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I tried to resist buying a Les Paul, as I'm saving up for an Elferink archtop, but this Epihone was really inexpensive and, according to the blurb, is in excellent condition, though minus the scratchplate. I can live without that. One day, many moons from now, I might entertain an upgrade to three Gibson classic 57's in place of the stock pups - although the irony is not lost on me that I might only ever have the selector switch on the neck pickup! I'll put on some flats, cut my hair, and pretend I'm Jim Hall back in the 1950s.
Will it all be a waste of money? Perhaps, but I can always sell it for what I paid for it, though if the neck is good and true, it should be a fun purchase. We shall see. It should arrive on Friday.
Edit: was thinking it would be fun to try it with La Bella Tapewound strings. But the medium set looks like the guitar might need the nut grooves expanded considerably:14, 18, 36w, 46, 56, 67. The Lite set is 12-56, which might be a better place to start.
2nd Edit: Here it is!
Last edited by Rob MacKillop; 06-16-2017 at 11:37 AM.
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06-14-2017 06:01 PM
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congrats...in good company...fripp (with covers removed)
other users- via gibson website
The Les Paul Custom “Black Beauty” has been coveted by the greats.
cheers
ps- halls lp was so early it had the alnico v staple neck pickup..a great pup...he traded it to howard roberts for what came to be his iconic es-175
Last edited by neatomic; 06-14-2017 at 07:22 PM. Reason: ps-
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Yes, I was thinking Fripp too, the first sighting I encountered of a three-pickup guitar. Of course, those guys were playing Gibsons. Still, it will be an education of sorts.
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Les Pauls make for a good jazz guitar. Looking forward to seeing photos of your new guitar when it arrives.
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Rob. ,
The Les Paul is a good guitar for Jazz, I just cannot put up
with the weight of the Customs, and tho ' I've tried quite
a number of versions, they don't measure up in terms of
sustain and tone. I fully expect that many will disagree.
But in my advancing years, comfort is a greater priority.
I look forward to seeing and hearing your NGD.
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I'll get a heavily-padded strap for it! As I said, it will be an education, especially as I've never had a Les Paul before.
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As a former owner of a three-p'up SG, I'd like to share my experience.
I don't like having a HB in the middle-position p'up. If correctly setup, it's a hindrance to my picking as it doesn't give enough room, in my case.
The guitar is wired so you can have each p'up separately, so you don't get the "chirp" position, which is the one I use the most for arpeggio-work and comping while backing up artists, or the most used when playing Blues, BB style.
The tone on the middle p'up by itself is also is not stellar. I had to take the p'up out of the circuit and screw it way down to be able to normally pick. But at least I could wire it normally, so I got the "chirp" setting back. Which defeats the meaning of having a three-p'up guitar in the first place, isn't it?
Ultimately, I sold it. Never regretted the decision.
Good luck on yours. If it's not equipped with Probuckers, chances are, you won't be crazy about the p'ups.
My unsolicited advice: get a normal, two-p'up LP, if you really wanna get the "LP Experience", so to speak.
HTH,Last edited by LtKojak; 06-15-2017 at 05:35 AM.
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Nothing positive to say at all, Kojak? Well, I might agree with you by tomorrow evening, but at least I'm hoping for something more positive. But you might well be right.
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TBH, I got that guitar as payment for a job I did for a customer of mine. I was kinda excited of having a SG in my arsenal, as many iconic tones were played by a SG. But it turned out to be counterproductive for the way I play and pick. Something I couldn't've thought or foreseen if not by learning the hard way.
Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
Anyway, Rob, that was MY experience. It wasn't my intention to rain in your parade, mind you... but, as your intention obviously was to hear other people's opinions about this acquisition of yours, I decided to share mine as kind of "cautionary tale" for you and others in the Forum.
It could be the complete opposite to you. Only YOU can know what "good" sounds like or feels like.
Rob, good luck and many wishes of good vibes going your way from yours truly!
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That guitar will look good in your black and white, dimly lit videos!
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Haha. You won't see it! Imagine it is also highly reflective - so much so, you might even see yourself looking back at you
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The 3 pickup configuration can give a great range of tones. Here's my modified '78 Greco Les Paul with 3 Bill Lawrence L500s. I've wired it so the middle pickup has its own volume knob and this can be blended in with any combination of the other two. It has a Master Tone with a push pull that can be used to select between traditional tone control (for high end roll off) or a 1H inductance coil which works as a midrange filter. I also have a phase switch on the volume control for the middle pickup that reverses the phase on that pickup so I can get a nice quack when combined with the other pickups -- this effect can be shrill but dialed out a bit on the volume knob. I'm stringed up with D'Addario half wound 11s which are awesome for fusion. It's a tone factory. This is the bread and butter of the wiring. The changes I made off the is the Middle Volume is a push pull pot set for phase reverse and the Master Tone is a push pull with the inductor:
Last edited by wildschwein; 06-15-2017 at 09:53 AM.
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Wow, a lot more complex than the stock Epi configuration. Do you have a Jim Hall switch?
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Haha! No just set to neck pickup!!! Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
Wow, a lot more complex than the stock Epi configuration. Do you have a Jim Hall switch?
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actually jim halls had single coil pups..so you'd need a neck pup coil splitter as well!! haha
heres the closest epi (currently) gets to jim halls lp... (it subs a "regular" p90 neck pup for the alnico v staple...but similar)
cheersLast edited by neatomic; 06-15-2017 at 04:22 PM.
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That's the one I really had my eye on this past winter when I got on a "have to get a Les Paul after 10 years without one" jag. The local Guitar Center had one and I pulled it down off the rack to play it. Took it into a quiet corner to hear and feel it unplugged and was bummed. Razor sharp fret ends, neck all out of whack, hardly any vibes coming through the body or neck. Plus it was almost $800. Next it was a '50's Tribute Studio in honeyburst with P-90's but when I got to the store and plugged it in, realized something was very wrong with the fingerboard. It was of that baked maple which felt to my fingers like unfinished barn siding. I used to have a 1969 Custom that was pristine and handed down by my father. It was heavy enough to anchor a 35 foot sailboat. Originally Posted by neatomic
actually jim halls had single coil pups..so you'd need a neck pup coil splitter as well!! haha
heres the closest epi (currently) gets to jim halls lp... (it subs a "regular" p90 neck pup for the alnico v...but similar)
cheers
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I had my eye on that 1955 Epi, but you can't find them anywhere, at least not in the UK. Discontinued. Looks pretty cool. I might consider a Harmonic Design Z90 single coil in a humbucker housing, as I had many moons ago on a Ibanez PM2 - a very nice pickup. But maybe Jamie at The Creamery in Manchester (England) would make me an Alnico V like Jim's. I'll find out tomorrow whether the guitar is worth the bother. It will be a toy for me, as at heart I'm an acoustic player.
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m-
that gibson "baked maple" schtick was in response to gibson being investigated by the feds for using "endangered " wood species..ie rosewood...i agree, it was less than desirable, but i guess they felt cornered
the quality control on epi level guitars varies wildly..weight and setups are all over the place...i'd suggest trying another one, if you should ever come across one...the "inspired" by epi's are a step up in the epi chain..feature usa made pups...and (usually) more qc attention
cheers
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rob-
seymour duncan makes a nice humbucker sized version of the classic alnico v staple pup...unfortunately it probably costs about half the price of the epi guitar!!!..but...
cheers
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Looks nice. I have to admit I'd never heard of a "staple" pickup before. I would think twice about trying to recreate Jim's LP, knowing that he didn't really like the guitar, only using it when feedback was a problem.
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There's a video of one being made and played here: Phat Staple - Seymour Duncan Custom Shop - it sounds a bit odd to my ears, nothing like Jim Hall on any instrument.
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Nice guitar !
I owned a 1980 Gibson 3PU Black Beauty for a long time. I modified the wiring as well. Very similar to Wildschwein, 3 seperate volume knobs, one master tone. It provided much more flexibility.
On another Les Paul, an Edwards BB with P90s, I planned to have a SD staple in the neck. The pickup itself was a bit expensive due to shipping and custom costs, but the routing was another thing. The staple pickup required deeper routing vs the regular P90.
That stopped my plan.
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Good to know about the routing issue. Sorry it didn't work out for you.
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jim hall w chico hamilton quintet..amazingly fresh and innovative/outside guitar playing & tone...esp for 1955!!
cheers
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That's the sound. I find it a bit odd, sometimes I like its chimeyness, other times it leaves me cold. I don't think I'll go down that route. Fine playing, as usual, though.
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