Author Topic: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.  (Read 3588 times)

Grog

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Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« on: September 27, 2017, 06:24:06 AM »
I just came across a guy on the Gibson Forum asking about an odd guitar. He just purchased a lot of 20 guitars from somewhere in Tennessee. It looked like an early Les Paul prototype like Rob's bass, I referenced his book to be sure & posted a photo. Looks like a rare find!

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/139368-what-is-this/page__gopid__1883497#entry1883497


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gearHed289

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2017, 07:05:43 AM »
Odd inlays. Almost Alembic-like. Cool find!

Basvarken

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2017, 07:30:48 AM »
Wow! Those inlays are something else.

The six string version that is also featured in my book has a tremelo too. But not a Bigsby.

Granny Gremlin

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2017, 07:30:53 AM »
Great, now I need to go change my shorts.
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page (drummer and bassist of Deep Purple, Jake!)

Grog

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2017, 08:31:12 AM »
I checked to see if there was any reference in "The Modern Era of Les Paul Legacy 1968-2009". There was one example & oddly enough, it was also from Tennessee...........

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Dave W

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2017, 06:09:47 PM »
Very odd that these have shown up. Makes you wonder how many there are out there and if these are actually early production instead of prototypes.

Grog

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2017, 07:37:26 PM »
I wonder if it isn't a guitar that one of the employees that worked on the prototypes might have built for himself based on the odd inlays...........
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Basvarken

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #7 on: September 28, 2017, 01:32:14 AM »
The text (in red) in that book speaks of a long scale neck on that bass. But it really is short scale.

Basvarken

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2017, 01:38:58 AM »
The guitar with the special inlays has a different pickguard and controls.
Shape is different and so is the lay-out of the knobs.
There seems to be no tone selector and no phase switch. And the input isn't on the pickguard.

Grog

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2017, 08:31:21 AM »
I suggested that he contact Walter Carter to see if he has any spin on it.............
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Dave W

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2017, 10:45:23 PM »
Walter Carter would be more likely to know something about these than anyone else. No one currently at Gibson would know... or care.

Grog

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #11 on: October 02, 2017, 09:01:26 PM »
Walter Carter answered his request............ I'm not sure that I agree with his answer..........

"i sent pics to mr carter and he said that he did not know what it was buy he was sure that it was not a gibson. not what i was hoping for but a great sounding and playing guitar."
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Dave W

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #12 on: October 02, 2017, 10:24:59 PM »
His answer puzzles me too.

Basvarken

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #13 on: October 02, 2017, 10:51:10 PM »
Disappointing

Grog

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Re: Les Paul Low Impedance Guitar Prototype.
« Reply #14 on: October 03, 2017, 05:58:25 AM »
A number of years ago when he was still with Gruhn's Guitar, I sent him an email asking him how many 20/20's he thought were manufactured. His answer was that he had only seen two & he thought around 12. The consensus here was somewhere just under 100. I regard him as one of the leading living historians on Gibson Guitars, but some of the obscure things we discuss here may be too odd for even him............... I don't see any reason why anyone would copy that guitar, it would be interesting to know who it was made for. This may be a dead end, time will tell..........
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