DW Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Just got a new LP Studio worn cherry color with the flat wood grain finish. Anyone got any tips on how to best take care of this type of finish? Don't know if I should use any oils, polishes, etc. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 The best way to clean a guitar is with a soft pure cotton cloth and elbow grease, with a little hot breath here and there. Polishes and waxes should be used sparingly as they can build up over time. Fretboards can be cleaned and conditioned or oiled a couple of times a year depending on the temperature, humidity and amount of playing it gets. A well played guitar in a moderate climate may never need to be oiled, as the oils in your finger tips will do that. In a dry climate you might need to give it a rub down with lemon oil now and then. Oiling a fretboard is a misunderstood thing. Oil it too much and the wood gets soft and the frets will lift. Polishing cloths are ok to use too, but avoid using synthetic materials i.e. polyester knit shirts or rags as they can harm the finish. I use cotton chamois cloths. Also don't leave the guitar in a stand for any length of time. When you are finished playing put it back in the case, flat on it's back. That is where it is happiest. Standing cases can fall and a headstock can break even while in a case. If you use a stand or hanger, make sure the material is safe for nitrocellulose finishes, better yet cover the rubber coated parts with leather or cotton 'socks' for safety. The rubber, especially on older stands can damage and eat into the finish really quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New LP Dad Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 I just ordered a new Vintage Mahogany Studio in Cherry for my son, after a great deal of father/son negotiation on a payment plan (yeah...we'll see how that works out). It will arrive next week after being set up. I am not a guitar player but a horn playing geek who spent 10 years with a Chicago cover band. He's played his way up through a Yamaha acoustic and a Japan Squier Strat which I've upgraded with American Standard Pickups, switches and bridge, and Gotoh tuners. The reviews for this guitar in Harmony-Central are generally glowing and a few long term LP players have made a couple of good, constructive criticisms about some of the hardware that comes standard on the guitar. Specifially the strap buttons, the rhythm/treble switch and the tuners. The strap buttons are a no brainer to me, because I'd like to give my son every possible advantage when it comes to not dropping the guitar on the garage floor (someday stage?) I guess we'll wait until the switch fails, but if there are any opinions on tuners which are a little less tweaky to get correctly tuned and rock solid. Any suggestions on strap locks and tuners that will improve the playability of what sounds like an excellent guitar but still keep it 100% in the mainstream of acceptable Les Paul hardware and not diminsh it's value? I'll wait and see on the tuners until the 1st string change or two, but I'll start him off with more secure strap buttons. He'll be playing through a Marshall AVT-20 and has a Boss SD-1 pedal both/either of which I understand will help him get his LP growling. Any opinions appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod B Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 I have a Norlin-era 1976 LP Special reissue in Tobacco Sunburst that was originally equipped with 2 P90s and a one-piece bridge/stopbar. Many years ago I replaced the bridge P90 with a DiMarzio Super Distortion, and that puppy wails. It was my working guitar for years and years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 LP Dad, I have owned and been playing LPs since 1980, and I have never seen a bad tuner. That is an urban myth, started years ago when Gibson stopped using tuners made by Kluson, but kept the same overall style. In fact I have never seen a tuning key that was bad, on any guitar. On 99.5% of them, even the $15 sets, it is physically impossible for the tuning peg to slip. You can take that Studio with it's stock tuners and you will snap all the strings or crack the neck before one of the tuners fail. Because of the way LPs are designed, proper stringing is a bit more critical than with some guitars. Locking tuners can make string changes faster, which is handy if you are on stage and don't have a back up, but 99% of tuning problems are not the tuners. So buying them is a waste of money unless you really want the convenience or like the appearance of a different one. As for strap locks, LPs can be heavy, and with the positioning of the neck strap post, and it's size, a strap can slip off. I use Schaller strap locks on most of my guitars. If the pin does not lock, the U shaped cup holds the guitar and prevents it from dropping. Strap locks are not infallible though, the screws in the strap posts can come loose, the nuts that hold the strap lock to the strap can come loose, dirt can cause the locks to not engage (especially on the Dunlop straplocks), and parts can break. So they need to maintained. I know of no particular problems with the switches. On the Epiphone LPs the switches and electronics are not on par with the Gibson parts, and often need to be replaced. But there is nothing wrong with the Gibson switches. Don't worry about value. The guitar will never reach any great value in you or your son's lifetime, unless some freak accident destroys an awful lot of guitars. Your Studio is just going to be one of probably several hundreds of thousands of Studios made. Love it for what it is, a great guitar, and a great value. Also, since you didn't mention the other urban myth about them. The crappy pickups! The Studio uses a 490/498 set of pickups. 490 in the neck/rhythmn position and 498 at the bridge/treble. They are good general purpose pickups. They work well with metal and hard rock, and you can get a bit of vintage tone from them. But they are a modern sounding pickup for the most part. Through the late 1980s until 2003, these pickups were used in all humbucker equipped, Gibson USA Les Pauls, except the Classic. They were Gibson's mainstay pickup. In 2003 they started putting Burstbucker Pros in the LP Standard for more of a vintage tone. The 490/498 are used in Gibson USA's top of the line LP Supreme, and they are still used in the LP Custom. Good luck, enjoy the guitar. Post some pics when it arrives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New LP Dad Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Thanks for the reply Raptor. I'm not inclined to replace the tuners if they're not and issue, and it sounds like they are not. That's good news. I will install strap locks and have used Schallers on my son's Squiers. I'm pretty sure that the Vintage (dull finished wood) Studio model comes with Burstbucker Pro pickups. I appreciate the info. I have a feeling it's going to get loud at my house when the LP arrives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRom Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 +1 on the Schallers, good stuff. I position the U cups so they are directly underneath as I stand with the strap on, to make sure they catch properly if the worst happens. Best cleaner polish IMO is made by Virtuoso. I use the polish on my standard faded. Fantastic stuff. I also recommend using micro-fiber cloths although it may not be as critical for faded finishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Machinehead Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I just purchased (Nov/2007) a Vintage (Cherry) LP Studio, all Mahogany.(mfg April 2006) I believe it has the Bustbucker V pick ups in it as as opposed the the 490/498 combo. As per one reply, I think it is a pretty solid instrument for the money. I do not think I will be able to retire when I deal this one off, but heck so far pretty reliable for a overaged burnt out rocker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Congrats on the Vintage Studio GG. I think you are right about the pickups, I think they used the BB Pros in the Vintage series. You should post some pics when you get a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afune1 Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I have been playing the Vintage Mahogany LP For about 6 months or so( my first guitar by the way). I love it Sounds great through my Vox amp. Wonder why the Vintage Mahoganys arent listed on Gibsons website at all. Enjoy when you get one A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdb121775 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 I agree with the Schaller locks. I put those on the LP Studio Deluxe that my wife gave me for Christmas last year, and have had no problems. I have them on the Gibson Switchblade Strap (expensive, yes--but the most comfortable strap I've ever used). I agree with the other comments regarding pickups as well. Mine has a Burstbucker Pro in the bridge and a 490R in the neck. I love the pickups so much, that I replaced the stock pickups (which sucked) in my Ibanez Semi-Hollow Artcore with a Burstbucker 1 (neck) and Burstbucker 2 (bridge). Granted, most of the music I play is off of the bridge pickups, so I can mostly speak to the Burstbucker Pro and BB2. I play through a Vox AC15, and if it could sound any better, I don't want to know about it! I would also suggest replacing the strings with the new Ernie Ball Cobalts--they make a huge difference for $10 and I love them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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