chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
I know this is no closet queen guitar, BUT in the hands of 1. The owner, 2. Any accomplished guitar player, 3. Even cork sniffing "Norlin's suck" players, THIS, my friends is a Rock n Roll machine.
My Buddy's LP. See if anyone can tell me what it is.
- Thread starter chilipeppermaniac
- Start date
OP
chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
OP
chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
BTW what do you guys make of that Bridge and Tail piece setup?
OP
chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
Here he is on his Ibanez.
It’s got the funk…for sure. Looks familiar, but I can’t place it.
OP
chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
LOL @ The Funk.
FYI, I know some details on the guitar itself but not much about the hardware.
Another hint is something Mr Tuners would like, The Maple Cap is a PRS done refin on a Norlin body if one could not figure out why I added number 3 above.... Cork SNiffin Norlin's suck etc...
Last edited:
The bridge is actually a common item on Tiesco, Mosrite, Silvertone, Kawai and some other Japanese guitars from the 1960's and 1970's.
Originally, those bridges contained multi-groove saddles that were used in conjunction with a Bigsby-style vibrato.
The saddles on this specimen look to be custom made and considering they are all shifted forward to the limit of the channel, I would doubt the intonation is anywhere near correct.
No advantages to using this arrangement. It's likely that the original bridge collapsed and they used whatever they had laying around.
The cap nut bridge nuts are also something I see a lot of on old guitars that come to me for restoration.
The knurled cap nuts on the stopbar look like a common knurled nut from a drummer, likely paired with the old Ibanez quick change stud.
Again, this is real common on old guitars that come across my bench...
I get old guitars - including vintage Gibson's - brought to me all the time that have parts on them from drum kits, lamps, old furniture hardware, and basically whatever some music store had laying around "back in the day" that would fit.
The common collapsing zinc bridge would be a likely cause of replacing it with a channel style bridge, but this mismatch of parts is actually super common.
I'm not saying that this guitar posted above is a fake, but since we are on the subject of oddball hardware, I figured this would be a good time to mention this trend.
We've seen a trend towards using incorrect and/or mismatched hardware, tuning keys, screws, etc., in an effort to make a modern relic look more authentic.
Seems like everyone wants a "1959 Les Paul Replica" and there are at least two luthier's that I know personally here in SoCal that specialize in building them and they are correct down to the most insignificant detail...
For many of you that have never encountered a real 1950's Gibson or Fender, you might be surprised at how bad they are in terms of worn out frets, worn out hardware, etc. I know of one genuine 1959 Gibson Les Paul that has areas on the neck that are unplayable from wear and warpage, but the instrument is too valuable to repair.
Coupled with the six figure pricing for an original, this has created a strong underground market for replicas.
reverb.com
.
guitargear.org
The common collapsing zinc bridge would be a likely cause of replacing it with a channel style bridge, but this mismatch of parts is actually super common.
I'm not saying that this guitar posted above is a fake, but since we are on the subject of oddball hardware, I figured this would be a good time to mention this trend.
We've seen a trend towards using incorrect and/or mismatched hardware, tuning keys, screws, etc., in an effort to make a modern relic look more authentic.
Seems like everyone wants a "1959 Les Paul Replica" and there are at least two luthier's that I know personally here in SoCal that specialize in building them and they are correct down to the most insignificant detail...
For many of you that have never encountered a real 1950's Gibson or Fender, you might be surprised at how bad they are in terms of worn out frets, worn out hardware, etc. I know of one genuine 1959 Gibson Les Paul that has areas on the neck that are unplayable from wear and warpage, but the instrument is too valuable to repair.
Coupled with the six figure pricing for an original, this has created a strong underground market for replicas.
1959 Gibson Les Paul Replica | Stevan's Gear Locker | Reverb
This is a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Replica. It was made with all the period correct building materials that real 59 LP's are made from. It is made from 40 yr old growth honduran mahagony, and eastern flamed maple top. The board is 50 yr old Brazilian Rosewood. This guitar is very sp...
reverb.com
Gear Review: 1959 Les Paul Replica
1959 Les Paul Replica Summary: About as close as you can get to the real deal without paying hundreds of thousands of dollars. Pros: Bright and super smooth tone, and sustain that’s absolutel…
guitargear.org
Last edited:
OP
chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
Well, Robert, I am pretty sure I can get the low down on Ron's intonation and how his LP got to wearing these particular choices of Stop Bar and Bridge and Saddles. I was waiting on you to comment on intonation, so I saw it coming.
Since Ron not only records in his own studio and plays professionally and has done so for over 40 years, I am sure his intonation is possibly better than can be ascertained through visual observation.
SIx String Chef
Ambassador of Taste
Hey, Chili... that is one odd-looking briodge/tailpiece combo for sure, but seems like Robert has it ID'd already. What puzzles me is the saddle intonation pattern... really weird if it is indeed functional.
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
Fixed it for ya
67plexi
Ambassador of Amps
Mark why would you say Norlin era suck. The non Valute Norlin's are now valuable
that's how I judge guitars is resale price.
Example I own a 1972 Les Paul Custom LE 1954 RI paid $450.00 new
1969 Gibson Deluxe Les Paul repaired two guitar amps $300.00 in parts
both guitars play well and at $750.00 total price.
1973 Black Les Paul Custom 1954 Limited Edition w /Original Case | Guitars West | Reverb
reverb.com
that's how I judge guitars is resale price.
Example I own a 1972 Les Paul Custom LE 1954 RI paid $450.00 new
1969 Gibson Deluxe Les Paul repaired two guitar amps $300.00 in parts
both guitars play well and at $750.00 total price.
1973 Black Les Paul Custom 1954 Limited Edition w /Original Case | Guitars West | Reverb
Reverb
reverb.com
I love the controversy. I'd rather have an excellent counterfeit than a poorly maintained and weathered original.
I see a lot of vintage/relic guitars that can only be played in a certain register, or that are only in tune when playing open chords...but if this guy is predominately a lead player, then intonation is really not a big issue.
TBTH,
It would be hard to have accurate intonation with the saddles arranged like that. However, I know guys who like and get used to a guitar and they learn to deal with the anomalies until it becomes automatic.
Joe B's tech talks about Joe's old Gibson guitars that cannot be played on certain songs because of wear or other issues with the neck, but they are considered too valuable to modify.
In one video, his tech (Mike Hickey) talks about how they raised the action on one of Joe's Gibson's to over an 1/8" to make it playable.
But, irregardless, if he digs it, then it's awesome, but I cringe when I see old bridges and stuff like that.
Like I said previously, intonation really isn't a huge issue if you play lead predominantly.
I know of a Broadcaster (studio owned) that's considered to be amazing and it's highly sought after for use on recordings in L.A., but its got terrible fret wear, and major intonation problems with the 3 barrel bridge, but because it is a Broadcaster, people are enamored with it.
You literally have to tune it one way to play open chords and tune differently to play Barre chords.
Last edited:
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
Build whatever you want, just don't put the Gibson logo on it and we'll all be fine. I draw the line(s) at deceit and illegality.
Amp Mad Scientist
Ambassador of Heresy
It looks like an Ibanez bridge and tailpiece from an earlier Artist model...or an Ibanez "lawsuit" Les Paul.
The body and book matched top does not look right for a Gibson. There's something odd about it. The shape of the body looks out of proportion.
But there is not enough detailed pictures to really see the rest of the construction. Therefore mysterious in many ways.
I don't know if I can believe it's really a Gibson, at least not from the photos posted. I think it could be a forgery.
From the way the top is book matched, and the shape of the body, I would guess an Ibanez lawsuit Les Paul, that has been dressed up to look like a Gibson.
Last edited:
SG John
Ambassador of Cool Guitars and Amps.
The bridge looks like an older Rickenbacker bridge. Love the thumbwheels for the tail piece. Probably came off of some old piece of machinery with a 3/8-24 thread. It looks interesting with no body binding. Is it really a PRS top on that?
Love my two Norlins. '85 (L) and '82 (R). Affordable for a kid with a crappy job in a machine shop when I bought them. Couldn't afford them now. Great guitars, and they're going nowhere.
Love my two Norlins. '85 (L) and '82 (R). Affordable for a kid with a crappy job in a machine shop when I bought them. Couldn't afford them now. Great guitars, and they're going nowhere.