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Post by nicholas on Oct 27, 2018 17:15:09 GMT -7
Some of you guys might remember I was considering refinishing my white LP Custom in black. I ended up giving it a good cleaning, a little wet sanding and am truly happy with the result. However the GAS for a black custom did not reside. This seems like one of those "fate" things. I almost sent out my beloved 87 custom for a black re-spray. Got cold feet. Asked here. Got a unanimous "hell-no". Then after cleaning up my 87' I thought I'd sell my Silverburst (2014) and look for a black custom. I didn't have any particular attachment with that one. I wasn't in a hurry. Well... It sold quick and I started searching for the new one. A local Craig's list advertisement resulted in what seemed like fate. This was found on consignment at a local mom & pop about 45 min from my house. I headed to check it out. It's a beaut. It hitched a ride home. 2015 Gibson Les Paul True Historic 57' Custom with the VOS treatment. Man it plays like butter. Sounds great. And weights about 2 lbs less than old ugly! Must be the lack of a maple cap. I love the pups. Something special happening here.
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Post by Ridgeback on Oct 27, 2018 17:33:22 GMT -7
Silverburst for black?? No brainer in my book. Even though I've never bonded with any of the HB LPs I've owned, a black custom has always been near the top of my coolest LPs list. Congratulations (and glad you kept the white one white).
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Post by pcns on Oct 27, 2018 17:42:21 GMT -7
Awesome, I am very glad to hear you didn't paint old ugly!
This one looks great!!
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on Oct 27, 2018 17:44:26 GMT -7
Oh man, great move! Now that’s beautiful. I was never a fan of the silver burst either. Now you have two amazing customs. Congrats!!
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Post by KeithA on Oct 27, 2018 17:48:01 GMT -7
Oh man....that's a bucket list guitar for me! Fantastic 😎
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Post by mudman on Oct 27, 2018 18:09:55 GMT -7
Beautiful find man. Congrats
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Post by Russell B on Oct 27, 2018 18:11:31 GMT -7
Very nice! Congrats on it!
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NGD-
Oct 27, 2018 18:40:35 GMT -7
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Post by Christopher on Oct 27, 2018 18:40:35 GMT -7
Congratulations on the new Lester and for keeping Old Ugly intact and in the stable. Looks like a killer guitar.
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Post by Paul (TRANE) on Oct 27, 2018 18:45:06 GMT -7
Awesome! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
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NGD-
Oct 28, 2018 1:01:58 GMT -7
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Post by mickey on Oct 28, 2018 1:01:58 GMT -7
Woohoo....what a result, congrats!
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Post by j4gitr (John) on Oct 28, 2018 1:24:29 GMT -7
Looks great. Congrats.
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Post by purpletele on Oct 28, 2018 1:39:04 GMT -7
Nice!
I wouldn't mind playing a few tunes through that rig. The Bogner looks like it will eat small children.
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Post by Alan M (aka 'Milky') on Oct 28, 2018 1:47:54 GMT -7
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Post by BritInvasion on Oct 28, 2018 5:28:38 GMT -7
Fantastic!! Congrats on a beauty!!
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Post by Stan on Oct 28, 2018 5:31:21 GMT -7
just an exquisite look
enjoy
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Post by digs57 on Oct 28, 2018 5:42:35 GMT -7
Man that curly chord into that marshall and black custom...gave me some flashbacks to an earlier day...enjoy nich!!!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2018 7:24:15 GMT -7
What a beauty, Congratulations!
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Post by nicholas on Oct 28, 2018 9:35:42 GMT -7
Thanks guys. I'm so happy with it. Some cool info on this, they only made 200. So it's pretty scarce to see one come up for sale, especially local where you can try it out. When I first picked it up it was so light I couldn't believe it. I gave it a knock on the back and the whole thing seemed to resonate like a turning fork. I never experienced that before. Does it make it sound better? I dunno, but it can't hurt. They really went nuts making this as close to a real deal 57 Custom as possible. The biggest difference to most Customs is that it's all mohagany. No maple top. From what I understand no top at all. I was wondering how that is possible. Usually they route the channel for the wiring between the top and back. So I looked a little closer and the route is just a round drill hole, made from the input jack to the selector switch. Cool! The waffleback tuners are a nice touch and work great holding tune. They feel good turning them too. I also read that it is built without a slack belt sander because they didn't have them in 1957. So its top carve and neck profile is done by hand. I can see that the top carve is deeper dished and has more of a shoulder compared to my other Custom. The neck is chunkier too, which I LOVE. Pretty close around the 12th, But noticable chunkier from there to the 1st. It feels great. I think this is it for me. Seriously
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2018 11:14:17 GMT -7
Beauty. True all mahogany Customs really sound great.
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NGD-
Oct 28, 2018 14:39:27 GMT -7
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Post by GuitarZ on Oct 28, 2018 14:39:27 GMT -7
I wasn’t crazy about the Black Beauties when I was a kid. However, yours has a real nice look. I don’t know if it’s the gold hardware, but the finish looks cool.
That’s a nice beauty!
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NGD-
Oct 28, 2018 17:17:19 GMT -7
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Post by jbrad on Oct 28, 2018 17:17:19 GMT -7
Oh my!!!!!
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Oct 28, 2018 19:00:12 GMT -7
ME likes this
Post by nicholas on Oct 28, 2018 19:00:12 GMT -7
Beauty. True all mahogany Customs really sound great. They sure do! It sounds beautiful without even bieng plugged into anything.
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Post by nicholas on Oct 28, 2018 19:29:08 GMT -7
Gotta say, I'm really loving these pickups. This is my first go with Custombuckers. They are A3 magnets. Both read around 7.8 ohms. They have an almost P90 sound to them. Very open and airy. They sound beautiful playing clean, bright and airy. I was playing my JAZ 20/40 today. My other Custom overdrives that amp pretty quick with A2 Antiquities. Nothing wrong with that tho . The Custombuckers stay clean much longer, and as I mentioned sound almost like a P90, just meaner. It's a beautiful tone and works great with that amp. Normally I'm always fiddling with the tone stack for some reason. I made some adjustments when I first plugged in and didn't touch them for 2 hours. That's good for me! Then I plugged into my Bogner Super Lead with a 70's classic rock tone. The Custombuckers really rip in that setting. Very articulate and punchy. Kick you in the chest punchy. Sounds GREAT. Bright, but not in a bad way. More of an upper mid bite than presence bright - if that makes sense? The guitar seems mid forward, might be the all mohagany. Dunno. I bumped up the gain and it keeps on going. Plenty of output for 80' glam rock tones. Even with the relatively low output pinch harmonics are effortless. I think it works good like that because they are lower output and I can crank up the amp some more. Those are the only two amps I currently have. My Carol Ann is at Alan's house getting some tweaks. I can't wait to get that back. It's such a thick sounding amp. I really think this guitar is gonna match that amp very well. This is the best guitar I've ever played. I can't believe how well it plays and how great the neck feels. It's like it was made just for me. I know... I'm gushing. Can't help it lol.
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Post by trojanhov on Oct 28, 2018 19:38:48 GMT -7
So awesome to play something that inspires you! Congrats man, that guitar looks stunning!
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NGD-
Oct 28, 2018 20:06:46 GMT -7
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Post by ME on Oct 28, 2018 20:06:46 GMT -7
I have a three pu R7 BB (2014). All mahogany. I like the difference the mahogany makes to the overall sound of the guitar. My guitar apparently has ‘57 Classics which are ok, but not exactly what I’m looking for. I believe it is the wax potting which I don’t dig as there is a bit of lack of life to the sound. Drive sounds are good, but clean just doesn’t do it. Not like you describe your sound. Can’t make up my mind as to what to replacements. I put SD Antiquities in a R8 I had and liked them a lot. Too many other choices and I don’t want to spend too much on them. Perhaps Lollar... Pickups aside, like you, I find this to be the best guitar I’ve had. Has the sounds and playability I’ve been looking for since I started playing in ‘74 (‘73?) (it’s been a while 😳) Glad to hear you are digging yours! ME
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Post by mudman on Oct 28, 2018 20:28:48 GMT -7
I got to try a relic’d true historic r8 a year or so ago. I didn’t care much for the relic, but it did look and feel the part of a 60 year old instrument. And the tone was drool worthy. Absolutely incredible instrument. Until I find one of those, I’ll be happy with my R8 haha. Those custombuckers are something else, I agree. The whole package on the true historic gibsons were to another level. I’m sure the same can be said of your BB.
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NGD-
Oct 28, 2018 21:19:25 GMT -7
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Post by nicholas on Oct 28, 2018 21:19:25 GMT -7
I have a three pu R7 BB (2014). All mahogany. I like the difference the mahogany makes to the overall sound of the guitar. My guitar apparently has ‘57 Classics which are ok, but not exactly what I’m looking for. I believe it is the wax potting which I don’t dig as there is a bit of lack of life to the sound. Drive sounds are good, but clean just doesn’t do it. Not like you describe your sound. Can’t make up my mind as to what to replacements. I put SD Antiquities in a R8 I had and liked them a lot. Too many other choices and I don’t want to spend too much on them. Perhaps Lollar... Pickups aside, like you, I find this to be the best guitar I’ve had. Has the sounds and playability I’ve been looking for since I started playing in ‘74 (‘73?) (it’s been a while 😳) Glad to hear you are digging yours! ME I have quite a bit of experience with 57 classics. I like them. Like you said though, not the best for clean. I don't think it's the potting imo. I think it's the A2 magnets you might not like. The Antiquities have A2's also but are degaused, or de-magnetized to simulate vintage aged magnets. A3 magnets are very different. Much less output. More like beefy single coil tone. Try a search for vintage output A3 buckers and give them a try. I had a set of Skinnerburst Bonamassa pups but sold them because they were fetching good money. They had A3's and I remember them very similar to these Custombuckers. They are stupid expensive though. Maybe someone makes cheap ones to try, like stew mac, or mojotone? You really should try them. They are considerably different to every other humbucker. Edit- you could also call a pickup builder like Lollar or someone and ask if they could swap the magnets in your pickups to A3's.
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Post by lowbudget on Oct 29, 2018 5:55:28 GMT -7
Beautiful!
Can't go wrong with a TH.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2018 11:26:04 GMT -7
Beauty. True all mahogany Customs really sound great. They sure do! It sounds beautiful without even bieng plugged into anything. That's what counts with me! Electronics can be fixed, a body and a neck that aren't working together (on a Gibson) can't.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Oct 30, 2018 19:36:35 GMT -7
Oh, man. Nicholas...that's a dream guitar. I had one that looks identical to yours, except mine had top hat knobs with a gold insert in the top. Same tuners, everything. My parents got it for me when I graduated high school in 1970, brand new. I had it 18 years and it went to the pawn man in 1988 when I was almost at the bottom of my alcohol and cocaine fueled madness. I lost the pawn ticket when I moved across the States and that was that. The happy part of the story was that I got sober in 1990.
I've been wanting a Black Beauty ever since, even put out ads in the LA area CL asking if anyone had bought that guitar from the pawn shop in Bellflower that I had left it at. No luck. So I'm looking for exactly what you found! I'm so happy for you and glad that you didn't refinish old ugly. That new Custom of yours looks like it really was a "Meant to Be" thing, CONGRATULATIONS!!!
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