• THIS IS THE 25th ANNIVERSARY YEAR FOR THE LES PAUL FORUM! PLEASE CELEBRATE WITH US AND SUPPORT US WITH A DONATION TO KEEP US GOING! We've made a large financial investment to convert the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and recently moved to a new hosting platform. We also have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!
  • Please support our Les Paul Forum Sponsors with your business - Gary's Classic Guitars, Wildwood Guitars, Chicago Music Exchange, Reverb.com, Throbak.com and True Vintage Guitar. From personal experience doing business with all of them, they are first class organizations. Thank you!

Gibson Les Paul Conversions

mistersnappy

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2006
Messages
7,322
Anyone have some good 50's Les Paul conversion pics that they would like to share?
Y’all got to embrace the weird Conversions! Are there any left? Ive got a hack job I bought in ‘87 and flogged thru all my “glory days”. I’m frankly ashamed of the tailpiece location, therefore will not post any pictures.
The refin is absolutely beautiful complete lemon fade with greening. Which is astonishing for the time period? Despite the shitty tailpiece, its stays in tune. I may’ve put a PAF ( or as some say, “paahf”) in it.
Wait, it also has one of the ugliest headstock break repairs you might see.
 
Last edited:

Subliminal lanimilbuS

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 28, 2023
Messages
508
Y’all got to embrace the weird Conversions! Are there any left? Ive got a hack job I bought in ‘87 and flogged thru all my “glory days”. I’m frankly ashamed of the tailpiece location, therefore will not post any pictures.
The refin is absolutely beautiful complete lemon fade with greening. Which is astonishing for the time period? Despite the shitty tailpiece, its stays in tune. I may’ve put a PAF ( or as some say, “paahf”) in it.
Wait, it also has one of the ugliest headstock break repairs you might see.
Was just revisiting a few old threads and saw your post. How about just for fun a picture of the back so we can see the green lemon.
 

GStone

Member
Joined
May 17, 2023
Messages
30
I'm a rookie about some of this stuff. And this is the 1st time I heard the term LP "conversion". From reading the 1st page of posts in this thread I gather that a LP conversion is taking a original older than '59 Les Paul and converting it to '59 specs and appearance. That is changing the bridge, adding a stoptail if it din't have one, changing the pickups to the appropriate humbuckers and refinishing to a sunburst. Correct me if I'm wrong.
 

Wilko

All Access/Backstage Pass
Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
21,087
Yep, that's the gist. Some models have different bridges to convert from. I converted a late '55/'56 that already had a Tune-O-matic bridge. It only needed pickups and sunburst.
 

thin sissy

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 2, 2006
Messages
2,768
I'm a rookie about some of this stuff. And this is the 1st time I heard the term LP "conversion". From reading the 1st page of posts in this thread I gather that a LP conversion is taking a original older than '59 Les Paul and converting it to '59 specs and appearance. That is changing the bridge, adding a stoptail if it din't have one, changing the pickups to the appropriate humbuckers and refinishing to a sunburst. Correct me if I'm wrong.
You got it! It is a heartbreaking thing for us goldtop and P90 lovers, but to each their own :ROFLMAO:
 

gary buff

Active member
Joined
Nov 18, 2001
Messages
195
If you don't absolutely have to have a sunburst but want the old wood and everything else, just get an aforementioned 55-56 with tom and rout it for HBs. I did exactly that years ago when it wasn't that big a deal to do so (and PAFS could be had for $100-150 each) and it turned out great.
 

asapmaz

Active member
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Messages
323
Let me repeat... spend $60-70k (and an additional $6-8k for paf's) for a nice piece of Gibson history that has absolutely nothing wrong with it and drill into it to end up with a "not a 1957-58 goldtop" and "never will be a 1957-58 goldtop"?
 

gary buff

Active member
Joined
Nov 18, 2001
Messages
195
Let me repeat... spend $60-70k (and an additional $6-8k for paf's) for a nice piece of Gibson history that has absolutely nothing wrong with it and drill into it to end up with a "not a 1957-58 goldtop" and "never will be a 1957-58 goldtop"?
Yep. You'd be doing the same thing to a "nice piece of Gibson history" if you used a 52, 53, or 54 too.
 

jb_abides

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Messages
7,337
I am not in the fight because of the dearth of lefty options; however, it seems to me finding an unmolested vintage Gibson is worth keeping as intended, give the wealth of reversible modifications available to enhance playability such as the compensated bridges, the trapeze replacments from Music City Bridge and MojoAxe, the repro parts, the boutique pickups, etc.

I know 'Old Wood Matters' ... then again, adding a really good Historic Reissue outfitted to your liking, while simultaneously keeping your vintage guitar pristine as far as 'non-reversible' changes, seems to be the best path today. That's what I opt for.

I am not so overly precious as to demand an owner do anything but what they want in the end, I'd just urge thoughtful consideration for preservation. For converstions from the past, when all aforementioned options weren't available... fully understandable.

All that said: I've also seen some FUBAR Juniors "up-converted" to nice 59 specs, with an added maple top. Seems like giving new life to a desparate case.
 
Last edited:

Wilko

All Access/Backstage Pass
Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
21,087
Let me repeat... spend $60-70k (and an additional $6-8k for paf's) for a nice piece of Gibson history that has absolutely nothing wrong with it and drill into it to end up with a "not a 1957-58 goldtop" and "never will be a 1957-58 goldtop"?
I converted a previously messed with guitar.

It's not a '59 burst, but it walks like a duck. If you're in it for the sound, then you've got a '59 burst.

If' you're looking for the monetary value, it's not.
 
Top