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Billy Gibbons playing a Tokai LS Love Rock

jb_abides

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Apr 6, 2005
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Auction photo close-up from 2020, FWIW...

1662921664185.png

From
nov20-846_lg.jpeg


 

charliechitlins

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Nov 16, 2021
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1,020
I think BG is on a 1-man crusade to keep the guitar business viable.
He'll buy absurdly priced wiring harnesses, buy guitars from small builders, use amps from start-up companies...it's very cool of him.
Just don't think you'll sound like him by buying the gear he buys.
I have no idea how he and his techs make every guitar sound the same.
 

Wilko

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Odd? that saddle looks right. How is it odd? Anything other than that indicated poor setup (or odd string gauges.


I work on guitars part time. I can tell a lot about a guitar's setup by that pattern.
 

charliechitlins

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Are we talking about the low E string slot in the saddle?
It appears to be cheated a bit towards the A string, reducing the distance between the E and A.
 

Wally

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Feb 27, 2003
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3,535
Here's a 2000, looks like saddles in similar positions
2000-tokai-ls-320-vf-jpg.791851

At 2:21-2:22 we can see a flash of the bridge. The saddles do not seem to be in the same positions as they are in the pictures you show us. I do not see the up, back, back, up, back, back pattern…from high to low….. that a properly set up guitar with normal gauge strings will exhibit.
 

jb_abides

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Video presents at a different angle; yes, 3 and 4 appear in other locations.
Could the saddles have been flipped? Hard to discern.

1662950978548.png
1662951012203.png
 
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garywright

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Aug 17, 2002
Messages
15,583
Are we talking about the low E string slot in the saddle?
It appears to be cheated a bit towards the A string, reducing the distance between the E and A.
could be that the low E string isn’t taunt (?) I think I’m seeing the string slot to the left of the string
 

Mustardc Caps

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Oct 15, 2021
Messages
54
From what Ive read Gibbons replaces the pickups on most all of humbucker equipped guitars except vintage guitars with Tom Holmes H450-H455 pickups.

Gibbons, Gary Moore, Peter Frampton helped Tom design the output and voicing on his H450-H455 pickups on 1992.. And Gibbons. amnd Moore also convinced Tom to switch from A4 magnets to A2 magnets in 1992. Gibson put Toms pickups in Garys Custom Shop Les Paul straight from the factory. Gary was Toms best friend. Gary also sometimes used Frailin Pure PAFs. 7.5k Neck x 8.2 Bridge. They are also A2, and as far as K rating which doesnt tell the whole story, are similar to Toms K rating. Toms are 7.6k and 8.3k. 4500 winds per bobbin on neck, and 4450 on Bridge. Peter Framptons guitars other than his vintage ones have Toms H450 in the Neck. H453 in the Middle, which is from his A4 set, and H455 in the Bridge. Word is Tom is going to stop winding around November. Ive got his pickups in my LP Repro, and have been on his list for 2 more sets since last November with no guarantee he will get to me. Im buying 2 more sets. I also had Tom reverse the neck magnets.

Joe Glaser Pleked my guitar and set intonation. Heres how he set mine. I have a Pigtail Bridge Assembly. I also had the guys at Vintage Relic use an Earvana Nut, which is probably why my saddles are so even. I was thinking long ago about changing it to a Bartlett Nylon Nut, but it plays in tune so well, stays in tune. and sounds great Im afraid to mess with it. It it aint broke, not fix it. Ive had the guitar 9 years now. My buddy argees my guitar sounds better than his 62 FG/Les Paul. He bought this guitar new. And his guitar sounds great.



1662982890831.png

LFwKGAv.jpg
 
Last edited:

corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
What i saw was the saddles in a straight line- it just surprised me. Mine are generally all over the place- esp the G.
 

Wally

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Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
3,535
From what Ive read Gibbons replaces the pickups on most all of humbucker equipped guitars except vintage guitars with Tom Holmes H450-H455 pickups.

Gibbons, Gary Moore, Peter Frampton helped Tom design the output and voicing on his H450-H455 pickups on 1992.. And Gibbons. amnd Moore also convinced Tom to switch from A4 magnets to A2 magnets in 1992. Gibson put Toms pickups in Garys Custom Shop Les Paul straight from the factory. Gary was Toms best friend. Gary also sometimes used Frailin Pure PAFs. 7.5k Neck x 8.2 Bridge. They are also A2, and as far as K rating which doesnt tell the whole story, are similar to Toms K rating. Toms are 7.6k and 8.3k. 4500 winds per bobbin on neck, and 4450 on Bridge. Peter Framptons guitars other than his vintage ones have Toms H450 in the Neck. H453 in the Middle, which is from his A4 set, and H455 in the Bridge. Word is Tom is going to stop winding around November. Ive got his pickups in my LP Repro, and have been on his list for 2 more sets since last November with no guarantee he will get to me. Im buying 2 more sets. I also had Tom reverse the neck magnets.

Joe Glaser Pleked my guitar and set intonation. Heres how he set mine. I have a Pigtail Bridge Assembly. I also had the guys at Vintage Relic use an Earvana Nut, which is probably why my saddles are so even. I was thinking long ago about changing it to a Bartlett Nylon Nut, but it plays in tune so well, stays in tune. and sounds great Im afraid to mess with it. It it aint broke, not fix it. Ive had the guitar 9 years now. My buddy argees my guitar sounds better than his 62 FG/Les Paul. He bought this guitar new. And his guitar sounds great.



View attachment 19400

LFwKGAv.jpg


Re: your bridge…the G string is out of the slot…or so it appears to me. I also
would question the compensation there. If the radius is correct and the string gauges are normal, then
Something is off, ime. That is…lif the high E intonated correctly, the G is sharp. If the G is correct, then the high E is flat……and that situation would be problematic because it is all the way forward.
 
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