The Last Bass Outpost

Gear Discussion Forums => Guitars Etc. => Topic started by: Grog on May 08, 2013, 07:18:58 PM

Title: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on May 08, 2013, 07:18:58 PM
This came in the mail today....................

(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/DSC08136_zpse903963a.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/DSC08136_zpse903963a.jpg.html)

This rounds out my low impedance collection. The first Hobbit I bought around 1991 for $300.00 has cost me a small fortune!
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Highlander on May 08, 2013, 11:31:35 PM
The dangerous nature of collectorholism... ;)

What a beautiful instrument... she looks pristine, too...
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Basvarken on May 09, 2013, 02:50:49 AM
Beautiful! Do these sounds as good as their bass brethren?
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on May 09, 2013, 04:21:40 AM
They have incredible harmonics & sustain. The LP Personal seems a little lighter than the LP Professional & a lot lighter than the LP Bass. They must have used the lighter mahogany on the higher end guitars, giving the heaviest to the basses. This guitar has a LP Custom feel, it likely has the same neck as a Custom. Most of these I've seen have all of the gold worn off and the mic knob cracked, it must hit the case just wrong. This one has a few minor issues, but I'm happy with it. There were only 370 produced.
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Dave W on May 09, 2013, 08:03:55 AM
It's a beauty!
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Granny Gremlin on May 09, 2013, 10:23:04 AM
Congrats, so Jealous. She's a beaut.
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: jumbodbassman on May 09, 2013, 12:10:23 PM
that's sweet
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: clankenstein on May 09, 2013, 01:55:43 PM
wow .a friend of mine has one of those that he bought in philadelphia in 1971.he eventualy changed the bridge for one with steel saddles.sounds pretty mean.years ago i mounted the transformer inside the guitar for him as he never used it low impedance.lots of good sounds to be had fiddling with the decade switch an a phaser...
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Hörnisse on May 09, 2013, 04:18:55 PM
Very nice!  Is this the model that Terry Kath used to play?
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on May 09, 2013, 06:37:45 PM
Very nice!  Is this the model that Terry Kath used to play?

I think Terry Kath played the Les Paul Professional, but I'm not 100% sure.

(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/1969GibsonLesPaulProfessional.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/1969GibsonLesPaulProfessional.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on May 09, 2013, 06:42:56 PM
wow .a friend of mine has one of those that he bought in philadelphia in 1971.he eventualy changed the bridge for one with steel saddles.sounds pretty mean.years ago i mounted the transformer inside the guitar for him as he never used it low impedance.lots of good sounds to be had fiddling with the decade switch an a phaser...

My Les Paul Professional had a mic transformer soldered in when I bought it also. I changed it back to it's original setup.
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Hörnisse on May 09, 2013, 07:04:40 PM
I think Terry Kath played the Les Paul Professional, but I'm not 100% sure.

(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/1969GibsonLesPaulProfessional.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/1969GibsonLesPaulProfessional.jpg.html)

I believe you are correct.  I'd never seen a LP Personal before yours.  Very cool guitar.  I missed out on a Professional a few years back at the local GC.  They had it for what I thought was a good price of $899. 
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Highlander on May 10, 2013, 02:40:10 PM
... They must have used the lighter mahogany ...

Helium chambered...? ;D
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on May 13, 2013, 07:14:55 PM
My lighter, (Hellium Chambered) Mahogany seemed to gain weight as time goes on, so I pulled out the bathroom scale. The Personal came in at 11.4 lbs and the Professional came in at 10.6 lbs. I guess I was pumped up & the guitar seemed lighter than it was. So much for my theory of using the lighter mahogany on the higher end models.................. ???
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on May 17, 2013, 09:37:30 PM
I took a few better shots of the guitar & its brothers..........

(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/1971GibsonLesPaulPersonal_zpsee2ec7c4.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/1971GibsonLesPaulPersonal_zpsee2ec7c4.jpg.html)
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/DSC08186_zpsc3210a63.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/DSC08186_zpsc3210a63.jpg.html)
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/OriginalLowImpedanceLesPauls_zpsf3361740.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/OriginalLowImpedanceLesPauls_zpsf3361740.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Hörnisse on May 19, 2013, 09:21:03 AM
A beautiful collection.
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: hieronymous on May 20, 2013, 11:02:05 PM
Love that collection, love the shot of all three and the amp!

What do they call the inlays on the headstock of your new one (the Personal)? That's one of the things I like about the Triumph. Shallow I know!  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on May 21, 2013, 04:15:52 AM

What do they call the inlays on the headstock of your new one (the Personal)?

I've always call it a Split Diamond inlay.................
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Granny Gremlin on May 21, 2013, 09:44:07 AM
Yeah, (split) diamond is what I here folkks call that.

Now all you need is one of them Gibson Lab Series amp heads.
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: hieronymous on May 21, 2013, 09:06:56 PM
Now I'm singing "Black Diamond" by Kiss in my head but singing "oooh-oooh - - - Split Diamond!"
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Highlander on May 22, 2013, 03:16:36 PM
Is that a bit like Lemmy singing the Eight of Spades, which is what he did for a while...? ;)
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Psycho Bass Guy on May 23, 2013, 01:43:01 AM
Now all you need is one of them Gibson Lab Series amp heads.

The Gibson Lab series: Gibson's solid state copies of Fender tube amps that sounded better than their contemporary Fender tube amps.
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Highlander on May 23, 2013, 11:42:08 AM
They rarely appear do they...?
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Granny Gremlin on May 23, 2013, 01:27:51 PM
The Gibson Lab series: Gibson's solid state copies of Fender tube amps that sounded better than their contemporary Fender tube amps.

Unless I am getting mixed up (highly possible) one of them was all tube OEMed by Garnet (basically a Sessionman).

... some quick googling leads me to believe I am half right, Garnet did OEM the Lab Series 2 line (vs Moog for the original Lab Series) but they were solid state as you say (Garnet switched to making solid state amps in the 80s, and those are rather undesirable for the most part).  There was an all tube (rectifier excepted) Gibson by Garnet amp, because I saw one once, but I forget what model it was.

And when I said Lab Series in that previous post, what I actually meant was LP1+LP2  (LoZ amp for the LP Personal/Pro/Recording/bass).

Total brain fail all around.
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: nofi on May 23, 2013, 03:17:23 PM
 :popcorn:
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on May 23, 2013, 04:50:10 PM
That is the LP-1 + LP-2 = LP-12 amp, AKA "The Monster"  :o :o :o

http://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/gibson/catalogues/1970_Les_Paul_index.php
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: ilan on May 27, 2013, 11:51:17 PM
Why did Gibson alter the original LP body shape for these models?
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on May 28, 2013, 02:29:35 PM
From the Les Paul Book, Tony Bacon & Paul Day............ "It seems that CMI boss Maurice Berlin said he wanted these proposed models to be about half-an-inch bigger around the body outline, so that they would be more visible on stage and TV screen. Despite the suitability of the guitars' electronics to recording studios, and the fact that the extra weight would mean a very heavy guitar, this larger size was adopted for the production versions of the Personal and Professional models."

From Gibson Guitars, 100 years of an American icon, Walter Carter.......... "Stan Rendell felt that it should be a little different than the high-impedance Les Paul models, so the body was made a little larger. It was more like The Log and played like a hog. Lester said, 'I'm going up to the Mayo Clinic and I'm going to pick out a room and call it the Les Paul Room for people who come in with back pains. But they sustain, I'll tell you that.'"
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: ilan on May 29, 2013, 07:07:33 AM
Thanks, I never knew that.

As it turns out now, there is a way to supersize an LP body without messing up the classic shape...

Anyway, cool and unique collection, it must have felt great to complete the set. Or are you looking for the flat-top acoustic?
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Granny Gremlin on May 29, 2013, 08:32:41 AM
The LP Jumbo be a rare, rare bird.  I never played one, but lemme tell you, those low Z pups sounds awesome in an acoustic (had one; tried it).
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on May 29, 2013, 08:55:29 AM
I had a chance at one about 15 years ago, it had a few issues & I was too picky, I wish now that I would have had the smarts to snap it up. The few I've seen lately are way out of my price range..................

On the other side of the coin, if I did have one, that would complete all of the guitars in the 1970 Les Paul brochure. I've had a 1969 Les Paul Deluxe for almost 40 years, (since I was 18!) I bought a 1972 Les Paul Custom a while back when the 1969 Custom price skyrocketed. Instead of collecting for fins, I'd be collecting for Brochures................ :-\
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on April 16, 2014, 05:06:47 AM
I'm still in Memphis, (leaving this morning), while on the road an opportunity to pick up a Les Paul Jumbo popped up. I bit on it & I should see it next Tuesday. That completes the Low Impedance collection, (and the 1970 Les Paul brochure).
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Basvarken on April 16, 2014, 05:18:03 AM
Wow! Congrats
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Granny Gremlin on April 16, 2014, 05:33:50 AM
I've never even seen an LP Jumbo for sale (IRL or online)!  Amazing score; congrats!  I've been GASing for one for years, so I built something similar as a project.  The LoZ pup is really good match for an acoustic (other than size/weight) - bass for days.
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Dave W on April 16, 2014, 11:35:00 AM
Congratulations! I've only seen photos of them.
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Hörnisse on April 16, 2014, 12:12:47 PM
Looking forward to seeing this one! 
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on April 16, 2014, 04:57:20 PM
(From Keokuk Iowa of all places).
I haven't seen one in person for about 20 years. I think only 46 or so we're shipped. I'll check my shipping total book tomorrow when I get home, after I shovel snow :-((. This one has already had a neck reset by a reputable luthier. It sounds like due to the location of the pickup causing a weak spot, this eventually becomes necessary on all Jumbos. The one I saw at Willies 20 years ago or so had very high action.  The previous owner tried to remedy this by changing the bridge. I could have had it for about $800.00 but passed.
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................ & Jumbo......
Post by: Grog on April 18, 2014, 02:58:17 PM
Back home yesterday & the guitar came today! I'll have to get the entire herd together for a group photo someday, but here is a phone shot....

 (http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/Jumbo1stPic_zpsfa2021ec.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/Jumbo1stPic_zpsfa2021ec.jpg.html)

My shipping total book shows that there were 130 shipped, more than I thought. As it was with the shipping totals I kept running into for the LP Personal, there are two listings, 1961-1970 & 1971-1979. Many people only list from one or the other, not a total of both.
It sounds pretty cool on first impression, has great bass as someone mentioned earlier. My son is going to bring a Lighted Boroscope (Automotive tool) with him on Easter, should be able to get a good look at the pot codes & the electronics without taking anything apart.
Anybody watch Pawn Stars 04-17(1)? A Les Paul Professional walked in, Rick was rather baffled thinking it was modified. He called in Jesse from Cowtown Guitars to evaluate it................... :o
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: ilan on April 19, 2014, 02:15:55 AM
Congrats on completing the series. Cool looking guitar.
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Dave W on April 19, 2014, 04:13:42 PM
Nice score, and goes well with the leg lamp.  ;D
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on April 19, 2014, 08:31:43 PM
Nice score, and goes well with the leg lamp.  ;D

Everything goes well with Leg Lamps.......... except women! Don't know why, but all women hate them??? My wife put up with it upstairs for a few months, then said it had to go.......... Oh the humanity!  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Highlander on April 20, 2014, 12:37:51 AM
There are psychologists that have made a lifetime's work of studying the female psyche. What hope to we have... ;)

Time to corral the herd... :popcorn:
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Granny Gremlin on April 20, 2014, 06:03:14 AM
Looks like good condition too!  Congrats /totes jelz.
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on April 20, 2014, 03:34:26 PM
The Volume pot was 137704? (solder glob). The Bass pot is 1377016. The Treble pot is 13766?? (solder glob). I'm going to officially call it a 1970. The Boroscope worked cool......... We were able to guide a contact cleaner tube to the selector switch through the guitar jack..........
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Dave W on April 20, 2014, 09:07:03 PM
Agreed, I'd call it a 1970.

Everything goes well with Leg Lamps.......... except women! Don't know why, but all women hate them??? My wife put up with it upstairs for a few months, then said it had to go.......... Oh the humanity!  ;D ;D

Maybe it was too fra-gee-lay for her.  ;)
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Highlander on April 21, 2014, 02:47:41 AM
An olive branch (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEG-LAMP-RALPHIE-CHRISTMAS-STORY-EARRINGS-HUMOR-FUN-CHARMS-/231197112517?pt=Handcrafted_Artisan_Jewelry&hash=item35d46bf8c5) for 'er indoors...

Don't forget to run before unpackaging... :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on April 21, 2014, 02:26:14 PM
Maybe it was too fra-gee-lay for her.  ;)

She has reminded me on more than one occasion what happened to the one in the movie................ ;D
I'm glad she puts up with me!!
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on April 27, 2014, 08:40:40 AM
Here are a few photos of the herd..........
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/1970GibsonLesPaulJumbo_zpsfcc02e95.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/1970GibsonLesPaulJumbo_zpsfcc02e95.jpg.html)
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/LowImpHighPerf2_zps63106529.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/LowImpHighPerf2_zps63106529.jpg.html)
And the 1970 Gibson Les Paul Brochure.....(even though the Custom is a couple years newer.....).
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/1970LPBrochure_zpsc62c8473.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/1970LPBrochure_zpsc62c8473.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Dave W on April 27, 2014, 11:31:40 AM
Les would be proud.  :)
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Highlander on April 27, 2014, 01:25:13 PM
+1 8)
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Granny Gremlin on April 28, 2014, 07:21:57 AM
Beautiful  :o
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on April 28, 2014, 09:26:24 AM

Les would be proud. 
[/quote]

Or have me commited........................  :P
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Highlander on April 28, 2014, 01:23:47 PM
... only if they became wall-hangers and ne'er got used... ;)
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Basvarken on April 29, 2014, 01:44:48 AM
Impressive!

I'm officially jealous now ;-)
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Hörnisse on May 02, 2014, 05:28:31 PM
Beautiful collection. 
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on June 07, 2014, 06:56:42 PM
Shortly after I bought the Les Paul Personal, about a year ago, I loosened the XLR jack for the microphone to see how it was wired. Pin (3) was positive & pins (1) (2) & (G) were all wired together as the negative connection. I changed my modified unbalanced chord the same way & it seems to work better & quieter to me. I use this chord to plug directly into my P.A. & I have an eighty's Peavey KB300 with a low impedance microphone jack  in one channel that works well with the low impedance Les Pauls. I would sometimes pickup a strong local radio station, (WCCO), or other noise. It seems to be gone as of now! Anybody else have any thoughts on this?  :P
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Pilgrim on June 08, 2014, 09:28:22 PM
I've never heard of wiring an XLR connector as you describe, and it sounds like it's not grounded properly. XLR cables should not pick up RF signals like the one you describe.

If you have an impedance mismatch between the mic and the amp, I'd suggest putting an impedance changing device like an ART TUbe MP in the cable path, not modifying a cable.

Standard XLR wiring....

Balanced:  (http://www.scotaudio.com/images/male_xlr.gif)

Unbalanced: (http://www.scotaudio.com/images/unbalanced_xlr.gif)
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Grog on June 09, 2014, 04:56:07 PM
I've never seen anything like it either........... Here is a photo, but you cant see all of the wires........
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/DSC08175_zps7c88844b.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/DSC08175_zps7c88844b.jpg.html)
The two schematics you posted didn't come across on my computer for some reason................
Title: Re: Les Paul Personal................
Post by: Granny Gremlin on June 10, 2014, 05:42:25 AM
Back in the 60s, when XLR jacks where still called Cannon jacks, the standard was pin 3 hot (not 2) pin 1 ground (just like now) and pin 3 cold.  Since the XLR jack is wired for unbalanced use, what Grog describes is is correct for the time.

Normally vintage wired XLRs can be used as is with modern gear as long as you are not concernned with it causing a 180 degree phase shift (or if a devise in the signal chain has a polarity reverse switch).  Otherwise, or in such an unbalanced case as this, it would be best to reverse the wiring so that pin 2 is hot and pins 1, 3 and chassis ground tied together.... or as Grog did, reverse wire a cable so that the input device (amp or PA mixer) is not seeing pin 2 (tip on the 1/4" jack), tied to ground at the guitar, which would totally explain the noise.