In Memory Of Kim At Historic Makeovers, Please Post Guitars Done By Him.

[Steve Craw]

I owned this 2012 lefty R8, that the original owner had a full-tilt Makeover done by Kim and co. Sadly, I let it go, it was something special. RIP, Kim, you were the master.

 

[Steve Craw]

I had thought of having Kim refinish my goldtop, using his VanBuren as the template for the perfect color and aging.

 

[Steve Craw]

 

[DANELECTRO]

Kim was the best. I am very sad to hear of his passing.

2017 R8


2007 CR8


2014 R8

 

[corpse]

 

[MarcB]

last night I went looking on reverb at HM LPs to see what the market was like.. there was one absolute perfect 58, that ticked all my boxes .. it even had my lucky number in the serial no.. which is a major factor for me..
woke up this morning and it had sold..

All of you that own a HM are very lucky indeed.. they’re super fine examples..

 

[dwagar]

It is so sad to hear that Kim has gone.

Way back, when he first started HM, working with Dave Johnson, we'd been reading on the forum about Joe Ganzler's Project X reissue. I had my '01 R9 and was particularly interested in getting rid of the trussrod condom and putting a braz board on it. Plus, I hated the bright white round cornered inlays on it.

I phoned Kim, he gave me a good price on just doing the trussrod, board, inlays, frets etc. They did a fantastic job. They turned a really good guitar into a great guitar.

Shortly after they no longer offered this option, they found it too expensive/too much work for what they charge for it.

I still have it, it's one of my favorite guitars.

He had quite an impact on the Les Paul community.

 

[jb_abides]

@Steve Craw thanks for starting this, a very worthwhile remembrance. Thanks also to all who post, this will be a thing of beauty that remains after any sorrow passes.

 

[Midnight Blues]

This is extremely sad news! I'm shocked! He was such a great guy, a fellow New Yorker and transplanted Floridian. I feel so bad.

My condolences to his family.

R.I.P. Kim.

A refret I had him do for me a few years ago on my '72/'54 Limited Edition Custom:

 

[nmcinc]

Here is mine

 

[Xpensive Wino]

last night I went looking on reverb at HM LPs to see what the market was like.. there was one absolute perfect 58, that ticked all my boxes .. it even had my lucky number in the serial no.. which is a major factor for me..
woke up this morning and it had sold..

All of you that own a HM are very lucky indeed.. they’re super fine examples..

You snooze, you lose. C'est la guerre.

 

[corpse]

As I understand it HM Will continue. Kim had been struggling with this for some time. Work there continues.

 

[Xpensive Wino]

As the Internet is afire with the news of the passing of Kim LaFluer, I wanted to add my condolences to his family, friends and crew as I reflect upon our tenure together.
Kim approached me in late 2006 to help resurrect the @historicmakeovers company after Dave Johnson quit. Kim’s passion for this crazy idea of making over what seemed like perfectly fine Gibson Custom Reissues was certainly intriguing and the amount of detail that he poured over with me about why they “weren’t right” and what we could do to fix them was contagious. So, we embarked on the journey and I owe him a debt of gratitude as he could see the finish, colors, locations of this and that far better than most, including me, and thus I learned to see all those details as well. Without his constant need for perfection, I would not be the guitar painter that I am today. I can still hear him in my head when I’m deciphering what colors to use on Gibson refinishes. I’m sure all of us in the Gibson refinish business have had similar conversations with him but I was lucky to actually have him in my shop (especially in the garage days) looking, discussing and redoing till it was right. He had an unbelievable eye, I can’t stress it enough.

My tenure (2007-2015) saw us do a bunch for @joebonamassa, the Big Ed replicas, Smokin’ Joe Kubek, @john_shanks , to name-drop just a few. My company moved from my garage to a real shop because the demand for Historic Makeovers kept growing.

Kim was always a fantastic resource for things like parts as his knowledge was unparalleled. He was quite the “hub” and the go-to guy when you needed something specific and, if he didn’t have it, he probably knew who did.

Kim’s passing is certainly something that will reverberate in our community for some time. My hope is that those of us who were within the circle of influence can continue in his stead and keep the dream going. We never know what the future holds but I’d like to think that he would want us to carry on what he started and provide the best service possible for everyone wanting their dream guitar.

Godspeed Kim! You will be missed but never forgotten.

Kip Elder

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[MarcB]

You snooze, you lose. C'est la guerre.

It’s not a matter of snoozing and losing..for me it’s having a bucket list and ticking it off..with the TH 57 being a big tick.
yes.. I would’ve loved to have owned the 58 HM I saw on Reverb.. but I’m enjoying the guitars I’ve bought right now.. when the ‘need’ arises.. I will consider the HM route.. as I believe the company will continue or I’ll pick up one on the market.

Je laisserai les dieux de la guitare choisir ma prochaine guitare (comme toujours)

 

[Xpensive Wino]

It’s not a matter of snoozing and losing..for me it’s having a bucket list and ticking it off..with the TH 57 being a big tick.
yes.. I would’ve loved to have owned the 58 HM I saw on Reverb.. but I’m enjoying the guitars I’ve bought right now.. when the ‘need’ arises.. I will consider the HM route.. as I believe the company will continue or I’ll pick up one on the market.

Je laisserai les dieux de la guitare choisir ma prochaine guitare (comme toujours)

C'est bien, mon ami.

 

[K Dub]

Here is my R9 Historic Makeovers in Dirty Lemon with Broken In Aging. Kim was great to work with on this project. He always took my calls and answered all my texts. Truly cared about his customers and passionate about creating a vintage vibe to my Les Paul. A legend in the guitar community. He will be missed.

 

[glenngross]

RIP. 2012 R9

 

[fernieite]

Man, what a shock!

I've exchanged many emails and a few phone calls with Kim over the past, maybe 20 years. Never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, though.

It was always a very good experience buying vintage and Retrospec parts from him.

My (2007 R8) Historic Makeover was one of the first done in his new shop in 2009/10. Kip Elder (Now Starr Guitars) did most of the work and the finishing, but Kim aged things, faded the finish, and did the silk screening.

He's going to be missed by many. We lost one of the good ones. Condolences to his family and close friends.

 

[TM1]

I first me Kim in 2007. I had the 2nd RO out of the first 50 R-0 made for Guitar Center in 2002 Kim really was terrific

 

[latestarter]

I shared a cab with Kim from the airport to the Arlington show 2017. Cool guy, very humble, we connected well. I have literally just installed the HM inlays I got from him back then in my '99 R9. Im' sorry to hear he has passed, and thoughts are with his family.