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"1956" Les Paul Burst eBay Identify

mydeadblues

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May 9, 2019
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So I came across this listing on eBay (https://www.ebay.com/itm/174740246887?hash=item28af549167:g:D8YAAOSwol5gf0Q8) that claims to be a 1956 Les Paul with an original sunburst finish. The seller obviously does not know much about the guitar. The serial number is 67353 and it does have a sunburst finish, not necessarily the original finish. It also has Grover tuners, which I guess would not be impossible but it is also odd for the year. I am curious what you guys think this guitar actually is--one off, custom order, reissue, fake, Gold Top conversion, authentic, etc.? I am not an expert on these, but there is a 1956 Les Paul out there with P90s that claims to be the first burst ever made (lot of controversy with that guitar).
 

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THIRTYTWOFORTY

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I reached out to the seller for more information. The cavities don’t appear to be modified. The logo seems off and the pickups look wrong.
 

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brandtkronholm

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Dec 3, 2006
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2,737
How can the cavities be unmodified on a 1956 Les Paul that now has humbuckers? What do you see?
How are the pickups wrong? I can't tell anything from the pictures.
The 'burst pattern is interesting.
Tell us more.


I am skeptical about this one - but who knows? It needs an in-hand inspection.

Two posters to this thread with ONE Message each? Hmmm.... P&D?
 

boogieongtr

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May 16, 2006
Messages
937
Is that a crack running from above the low E tuner across the face of the headstock?? Can't see anything on the back of the headstock.
17.jpeg
 

sws1

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Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Messages
2,846
I can't see any
How can the cavities be unmodified on a 1956 Les Paul that now has humbuckers? What do you see?
How are the pickups wrong? I can't tell anything from the pictures.
The 'burst pattern is interesting.
Tell us more.


I am skeptical about this one - but who knows? It needs an in-hand inspection.

Two posters to this thread with ONE Message each? Hmmm.... P&D?

Look in the corners of those cavities. (Far right corner of bridge cavity. Far left and right corner of neck cavity.) Looks like there are extra wood pieces and strange routes.
 

AA00475Bassman

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Apr 26, 2016
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3,769
We aren't musicians ,Big disclaimer off the bat at this point the guitar is passing my comfort zone in price for sight unseen EBAY !
 

DANELECTRO

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Feb 24, 2003
Messages
6,318
PAF stickers look good, but I don't see the "L" tooling marks on the frame. The coax "hot" wire visible in the cavity photo has white vinyl insulation rather than black cloth.

The rings are obviously not M-69s.

Lots of question marks with this one.
 

brandtkronholm

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Joined
Dec 3, 2006
Messages
2,737
I can't see any


Look in the corners of those cavities. (Far right corner of bridge cavity. Far left and right corner of neck cavity.) Looks like there are extra wood pieces and strange routes.
Indeed. (I was responding to post #3 which stated "The cavities don’t appear to be modified.")
 

boogieongtr

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May 16, 2006
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937

brandtkronholm

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Joined
Dec 3, 2006
Messages
2,737
How can the cavities be unmodified on a 1956 Les Paul that now has humbuckers? What do you see?
How are the pickups wrong? I can't tell anything from the pictures.
The 'burst pattern is interesting. Tell us more.

I am skeptical about this one - but who knows? It needs an in-hand inspection.

Two posters to this thread with ONE Message each? Hmmm.... P&D?
Edit - make that THREE posters with one message each.
 

boogieongtr

Active member
Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
937
PAF stickers look good, but I don't see the "L" tooling marks on the frame. The coax "hot" wire visible in the cavity photo has white vinyl insulation rather than black cloth.

The rings are obviously not M-69s.

Lots of question marks with this one.

The white vinyl insulated cable is soldered to the center lug and comes from the switch. The black cloth from the pickup is visible and is soldered to the correct terminal.
101.jpg

I ended up buying this guitar. I asked the seller 3 times for pics and finally on the last day of the auction I got the pics. I was pretty sure from the pics I received that I knew what it was. It is definitely a 56 that was converted. The S/N on the guitar is the original S/N. The pickups are original PAF's with untouched solder joints & tool markings springs & screws. One double black and the second on a zebra. Lots of original parts: ABR1 bridge, Stop tailpiece, Studs, switch ring, switch, truss rod cover, 2 of the pots input jack.
5(12).JPG


Original S/N
11(9).JPG


I wanted to make sure that the neck had never been out of the guitar so I took the fretboard off with my heat blanket. There's no indication that the neck had ever been removed. The neck is original to the guitar.
8(12).JPG


The dot on the MOP was covered up when it was finished.
18(11).JPG


No break on the headstock.
19(9).JPG


This will make a great player once I'm done with all the work.
 

mydeadblues

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May 9, 2019
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2
Thanks for the update! Looks like the guitar ended up in the right hands. Please keep us updated on your progress if you don’t mind. I for one would love to see how the guitar turns out and any updates along the way. Best of luck! It sure looks like it’ll end up being a great player. 👍
 

DANELECTRO

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Feb 24, 2003
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Nice grab Jim. The pickups appeared to be PAFs, but I wasn't certain. I was definitely interested and I asked the seller for photos in an attempt to get a better picture of what it was, but the photos I received were blurry and didn't answer all my questions. I asked for a Buy It Now price, but he said he was going to let the auction run its course. I was out once bidding went north of $14K. Any more than that was beyond what I was willing to risk. $18K initially sounded like a lot for a guitar with many questions, but considering that you landed a pair of of PAFs plus other vintage parts, I'd say it was well worth the money. Another plus is that its a '56, so no plugged wraparound holes and no neck reset. It should make for a really nice conversion. I can't see the seam on the top, but the wood looks pretty uniform in color across the top so even if the seam is off center, it should make for a nice looking burst conversion. I can't wait to see the progress of this project.
 
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