The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Guitars Etc. => Topic started by: Grog on December 26, 2013, 08:11:47 AM
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Sweetwater just posted photos on the new LPR II................
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LPRCNACH/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PPC&utm_campaign=none&utm_term=DSA_-_Product&adpos=1t1&device=c&network=s&gclid=COr7_qaUzrsCFew7MgoddTEAoQ
I'm not seeing anything on Gibson's website..........
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OMG.
Looks like they finally managed to do a decent reissue!
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I see American Musical, Zzounds and Same Day Music have it too (all three share the same inventory even though they're independently owned). They're all calling it a limited edition. That may be why it's not on Gibson's website. But Gibson is foolish not to promote it.
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Wow, that does look good. A few points:
- looks like the neck isn't bound (at that price, come on; the 70s ones, which this is modeled after, are) - edit, closups look like might be bound but with thin black binding vs B&W like originals
- control layout looks a little weird; mainly where the pup selector is and how all those slide switches are right under the bigsby and look hard to get at /see from playing position
- edit: Rythmn and treble "single"/"dual" switches - interesting; wouldn't have thought single coil mode on these a good idea
- edit: looks like v/t/v/t for the pots; no decade or bass knobs; serious BOO. might even be a reissue fail (except that those would be easy to replicate; if the pups are good/faithful, I'd be happy)... though the text says it has a decade.... so maybe they just didn't have the custom-labelled knobs when they took the pics
- really wish they'd gone with tullip-knobbed tuners; that wouldn't have really cost them more and it'd be more accurate.
- wrong bridge, but I'm not sure that the 'long travel' whatever it's called is still being made
Anyway, still totally GASing, on my end.... though, if original spec is what I want, those actually might be cheaper.
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It mentions a Hi/Low impedance toggle switch, but it's marked like a ground lift. It also has two output jack similar to the last LPR version so it wouldn't need a switch if it were the same. I'm wondering if the knobs aren't just wrong, just using existing stock to get a few photos out there to spark interest & hopefully some pre-orders....... This might be a prototype??
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I think that is a ground lift (kinda baffling, that). The Hi or Lo Z is via seperate jacks - look at the control close up.
... since they're wrong about that I am going to assume the writeup is mostly copied/pasted from the original 70s lit (a lot of it sounds familiar) and therefore there is no decade (or bass) control either.
"faithful reproduction" indeed.
... also noticed it seems like the pups do not have an embossed logo. I actually think that's good - easier to tell the originals from the repros (and Les' pups weren't embossed either).
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You can barely see the Gibson emboss on a few of the photos if you look hard for it..........
My wife gave me a two book set for Christmas, "The Les Paul Legacy" by Robb Lawrence. In the second book 1968-2009, there is a full chapter on Low Impedance Les Pauls, about 30 pages of text & photos. This has to be a record.............. The Low Impedance models get some mention in many of the other books, but not this extensive. As more newcomers read about these, it may spark some interest & curiosity, possibly new demand. That must be what Gibson is banking on. We'll see how long it takes to sell 600 LPR's......... :P
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Ah, OK. My monitor at home is the TV and it's not so great on the detail.
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The Sweetwater page says the LPR II is no longer available??? The 600 couldn't have sold out already???
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The Sweetwater page says the LPR II is no longer available??? The 600 couldn't have sold out already???
I'd guess that may mean Sweetwater's allotment is spoken for. It's still shown as available for pre-order at American Musical and expected Dec. 30th at Zzounds.
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Looks like Dave's Guitar Shop might actually have one..................
http://davesguitar.com/products/gibson-usa/limited-edition-les-paul-recording-ii/
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Looks like Dave's Guitar Shop might actually have one..................
http://davesguitar.com/products/gibson-usa/limited-edition-les-paul-recording-ii/
Finish looks lighter than I expected. Nice looking plank though.
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A little more info............
http://www.premierguitar.com/blogs/5-daily-news/post/20121-gibson-releases-the-les-paul-recording
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Nothing we didn't see in the pictures other than that it's a Jensen transformer in there (that's kinda nice; the original, was not a particularly high quality transformer) and that the LoZ out is balanced (more like the LPSig than Recording which is not). I wonder if the LoZ out is TRS (like the LPSig) or XLR which is slightly more convenient to use if not mount.
A little silly that with that many knobs on the thing they don't list them all off - we still don't have a definitive answer re the tone controls. I am taking this to mean that the decasde is gone as is the bass cut. In fact this whole thing is looking more and more like a Recording/LPSig hybrid.
Really curious as to what's going on in the control route.
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AMS just posted a new video from Gibson............
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-GIB-LPRC-LIST
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa7K5DfxK0c
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Cool video!
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Nice vintage API console too. Gotta run so will have to watch the vid later.
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very nice.using both outputs is a cool idea,you could re amp the low z signal later if you needed too.
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I talked (digitally of course!) with a guy who just bought one of these. He said that the "Decade" control was indeed missing & that the pickups were high impedance, converted to low impedance through the Jensen transformer. He was quite happy with his purchase overall, but it was a totally new redesign that only looks like the original. I'm not seeing anything that states that these are low impedance pickups...............
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-USA/Les-Paul-Recording.aspx
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I talked (digitally of course!) with a guy who just bought one of these. He said that the "Decade" control was indeed missing & that the pickups were high impedance, converted to low impedance through the Jensen transformer. He was quite happy with his purchase overall, but it was a totally new redesign that only looks like the original.
...so instead of recreating the very thing that made the LP Recording models unique, Gibson just builds in a direct box transformer and calls it a day. I'm not surprised.
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I talked (digitally of course!) with a guy who just bought one of these. He said that the "Decade" control was indeed missing & that the pickups were high impedance, converted to low impedance through the Jensen transformer. He was quite happy with his purchase overall, but it was a totally new redesign that only looks like the original. I'm not seeing anything that states that these are low impedance pickups...............
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-USA/Les-Paul-Recording.aspx
The second paragraph makes it clear to me that they aren't low impedance pickups. He's right, it only looks like the original.
...so instead of recreating the very thing that made the LP Recording models unique, Gibson just builds in a direct box transformer and calls it a day. I'm not surprised.
Me neither.
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Sure would be interesting to see a bass version.
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Sure would be interesting to see a bass version.
It would if they were going to do a genuine reissue. I don't see the point of a reissue without low impedance pickups.
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I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. It's just that they've really gone to some length to not call "redesigns that only look like the original" reissues; often even using something other than the original model name (which is why I have no issue with the SG Bass not having an actual mudbucker - this whole thing was amazing business sense on their part). But here, not only did they call this a reissue, but they were sneaky about the pup impedance thing, and stressed the whole 'just like Les' guitar' thing - I think they squandered something very valuable here. And for that much money, too (though if you're rich enough to grab one, for 2K more you coulda had Les' actual LoZ pups installed). I don't even wanna see a bass version.
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Gibson moves in mysterious ways. :mrgreen:
But I'm not going to crucify them until I've actually heard this guitar...
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Here are some gut shots from the guy that actually has one..............
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rdonahue/sets/72157639836150523/
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It certainly is complex looking. I wonder if Les would have approved.
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That's my Les Paul in the flickr set Grog posted. I've never had the chance to play an original so I don't have much to compare this one to. Let me know if you have any questions.
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Thanks for the pics and welcome.
It certainly is complex looking. I wonder if Les would have approved.
Not as complex as the original - at least neater and easier to follow the circuit without a schem thanks to the board and labelled connectors everywhere (the turret board in the originals is just a rat's nest). ... and I doubt it.
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Thanks, I was searching for info on the Jensen transformer that is used in this and stumbled on this thread. Very surprised as I just posted the pictures last night.
From what I have seen wiring shots of originals, this is pretty tidy in comparison. I've posted about this on other forums but I'm planning on doing some modifications to the wiring. I'd like to move the switches over to push/pull pots which will free up the switches for all sorts of experimenting. There seems to be enough room in there for a 9V battery and some small boosters and such. Not sure yet. I figure that, while it's not a faithful recreation of the original model, Les himself would be happy to see a soldering iron and curiosity applied to it.
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That much I agree with. He'd be all up in that biznaz himself, I'd wager.
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Where's the impedance transformer? Is it the round metal thing that is bolted to the body?
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Where's the impedance transformer? Is it the round metal thing that is bolted to the body?
Yes, I believe so.
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Yes, I believe so.
I agree... looks very much like these:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=192515628
Welcome here, and thanks for sharing the great photos!
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Where's the impedance transformer? Is it the round metal thing that is bolted to the body?
Definately that. Not the same model but they look like this:
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/$%28KGrHqV,!hME9Ek!E,B%28BPYhFWnyrQ~~60_58.JPG)
And Rhiino, forgot to mention it earlier but the model is likely a JT-DB-E (http://www.jensen-transformers.com/datashts/dbe.pdf) with optional mounting bracket. Or a very similar custom part.
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Yep. Not the same model but they look like this:
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And Rhiino, forgot to mention it earlier but the model is likely a JT-DB-E (http://www.jensen-transformers.com/datashts/dbe.pdf) with optional mounting bracket.
There you have it!
Really clean looking job they did in there. A rare sight...
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Thanks, I was searching for info on the Jensen transformer that is used in this and stumbled on this thread. Very surprised as I just posted the pictures last night.
From what I have seen wiring shots of originals, this is pretty tidy in comparison. I've posted about this on other forums but I'm planning on doing some modifications to the wiring. I'd like to move the switches over to push/pull pots which will free up the switches for all sorts of experimenting. There seems to be enough room in there for a 9V battery and some small boosters and such. Not sure yet. I figure that, while it's not a faithful recreation of the original model, Les himself would be happy to see a soldering iron and curiosity applied to it.
Hi Rino, I'm on a few threads...... We get into deeper discussions on low impedance stuff here than any of the other threads I participate on. More basses (Hobbits) than guitars. Thanks for posting those good gut shots............. we've been curious as to what made this thing tic.......... Please keep the info coming & welcome!
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Hi Rino, I'm on a few threads...... We get into deeper discussions on low impedance stuff here than any of the other threads I participate on. More basses (Hobbits) than guitars. Thanks for posting those good gut shots............. we've been curious as to what made this thing tic.......... Please keep the info coming & welcome!
Thanks for the welcome. I've been checking out the forum and it seems like a great bunch of folks w/ a ton of information. I have in the works a P Bass that I'll be converting into a Berry Oakley Tractor style bass. I'll post in the bass forums when I (finally) get around to it.
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After over a year of trying to suppress my GAS, I pulled the trigger on one of these today. I guess I collect for impedances........... It should arrive later this week, I'll have to compare it to the original & see if it is just another pretty face. Maybe the pickups will sound more like normal humbuckers in high impedance???
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They will because they are normal HiZ humbuckers (ithough I wonder if they at least kepot them faithfull by makinging them stacked with blade pole pieces - you should be able to tell pretty easily when you get).
It sure is pretty, tho.
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Guess what showed up today............ I have a lot more testing to do, but it does sound closer to the original than I thought it would. Running it through distortion, they sound pretty close surprisingly. The single coil feature is kinda neat. I like the neck on the 1973 better than the 2013. The fret board is really light in color, I hope it is rosewood, it claims to be. It came with a chord for Low Impedance, sounds real clean with tons of sustain.
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/iridium1_zpsdf5adfe5.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/iridium1_zpsdf5adfe5.jpg.html)(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/Iridium2_zps11a0cd50.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/Iridium2_zps11a0cd50.jpg.html)
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Nice! :toast:
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Looks beautiful!
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A couple better photos...............
(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/2013LesPaulRecordingII_zps550ad71d.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/2013LesPaulRecordingII_zps550ad71d.jpg.html)(http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af119/Grog_03/DSC09232_zps53469ff0.jpg) (http://s999.photobucket.com/user/Grog_03/media/DSC09232_zps53469ff0.jpg.html)
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Beautiful pair of Ladies... It will be nice to know which would be the "go to" after you've settled into them...
After watching that vid this was on the page... replicating a '59... the bit I found most interesting was the recreation of the front of the instrument circa 12.25 and the second vid shows the details of the construction of the copy-carver...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5ORLk1K3Ic#t=685
www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_2090789743&feature=iv&src_vid=A5ORLk1K3Ic&v=IrZkDnryBek
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How does it sound?
If those pickups are the real deal, you'd say they could build a Triumph too. (well, I know I can.. 8)
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The pups are not the real deal; they're HiZ doppelgangers. I forget how we established this (way back when they were released), I think it was something to do with another guy who had one posting gut shots - there was a Jensen DI transformer feeding the LoZ output (2 separate jacks vs a switch - the only improvement over the original).
Gibson does not have the schem for this on their site to confirm.
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No it's not the same, it's quite different. It has a maple top & separate High & Low Impedance jacks like the 1976 version. Like the Les Paul Signature, it has a balanced line out. A chord came with the guitar. I have a Peavey KB-300 with a low impedance mic jack that I use when playing low impedance & it sounds really nice, even though it's going from hi to low impedance. I miss the "Decade" feature, it was standard on all previous Recordings & one bass in the Netherlands! It has a separate tone control for each pickup, not the Treble & Bass control the originals had. I like the feature that allows you to switch either pickup to single coil, though I don't know yet if I'd use it much. I'll have to try it through a few more amps. I tried using a low impedance amp & a high impedance amp at the same time, it hummed & the ground lift switch worked to quiet it down. Kind of a neat effect in itself. I guess after thinking about it for around a year, I bought it because it was different.