This area could benefit from more research. Therefore, hardware is an important factor in the Les Paul tone equation, and your options are to buy vintage parts or find replacements that sound like vintage ones. Vintage PAFs and P-90s (and accurate replicas) tend to be very microphonic so many of the guitar’s unplugged tonal characteristics make it to the amp, and they have treble to spare. Collector’s choice bridges are describes as ‘zinc’, but again we suspect the composition may be slightly different. Research suggests vintage ABR-1 bridges were cast from an alloy called zamak – containing zinc, aluminium, magnesium, and copper – and there are eight grades of zamak. Since both wrapover bridges are aluminium, we must conclude that the grade of aluminium being used by Faber differs from the aluminium Gibson was using during the 1950s. The Collector’s Choice model’s owner declares that the vintage ABR-1 has “taken the newness off the guitar”, and promptly begins scouring the net for vintage bridges. We hear a softening of the treble, which leads to a more vocal midrange and a compressed warmth. The changes are less dramatic, but still clearly audible. Moving over to the Collector’s Choice LP, we swap the bridge for an ABR-1 taken from a 1961 ES-330. Many would regard the sonic characteristics of the Faber tailpiece as superior, but it’s less ‘vintage’ and vocal sounding, and it doesn’t sustain quite so well. The results are clear, with the Greco now sounding like a vintage Gibson and the Gibson taking on the snap, brightness and chime of the Greco. The strings on both guitars are identical sets of Ernie Ball Pure Nickel 0.010s. We test the hypothesis by swapping the original wrapover tailpiece and studs from the 1954 Goldtop onto our Greco and putting the Greco’s Faber aluminium tailpiece onto the Gibson. Read on for an analysis of what we consider to be the key components, the way they effect tone and what your options are. Identifying the key components and gaining insight into how they work together is essential. The electric guitar is a ‘system’ and, as with all systems, individual components interact. If you are shooting for 1950s Les Paul tone, we think that success is more likely if you consider things as a whole rather than obsess over specific details. In short, armed with an original 1954 Goldtop, a Gibson Custom Collector’s Choice #26 Whitford Burst and our work-in-progress Greco Goldtop conversion (which you can read more about on p111), we’ve compiled a step-by-step guide to achieving vintage Les Paul tone without having to sell your house in the process. We also promised to expand on the theme and that’s precisely what follows across the next 10 pages. This very popular bass wrote its way into popular music for a good reason.In last month’s in-depth look at the 1960 Les Paul Standard formerly owned by Doug Lock and Luther Grosvenor, we made the bold claim that anyone can enjoy something unnervingly close to vintage Les Paul tone by combining the right pickups, hardware and electronics with a suitable body. The finish, fretboard, metal parts were all in stunning condition, and the bass itself sounds fantastic when played through your favourite bass amp. This 1965 Fender Jazz Bass was our first L-Series Jazz Bass purchased as a collectible vintage Fender bass. Hence it is most likely this piece was made in 1962 and remained in the factory before a serial was placed on it in the first production line of January 1963. This particular piece also features three high output ‘PAF’ (Patent Applied For) pickups which are noticeable for their distinctive tone, a three screw scratch plate, a feature of 19 Customs. As such it shares a lot of 1962 components including the sideways vibrola which is in good working condition. This 1963 Gibson Les Paul Custom was the 13th guitar made by Gibson in 1963. Mid way through 1962, Fender changed the design of the board from a slab with a straight bottom connected to the neck to a veneer which was curved over the neck at a 7.25″ radius. This is a common theme amongst all Fender guitars and amplifiers dating from 1954-1965, the pre-CBS era of Leo Fenders’ company.Ī decade after the introduction of what was arguably one of Leo Fender’s greatest inventions, the 1963 Fender Stratocaster had evolved significantly from the maple board equivalents of the 1950’s.ĭepending on your viewpoint of the L-series range, they were more refined after a few key evolutionary developments over the preceding decade. Offered for sale only nine years following the end of World War II, these guitars are, to this day, one of the few invented commercial items in modern industrial history which maintain a level of quality above nearly all of the subsequently produced models. The 1954 Fender Stratocaster is a hand-crafted masterpiece from the first year of production from Leo Fender. Vintage Guitar Case Studies 1954 Fender Stratocaster
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