Fixing up my dad's seventies LP Custom

[Mike Moss]

Fantastic that it has the original pots so you can date it.

Does the back of the headstock have a volute? I may be wrong but I think the 54 Reissues didn't have one.

It does have a volute, I guess that means it's a regular Custom

 

[Hamerfan]

I say, the pickups are original to the guitar. The solder joints are not touched and original. Those clear bobbins pickups were used from 1968 to mid 80 ies.
What you Dad did was that he changed out the black covers. The good thing is that you can buy today covers from Gibson with the same markings.

 

[dnabbet2]

Can you take a pic of the inside of the neck pickup rout?

I AM nagging by this point, and I do apologise, but you're looking to see if there's a deep central channel.

I'm lazy and don't want to take apart and photograph one of my own guitars but I will if no one posts a pic of what I'm talking about.

 

[dnabbet2]

Well-known member Zhivago posted pics of a 1955's neck pickup cavity on this site in October 2014: https://lespaulforum.com/index.php?...beauty-the-alnico-custom-thread.190622/page-2. Scroll down a bit.

If your Custom's neck pickup cavity is similar in shape and depth, then the guitar probably began life as a '54-style reissue ... and if it's not similar, then for sure it didn't.

 

[Mike Moss]

Sure thing dnabbet2, I'll remove the neck pickup and take pics next time I change the strings.

Hamerfan, looks like you're right, for some reason I assumed it must have come with buckers but I was wrong. I'll look into the covers and put them back on, I might also replace the gold hardware parts and keep the chrome ones as a keepsake.

 

[dnabbet2]

Yeah, let us know what you find in the pickup cavity.

If it was a '54 reissue, they're worth a bit of dough these days -- I remember buying and selling the SAME one twice for about $500USD in the 1980s but I see them listed for over ten times that now.

Seymour Duncan makes a good staple, as I say, and there are lots of sources for hardware: I have Faber hardware on one of my own Customs. BUT, if you want the guitar as a memento of your dad, keep it as it is and save the dough.

Tell us how it works out.

 

[Hamerfan]

Sure thing dnabbet2, I'll remove the neck pickup and take pics next time I change the strings.

Hamerfan, looks like you're right, for some reason I assumed it must have come with buckers but I was wrong. I'll look into the covers and put them back on, I might also replace the gold hardware parts and keep the chrome ones as a keepsake.

Good idea! Black Soapbar is the name.

P-90 / P-100 Pickup Covers

P-90 / P-100 Pickup Cover, "Dog Ear" (Black)

www.gibson.com

 

[rockabilly69]

If its a 54 reissue custom .
Thats what it looks like.
The Selector switch, try and loosen the switch tip and see if it stays.

didn't the 1973 LP Custom '54 reissue have staple neck pickup?

 

[Mike Moss]

Just a heads up, I managed to fix the selector switch by bending the back part of the switch very gently in the opposite direction. It works fine on all three settings now!

 

[stxrus]

If it was me I’d keep it as close to what your dad imagined as possible

 

[dnabbet2]

didn't the 1973 LP Custom '54 reissue have staple neck pickup?

Yes, any '54 reissue would originally have had a staple as the neck pickup.

 

[charliechitlins]

If the neck pickup is a replacement, it matches the bridge.
If you go looking for a used p90, very few have the clear bobbin.
That guitar must have a good story.

 

[dnabbet2]

Oops.

For the sticklers, a Robbie Krieger would have a Duncan mini-humbucker as original, obviously.

I hope that's clear as mud.

 

[Azmedian]

IMO bring it back to playability minimum. Deep Clean

If you want refret with Stainless Steel & If you want to change pick ups Mini humbuckers (70's) IDK if Customs came with Mini's

Definitly a factory "2"nd

 

[clearmudd]

As already mention earlier in the thread,... if it's a '54 reissue it would have originally came with a "Staple" pickup in the neck position. It would have a different route than a P90.
It would have deeper route to fit a "Staple" pup as you can see by the junk hanging below in this pic. The screws and springs are there to adjust the height of each pair of magnets.

 

[Mwoodbro]

Fantastic that it has the original pots so you can date it.

Does the back of the headstock have a volute? I may be wrong but I think the 54 Reissues didn't have one.

I believe a few things to differentiate those early 70's LPC and Goldtop reissues is that they had no volute, one piece neck, non-pancake body

 

[KS 5150]

Another vote here for making it as playable as possible and leave it alone. I have two of my dad's old guitars (Strat & Tele) and I haven't messed with them.