Mats A Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 Is the mahogany part of the body on Les Paul Traditionals and Standards today made of two pieces or just one piece? If two when did they start doing so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 . Trad - it's on the Gibson website here - http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-USA/Les-Paul-Traditional/Body.aspx "BodySpecies - Each Les Paul Traditional is made from a figured two-piece Grade-AA maple top attached with ultra-strong Franklin Titebond 50 glue to a solid, one- or two-piece Grade-A mahogany body." The Standard is the same - one or two piece. The Studio - AFAIK up to three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mats A Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 Thanks wonder why they´re not at least uses one piece mahogany bodies. It´s almost like a new type of pancake body. Both the weight relief and now this. They aren´t what they used to be. Then again does it affect the tone. Is the joint visible on the back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Thanks wonder why they´re not at least uses one piece mahogany bodies. It´s almost like a new type of pancake body. Both the weight relief and now this. They aren´t what they used to be. Then again does it affect the tone. Is the joint visible on the back? For the ten millionth time since the invention of the internet: The number of pieces put together to make the blank that makes the guitar is not an indication of quality. In fact, a good guitar, one with less chance of changes to the body causing problems in the paint, is made of pieces glued together. You say it is almost like a pancake body, then indicate that you have no idea about the sound of a guitar or if the seam on the back can be seen, so I doubt you even know what a pancake body is. "and now this". Electric solid body guitars have been both weight relieved and made out of multi-piece blanks since they existed. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mats A Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 Maybe it wont affect the tone but the Vintage Les Pauls weren´t made like this. And the Custom Shop either. And i know very well what a Pancake body is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Maybe it wont affect the tone but the Vintage Les Pauls weren´t made like this. Are you sure? Because I've played quite a few vintage Les Pauls that were not one piece bodies. Sure, it is probably not that unusual to have found a single piece back then, because there were more bigger chunksa mahogany laying around. If it still has the paint on the back, and most that survived do, there can be no way of telling if one piece or 8. Chances are, most of the ones you get to play were multi piece backs. Leo was the same. Much cheaper to make blanks out of pieces than to find lumber big enough to mill to a guitar size. He was a cheapskate. Does'nt mean there weren't one piece ash teles and stuff, there were. But most weren't one piece. And the Custom Shop either. Right. That's because some people have more money than experience with guitars. And the company lets the money make the market. Lots of companies that make lots of things do that. Remember my brother, most of the greatest sounds ever recorded were recorded with ordinary, run of the mill, junky fenders and gibsons, long before there were customs shops and long before guitars became conspicuous symbols of wealth. And i know very well what a Pancake body is. Then you should know that lots of people used them just fine and made some pretty good records with them. It isn't all that bad a thing, just in the minds of todays internet experts. Most of them weren't even there, so forgive me if I implied you were not. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 You got lucky rct. I've answered dozens of questions for this guy with absolutely no reply. Not even a thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Well yeah, you have that spooky avatar, guys prolly scared to death of you. Mines just Zardoz. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Too late (as ever). It's all been said. Well done, chaps. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 The reason that one piece bodies are supposedly preferred are that the wood that they're made from is likely to be lighter, since bigger trees are generally less dense. Back in the old days, there were more big mahogany trees and there was more lighter wood. For whatever that is worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mats A Posted October 5, 2012 Author Share Posted October 5, 2012 Thanks a lot i appreciate all your answeres AXE@ and rct! But why this kind of harsh attitude. It´s just guitars a piece of wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Sorry if I seem testy. I have a lot of people ask me for research help. But most answers are as close as a search engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyBillyBob1 Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Are you sure? Because I've played quite a few vintage Les Pauls that were not one piece bodies. Sure, it is probably not that unusual to have found a single piece back then, because there were more bigger chunksa mahogany laying around. If it still has the paint on the back, and most that survived do, there can be no way of telling if one piece or 8. Chances are, most of the ones you get to play were multi piece backs. Leo was the same. Much cheaper to make blanks out of pieces than to find lumber big enough to mill to a guitar size. He was a cheapskate. Does'nt mean there weren't one piece ash teles and stuff, there were. But most weren't one piece. Right. That's because some people have more money than experience with guitars. And the company lets the money make the market. Lots of companies that make lots of things do that. Remember my brother, most of the greatest sounds ever recorded were recorded with ordinary, run of the mill, junky fenders and gibsons, long before there were customs shops and long before guitars became conspicuous symbols of wealth. Then you should know that lots of people used them just fine and made some pretty good records with them. It isn't all that bad a thing, just in the minds of todays internet experts. Most of them weren't even there, so forgive me if I implied you were not. rct This Gibson video is a brief overview of how the reissue models are made. At the end of the video the narrator ,Duane Eddy, states that the body is made from one piece of lightweight mahogany and a bookmatched maple top. There is no weight relief or multiple piece backs. Just like the old ones. Go to 6:45 on the video. He specifically staes the backs are a solid piece of wood and NOT bookmatched or weight relieved. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5emDYrC6co&feature=related Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 That is for USA not Custom Shop. I have some USA models that are weight relieved and two piece backed. None of my Custom shops have them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyBillyBob1 Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 That is for USA not Custom Shop. I have some USA models that are weight relieved and two piece backed. None of my Custom shops have them. Sorry I was confused. The old "real 1959 Standards" were all one piece mahogany backs. I must have misunderstood rct when he said "Are you sure? Because I've played quite a few vintage Les Pauls that were not one piece bodies. Sure, it is probably not that unusual to have found a single piece back then, because there were more bigger chunksa mahogany laying around. If it still has the paint on the back, and most that survived do, there can be no way of telling if one piece or 8. Chances are, most of the ones you get to play were multi piece backs. Gibson makes 1959 reissues that are not from the Custom Shop? I did not know that. Do you have a link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 No they don't. This is the USA section and I;m answering accordingly. Is the mahogany part of the body on Les Paul Traditionals and Standards today made of two pieces or just one piece? If two when did they start doing so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyBillyBob1 Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 No they don't. This is the USA section and I;m answering accordingly. I am kinda slow today. Thanks for your patience. Still I think rct is a bit off regarding those 50+ year old LP's. No matter I will never be able to own one so I am in love with my 2012 Standard. Played on it for 8 hours today (and the day is not even over yet). I am becoming obsessed with this guitar. I literally fall asleep on my sofa with it in my hands all plugged in and ready to go. I think I have lost my mind thanks to Gibson. Do you think I have a basis for a lawsuit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 You just might! Here is one of my USA backs. Not a Trad Just a 2004 Standard. Pre Trad and new Standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Sorry I was confused. The old "real 1959 Standards" were all one piece mahogany backs. I must have misunderstood rct when he said "Are you sure? Because I've played quite a few vintage Les Pauls that were not one piece bodies. ... Just a guess, CBB, but I'm thinking rct was talking about the '68-on Les Pauls (which can still be described as 'vintage') rather than the '52-'60 examples. That's how I interpreted his comments anyhow. As he says "...most of the ones you get to play..." it suggested to me that it isn't the earlier ones under discussion in his post. Norlins, whilst not exactly ten-a-penny, are hardly thin on the ground in comparison to the first series. In 35 years of playing I've played well over a dozen of the former but never had the chance to play a single example of the latter. An afterthought; AFAIK all the Standards back in the early days were made with one-piece mahogany backs but were the Customs also always one-piece? As they were going to be painted there was no longer any need to use up all the largest slabs on these guitars. Anyone here with a genuine '53 - '60 Custom who can shed some light? P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Maybe it wont affect the tone but the Vintage Les Pauls weren´t made like this. And the Custom Shop either. And i know very well what a Pancake body is. Gibson stopped making pancake bodies when Aunt Jemima sued them.....Get yer facts straight...... I also doubt you have ANY idea how vintage Les Pauls were made.................................................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Ok so I was maybe not clear. In my experience, from the handful or so of 50s Les Pauls I have been lucky enough to touch to the present day schtuff I can say the following: I briefly owned a really beat 54(ish) goldtop, P90s, virtually no paint left on the back, offset seamed body. Sounded RIGHTEOUS, needed too much work. My music store boss early 80s owned two 57s, one goldtop, one full on refinned Dimarzio'd Grovered mess. Both offset seamed. Both made Les Paul sounds we want. Our store took in two 58-9(ish) sunbursts, both in delicious condition, both single piece backs. Remember, we werent obsessed with back pieces in them days. 30 years later he still has one, and he would tell you himself that he kept the one that was less a brick than the other. They just werent that great, the pickups were prolly worth more than the guitars. Dull. The 70s were full of cherry sunburst customs and deluxes with minis. Mine were either great guitars stupidly traded for firebirds and L6sii, or loafs. Also traded! All with thick coats of candy shell, no idea how many pieces them blanks were, didnt even think about it. After the custom shop, the 90s brought money. People that didnt exactly take them out and bang on cymbals with them and put marlbls up in the Grovers were buying lots of them, and they naturally wanted their super flamey top to be better than that other lawyers in the next office. Flames, quilts, and one piece backs became the status symbols within the status symbol that Les Pauls already are. Along with that came Mythology, lots, about all these beauty marks. A great guitar does not know how many pieces it is made of, it is just great. There are very very many great ones with all kinds of piecing. There are one piece meh guitars. There are even more that were well seamed, well filled, and very well painted that nobody knows the number of pieces the blank has. In short, it means nothing. Guitar makers will tell you that multiple piece blanks are more stable over time, less chance of changes to the shape, less chance of cracking the lacquer or pushing the binding off. My 2000 Classic Premium Plus is the best I have ever played. I basically relieved MARS of it for less than half price as they gurgled into bankruptcy. Couple weeks after I bought it, I put 57 classics in it, and a big ol soldering iron burn on the back. That was when I bothered to even look at the seam. Well centered, really well filled, really hard to find, but there. To this day, whenever anyone plays it, they want it, like all well loved and high mileage Les Pauls. And they really want it because in the 60 second stare at the back, they think its one piece! So to me, if anyone wants one piece, go for it! But it doesnt guarantee a great guitar, and it never has. That is my experience, and I respect and love the experience of others. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyBillyBob1 Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 So to me, if anyone wants one piece, go for it! But it doesnt guarantee a great guitar, and it never has. That is my experience, and I respect and love the experience of others. rct I agree with you 110%. The ratio of good to bad LP's from the 50's is a lot better when they were using one piece backs. That does not not mean there were no crappy guitars built back then and a one piece back does not guarantee a great guitar. On the other hand some of the greatest LP's ever, like a '59 holy grail, is one piece. If you are going to spend the money a Custom Shop Reissue cost you damn well better get a one piece body. I have a Squire Tele that is way cheap with a pine body and I would put it against any USA made Fender Tele. I think I got lucky. Point being is that you have a better chance of getting a great guitar with a solid piece of wood than one with multiple pieces. As far as a salesman telling you that multiple pieces are more sturdy... what is he going to say, this is crap but it's all I have? I don't mean to say it is crap, it could actually be a wonderfull guitar. I think we can all agree... try before you buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 ...As far as a salesman telling you that multiple pieces are more sturdy... That isn't at all what I wrote. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyBillyBob1 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 That isn't at all what I wrote. rct I stand corrected. You said.. "Guitar makers will tell you that multiple piece blanks are more stable over time, less chance of changes to the shape, less chance of cracking the lacquer or pushing the binding off." I am sure luthiers, manufacturers, users, and sales people all have different opinions on this. I'm not looking to confront you and I certainly don't need any enemies. Peace to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 There's lots of nice one piece backs coming out of the factory these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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