Les Paul Struck by Lightning....really wild story..see the link

[BobMello]

Seems real to me based on the pics in the auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/GIBSON-LES-PAUL...temZ280364274949QQptZGuitarQQsalenotsupported

 

[skhan007]

Yeah, I saw this posted on TGP a couple days ago. Really wild story! What are the chances of that?!?

He might have better luck selling it as "formerly owned by Ace Frehley". Looks like a smoker guitar that didn't survive.

 

[BobMello]

Yeah, I saw this posted on TGP a couple days ago. Really wild story! What are the chances of that?!?

He might have better luck selling it as "formerly owned by Ace Frehley". Looks like a smoker guitar that didn't survive.

Yep, I saw it on TGP too. Figured I would share for those who don't belong to TGP.

It is a crazy story but seems completely real based on the documented photos. I can't believe the price he got for it even in that condition.

Wouldn't that cost at least a grand to fix?

 

[The Real MC]

I call bullsh!t.

As a BTEE graduate I know that lightning, which is an arc of high voltage electricity, takes the path of least resistance to ground. EE101 first year first semester course. Basically it is attracted to electrical ground. This can be your basement floor, any metal water or electrical conduit, the bathtub or shower stall, the earth outside, any tree with deep roots in the ground, etc. The way modern houses are built these days (trailers excepted) it is highly unlikely that lightning will strike through a wall.

The telltale sign of a lightning strike is an entry point with an accompanying exit point. Two burn marks. IT HAS TO EXIT SOMEWHERE TO GROUND.

The wood in that guitar is an excellent insulator so electricity ain't gonna have an easy time getting through that. Ditto for the wall on the house.

It was packed in a case when it was "struck". On top of another guitar case. If this were indeed a lightning strike, the electricity would have propagated THROUGH THE GUITAR UNDERNEATH THEN TO THE GROUND FLOOR. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF ARCING OTHER THAN THE TOP OF THE CASE. Remember, lightning creates a 2nd burn mark when it exits a conductive body - it isn't there.

I've seen evidence of lightning hits - the burn marks are a LOT blacker than the damage on that guitar.

Conductive metal parts - OK the strings, bridge, pickups, etc. If it were plugged into an amp which is still plugged into a wall with a clear straight path to ground, high probability of lightning strike. Unplugged from the amp, probability drops to near zero unless you are holding the thing while standing in a puddle of water. Not only was it unplugged, it was in its case on top of another guitar case. That effectively doubles the resistance to ground, lightning ain't gonna arc there.

People will tell ANYTHING to sell a guitar these days...

 

[jeffc]

It was on the Gibson newsletter last week.

 

[The Real MC]

Did Gibson authenticate the lightning hit with a licensed fire inspector?

 

[Trailerparkeddie]

I call bullsh!t.

As a BTEE graduate I know that lightning, which is an arc of high voltage electricity, takes the path of least resistance to ground. EE101 first year first semester course. Basically it is attracted to electrical ground. This can be your basement floor, any metal water or electrical conduit, the bathtub or shower stall, the earth outside, any tree with deep roots in the ground, etc. The way modern houses are built these days (trailers excepted) it is highly unlikely that lightning will strike through a wall.

The telltale sign of a lightning strike is an entry point with an accompanying exit point. Two burn marks. IT HAS TO EXIT SOMEWHERE TO GROUND.

The wood in that guitar is an excellent insulator so electricity ain't gonna have an easy time getting through that. Ditto for the wall on the house.

It was packed in a case when it was "struck". On top of another guitar case. If this were indeed a lightning strike, the electricity would have propagated THROUGH THE GUITAR UNDERNEATH THEN TO THE GROUND FLOOR. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF ARCING OTHER THAN THE TOP OF THE CASE. Remember, lightning creates a 2nd burn mark when it exits a conductive body - it isn't there.

I've seen evidence of lightning hits - the burn marks are a LOT blacker than the damage on that guitar.

Conductive metal parts - OK the strings, bridge, pickups, etc. If it were plugged into an amp which is still plugged into a wall with a clear straight path to ground, high probability of lightning strike. Unplugged from the amp, probability drops to near zero unless you are holding the thing while standing in a puddle of water. Not only was it unplugged, it was in its case on top of another guitar case. That effectively doubles the resistance to ground, lightning ain't gonna arc there.

People will tell ANYTHING to sell a guitar these days...

I agree with you. Lightning struck a 100+ year old oak in my neighbors yard. The tree trunk had diameter of well over 6 feet. The thing was split in half and reduced to kinneling. 20 pound chucks of wood were found 20-40 yards away.

Those pictures just don't look destructed enough. Better story for the insurance company?

Looks more like he hit a section of 'go-anywhere' cable with a thumb tack for the Ace Freely poster he was hanging. Flipped on the light swith and zap!

 

[Jimi_AlnicoII]

It could quite easily be real. The two points are there, headstock and the last frets above the neck pickup. Looks like the truss rod has been struck.

As for the tree you're talking about being split in two and parts going flying. Thats because a trees sap is boiled when hit by lightning. Therefore it expands fast and sort of explodes.

There has been plenty of lightning strikes with hardely any damage caused to whatever it hits. People have been hit and stand up right after. The damage isn't always going to be high, sometimes it can be low.

Lightning striking through a wall. Happens all the time. Its happened to two people in know here, probably hundreds more. One person had a knife on their counter hit and one person had their tv destroyed (scotland, we get maybe 1 lightning storm a year, and they're not big).

Lightning is completely unpredictable, so this is plausable. Not saying its fact, but it could easily be what it is claimed to be.

 

[sonar]

I call bullsh!t.

I really liked your post, intelligent and well thought out, the reason why I like this forum. BUT, opening with the above quote kind of cheapens it. Whenever I see something starting off with this line I almost always ignore the rest of the post. Luckily, I read the rest of yours. Sorry to hijack.

 

[Trailerparkeddie]

It could quite easily be real. The two points are there, headstock and the last frets above the neck pickup. Looks like the truss rod has been struck.

As for the tree you're talking about being split in two and parts going flying. Thats because a trees sap is boiled when hit by lightning. Therefore it expands fast and sort of explodes.

There has been plenty of lightning strikes with hardely any damage caused to whatever it hits. People have been hit and stand up right after. The damage isn't always going to be high, sometimes it can be low.

Lightning striking through a wall. Happens all the time. Its happened to two people in know here, probably hundreds more. One person had a knife on their counter hit and one person had their tv destroyed (scotland, we get maybe 1 lightning storm a year, and they're not big).

Lightning is completely unpredictable, so this is plausable. Not saying its fact, but it could easily be what it is claimed to be.

Now that you mention people it becomes a different story.... I've dealt with many 10 incidences or so where I have seen people that have come into contact with a lightnign strike. The one that had a non-fatal experience was a man on a golf course that was hold a putter in his hand and the putter was touching the ground. The bolt hit the putter and not him. He sustained burns to his hand, arm and torso and was thrown about 15 feet...caused a dislocated shoulder and broken leg.

All of the others had vitals parts (organs and stuff) that was in the path of the conduction. Every one of those people died. Most had burn related trauma that resulted in organ failure. The entry zone and exit zones tend to be blown apart, burnt up good and well cavitated. Flow a couple billions amps through your liver, heart, pancreas etc...and it cooks up well enough to stop working. Interestingly enough only two had cardiac arrest from the lightning and died per se "almost immediately".

No...lightning kills people dead, like Raid for bugs. Sometimes fast, sometime over a couple of hours to days.

Judging from theose Ebay pics, I would more belive that a power line rubbed a short on the tree during a rainstorm and that transmitted throught the house or something. Lightning is bullshit.

 

[abalonevintage]

I'm buying the story. The lightning didn't just go through the house...it certainly went down the tree too. It may have exited the guitar case into an ac outlet.

My shop was struck by lightning this time last summer.

It did all kinds of FREAKY stuff. Fried stuff that wasn't plugged in. DIDN'T fry stuff that WAS plugged in.

The lightning hit a huge pine tree...split it in many places...ran down the fence and into the shop. Jumped through the air and into my Crown power amp exiting the ac cable and leaving a burn spot on the floor. It also left a burn spot on an outlet and exploded the insulating jacket of the ac cord on my dremil....in ONE spot....BUT left the two interior wire ALMOST perfect....it also left a burn spot on the file cabinet.

Good thing I wasn't around when it happened. :3zone

 

[Jimi_AlnicoII]

Many people live after being hit by lightning. Roy Sullivan for example. He had been hit 7 times by lightning and lived.
Lightning strikes are often not fatal.

 

[burstbucker1]

i think it's a true story..i deal with and have seen many lightning strikes regularly..some worse than others..i've seen lightning hit a object then jump 20 feet before entering another..

250,000 volts can and will go where it wants to go without having to have a suitable conductor..

nothing fishy about the story..just looks like bad luck..

 

[Jimi_AlnicoII]

Exactly, look at that football game where the pitch was hit, causing several players to collapse. A stadium has hundreds of metal parts, some standing 60 foot tall, but it hit grass. Which still isn't ground, as there are the foundations of the building under that grass.