Oddball Junior?

[Surfabilly]

Did Gibson ever produce any Les Paul Juniors having a Tune-O-Matic bridge and stop bar tail piece, and without a pick guard? Yesterday, I put a used (2000) Gibson Les Paul Junior on lay-away (for 90 days), Worn Cherry finish, and as described in my question. As near as I can figure out, from following google searches yesterday, this particular Junior has likely been modified by a/the previous owner. With that, I'm not going to feel bad about replacing the stop bar tail piece with a Bigsby B5, since I prefer to play both rockabilly and surf. I also own a Gibson Les Paul Faded Double Cut, Worn Cherry finish, that I'm also planning to modify with a Bigsby B5, which with the coming Les Paul I'll call them my "fraternal twins," since the FDC has two P90s - the same as I call my Fender Telecaster and Fender Stratocaster "fraternal twins," for both of them having sunburst finishes and maple fingerboards.

 

I had actually been shopping around for an el-cheapo travel guitar ($100.00 - $150.00), when I happened upon the Gibson Les Paul Junior. Since I have an Epiphone Les Paul Jr. 90, and favor single coil over humbucker pickups, I will be using the Epi for my travel guitar, playing through my lil' Vox DA5 combo.

 

Matt in Indiana

[ToneBaron]

...did you say 90 day layaway?

 

Wow.

[GuitarJunkie]

The shop where I buy my Gibson gear has a 90 day layaway.

 

Hey Surfabilly, is this the guitar you're talking about?

 

This was the Melody Maker "reissue" available until about a year or so ago until they came out with the current MM. I used quotes because technically, they never made a Melody Maker like that. How much were they asking for it?

[JohnnyCrash]

No pickgaurd? Sounds like my exact model, except with the pickgaurd removed.

 

I have a 2000 Les Paul Junior LITE with two P-90s a stopbar and TOM bridge... it does have a pickgaurd though, but you can remove it since the finish is underneath and the P-90 routes don't go under the pickgaurd at all.

 

I suspect the finish may actually be Cinnamon Red, since I don't think the Faded Series were made until '01... it could also be a Faded Junior w/ gaurd removed.

 

Does it look something like this (I'm in the process of installing a Gibson minihumbucker in the neck spot)?

 

 

 

 

I believe you'll want the Bigsby B5 tremolo unit for a flat top like a Junior.

[Surfabilly]

I'll have to take some pictures of it, when I get it out of lay-away. Essentially, it looks nearly exactly the same as my Les Paul Faded Double Cut, except for not having a pick guard, only one P90, and just one each volume and one tone control. I'd consider making another pick guard for it, buying a pick guard blank and using the one from my Epi as a template, but I think the lack of one gives it a bit of character.

 

Matt

[Surfabilly]

Got my "new" Gibson out of lay-away, this past Friday, and although I hadn't noticed it before, the shape of the headstock told me that it wasn't a Junior. From doing some google searching, I found a 15 January 2007 NAMM Harmony Central article, and there (the red one in the bigger photo) is my Les Paul. GuitarJunkie had it right, that it's a Melody Maker. I'd tried a Melody Maker at Guitar Center, in Indianapolis, back in February 2007, and to be honest it would've lost to my Epiphone Les Paul Jr. 90 in a tone contest. If I'm not mistaken, that Melody Maker just had the wrap around tailpiece, as opposed to the stop bar/TOM combination on my Melody Maker. Since it has the stop bar/TOM, I'll replace the stop bar with one of my Bigsby B5 vibratos. The other Bigsby will go on my Faded Double Cut.

 

Matt