Beauty of The Black Beauty - The "Alnico" Custom thread

[zhivago]

Good to see people are enjoying the thread!

Here's another '56 from my archives...this one was played a bit!

 

[zhivago]

 

[captaincanada]

I find these guitars so intriguing

 

[captaincanada]

This one might be my favorite:

 

[rays44]

Here's my '56 with a goldie for company. Sounds good through that Rivera era DR. :salude

 

[zhivago]

Great pics!

keep them coming, guys!

 

[Progrocker111]

Here's my '56 with a goldie for company. Sounds good through that Rivera era DR. :salude

What a pair! :dude:

How would you compare them tonewise?

 

[zhivago]

Richard P can't get onto the site as he has a hotmail account, so he emailed me three of his beauties to post here...the alnico one is a '56...the other two are '59 and '61...what a trio!! Many thanks Richard!

 

[viking LP]

Amazing :dude: !Awesome :salude !
Always loved the Custom but the Alnico....:spabout

 

[rays44]

What a pair! :dude:

How would you compare them tonewise?

The goldtop is more aggressive and a bit brighter, but the p/u's in that guitar are really ballsy. The alnico in the custom, contrary to the norm is not as loud. I suspect it's been de-gaussed over the years, but the tone is as smooth as a 10 year old Cohiba.

 

[zhivago]

Here's a '53 from my archives...

 

[Rev.WillieVK]

Does anyone have a photo of the serial number impressed on the top edge of the headstock that the earliest Les Paul Customs were supposed to have?

 

[zhivago]

I haven't got one, Rev

 

[zhivago]

How cool is this?

One of Les' modded Customs...a 1954 model...

Here is the scoop:

After more than 20 years of performing with and innovating on this guitar, Les gifted this iconic instrument in 1976 to his personal luthier, technician, and close friend, Tom Doyle, where it has remained in Tom’s private collection to this day.

 

[DMartini]

zhivago - nice thread alright :salude some real class here.
can you tell me when the Custom got Bumble Bee caps? ive noticed on these early ones they have wax Tigers, then a '56 one you have pictured has Bees. Retrofit?
in the pics of Mike Slubs Customs his '58 has wax 'phone book' looking ones found in '50s Fenders. I thought the single coil ones had the wax Tigers and the PAFs got Bees?

 

[zhivago]

Thank you, sir!

I think I remember people saying the switch to Bumble bees came sometime in '55...my '56 Custom has them

 

[Redhood1979]

Can we keep this thread alive?

 

[CPM55]

Don't all of those modifications that Les made on his '54 remind you of the finished product of the Jimmy Page Black Beauty...can't remember if Les was still with us when that JP BB came out but it seems as though that would be a true Les Paul Custom that the man himself would have loved...except for perhaps the weight as I imagine that most are likely in the 9-10# plus range. Anyone else notice this? Quiet a few of the greats did modify their Black Beauties, like Page and Fripp for example...although the king of tinkering seems to have been Les himself (rivaled perhaps by Eddie Van Halen).

 

[Redhood1979]

Richard P can't get onto the site as he has a hotmail account, so he emailed me three of his beauties to post here...the alnico one is a '56...the other two are '59 and '61...what a trio!! Many thanks Richard!

LORDAMERCY!!!!!:##

 

[zhivago]

Don't all of those modifications that Les made on his '54 remind you of the finished product of the Jimmy Page Black Beauty...can't remember if Les was still with us when that JP BB came out but it seems as though that would be a true Les Paul Custom that the man himself would have loved...except for perhaps the weight as I imagine that most are likely in the 9-10# plus range. Anyone else notice this? Quiet a few of the greats did modify their Black Beauties, like Page and Fripp for example...although the king of tinkering seems to have been Les himself (rivaled perhaps by Eddie Van Halen).

I often wonder where this guitar is...