 68RI, which should have PIO caps and Burstbucker PUs and an ABR 1 bridge...am I right? :blink: I also assume this guitar has the swiss cheese weight relief holes. Although, I have read that all VOS Les Pauls are solid with the exception of the chambered models that crop up, like the LPC Antique Pelham Blue, which looks a lot greener than mine. Those models are identified with a different serial number prefix. My serial number is inked on and read CS 1018XX. That makes it a 2010 model? Gibson.com does not show this guitar on their website, but that's not unusual. I was told that they have stopped spraying Pelham Blue for the time being. Ah well this guitar is a mish mash of new and old, common and unusual, yin and yang. Screw it. I'm going to bed.