Christie's offering Les Paul's Number One

[Dave W]

Les Paul's Number One Goes Up for Auction

[Rob]

Great release.
What were the coils in the switch pocket and between pickups for?

[Dave W]

Tom Doyle would know. I don't.

[Grog]

It will be interesting to see what it sell for........

[Granny Gremlin]

Great release.
What were the coils in the switch pocket and between pickups for?

The thing in the switch pocket is probably just the switch, all taped up to keep dirt out.  They were bigger back then.  The thing between the pups, I would guess, is a dummy coil for humbucking.  Anything tone control related should be smaller and located in that roomy control cavity to minimise noise/keep leads to pots/jack etc as short as possible.

[Rob]

Thanks Jake!
I thought the  center coil might be a dummy but no clue about the switch.

[Basvarken]

I suspect the big coil in the middle is the dummy coil for the bridge pickup. And the coil next to the switch is the dummy coil for the neck pickup.
No switch would need a coil, as far as I know.

[Granny Gremlin]

The "coils" being 2 diff sizes, and one being in the switch cavity vs between the pups, really makes me skeptical of that they are both dummy coils.  There is no need for separate dummy coils, and the best place for a shared coil is between the pickups.  I really think that's just a very large taped up switch.  Not even that much larger than a modern L style LP pup switch, just all taped up.

[doombass]

However it looks like a heavy gauge coil winding exposed where there's insulation tape missing.

[Rob]

Maybe les thought it would shield the cavity or something.