new gear arrived

[lucy-guitar]

Hi, due to a week filled up with work I missed myself the warmed up Les Paul Recording topic. Nevertheless I wanted to share with you my new Lester which arrived during the week. It's an all original Les Paul Recording from 1973 with the infamous "low impedance" pickups.

Today I gave her some cleaning, fretboard oiling, fresh strings and hardware polishing (Nevrdull did a good job) and then spent several hours playing and caressing her. Dunno why some guitarreros detest those recording pups. They are as good as any PAT no. pup with more transparency and - thanks to the gadgets in the electronic cavity - a grand variety of sounds and combinations. Last but not least the out of phase feature. And despite their name the low impedance pups deliver low impedance (for recording) only when "low" is activated. Otherwise (on "high") they do whatever you may expect from any Gibson humbucker.

The guitar sounds and plays great, is not too heavy for a 70s Gibson (10,2 lbs) and the slightly slanted body contour is a relief for a man in his 40s

Hope you like it (I do!)

 

[ChanMan]

WOW Lucy!!! I have never seen one in that excellent condition. GREAT addition to the stable! Gratz!

[Thundergod]

Wow... nice guitar, I like those recording lesters a lot, if they are good enough for the man, then they are good enough for any of us... agree?

[lowb5str]

The silver-face Twin is a '73 also, no?

 

Yikes! I'm having flashbacks, and there wasn't any pharmaceutical involved....:P

[retrosurfer1959]

What a Beauty that's a gorgeous guitar

[lucy-guitar]

WOW Lucy!!! I have never seen one in that excellent condition. GREAT addition to the stable! Gratz!

Thanks ChanMan. The Recording really looks great although it has some minor flaws. One of the plastic "ears" on the neck pup that hold the adjustment screws was broken. It took me two hours yesterday (and some super glue) to fix it again. Looks good now' date=' hopefully it will last. Then there is a lot of belt buckle wear, but that's quite understandable after 35 years of playing - as well as the fret wear. The neck is similar to the 60s/70s Custom necks known as fretless wonder. But these frets are definitely too fretless. There is a fretjob to be done urgently. Other than that: The pickguard is missing (but got one NOS already on fleabay) and two screws - one of a pup mounting ring, the other of the superior strap button - are broken and their lower part still stick in the body. No idea what I am going to do - drill a bigger whole and then fill it up with a woden pin, leave it as it is or take it to my luthier. Any recommendations, guys?

But, most important: This baby sounds, screams, sings like no other...

 

The silver-face Twin is a '73 also, no?

 

Not exactly. It's a '77 silverface with push/pull master volume - great amp with extremely powerfull JBLs

 

... if they are good enough for the man' date=' then they are good enough for any of us... [/quote']

 

Yeah man, that's exactly what I thought when buying it.

[lowb5str]

Your luthier should have the extractor needed. If not, he can gently create the installation of a straplock screw after removing the broken stub. Good luck.

[myspace.com/jessenoah]

that might be the most un-attractive les paul ive ever seen...........

but i bet that set up sounds like a motha!

 

congrats

[Flight959]

What a Beauty that's a gorgeous guitar

 

 

 

My thoughts exactly

 

Flight959

[SRV-Zeppelin]

Congratulations on the new guitar! I've never been a huge fan of the recording Pauls, but it's still a Gibson- and therefore still awesome.

[Cruznolfart]

Sweet! Congrats.

[Murph]

Wow. I bought my '72 Recording around 1980 in Mesa/Tempe Az. Swapped a Tangent mixer for it. Played it 14 years. Wore the frets and finish off.

 

I moved to Lake Charles La. around '82 and was gigging it there and needed a new bridge around the late 80's. Downtown Lake Charles by the Courthouse was an OLD music store called Zypiens. They had been a Gibson dealer. I told the old man I needed a bridge for a Recording and he dug aound and brought me a rectagular bridge, like yours has. Mine had been changed I guess, because it was a regular TOM. When I told him that he got a puzzled look and went to the back room. He came out with a NOS Recording in the case. I was young and not in a position to buy, and don't even remember if he gave me a price, but it did indeed have that bridge.

 

A few years later (around '93) he died. When I heard that, I remembered the Lester. When I went back his very feeble wife was reluctant at first when I told her I knew he had some Gibsons in the back, but finally let me and my wife back there. When she pulled the Gibson case out I was sweating bullets. When I opened the case, a 1979 "The S.G." was inside. Walnut. It was the last Gibson from when he was a dealer. I'd never seen one of those.

 

The hang tag said $799.00 and even though it probably wasn't worth that, she was very old and wouldn't budge off that price. I bought it!

I still have it and used it on the DOUBLE AUGHT (cdbaby) in 1998.

 

I traded my Recording off here in Illinois around '94, it was pretty much unplayable after 14 years of gigging, but very reliced.....

 

But I always wondered what happened to that NOS one he had.

 

Sorry for the long story, but I lived with one of those for many years.

 

Best of luck.

 

Murph.

[BIGBENDS]

I'd be proud to own her. Good score Lucy-Guitar!

[lucy-guitar]

.

Sorry for the long story' date=' but I lived with one of those for many years.

[/quote']

 

Thanks Murph for sharing your very intersting story. You should try to find out what happened the the mysterious Recording. Your "The SG" must be intersting as well - two t-top humbuckers, one double-black, one with zebra-bobbins, aren't they?

Cheers, Lucy