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More on my Traditional "Makeover"

Wilko

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Mar 11, 2002
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20,854
Well, being that I just can't leave well enough alone, I stripped and re-carved the top of my 2012 Traditional and resprayed it because the lame top carve was bugging about as much as the tomato soup red covering up the figure.

Here's the before and after of the switch to nickel and a tinted clear coat last year:
trad_changes.jpg


And here's how it looks now!

traditional_respray.jpg


tradititional_top_spray.jpg
 
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Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
Love that guitar Wilko. Like the knobs. I just am about finished with my 90's GOTW Unburst modded to a Peter Green Les Paul clone. Everything is done except I need to change the chrome nashville bridge to a nickel ABR1. It has ouble cream Duncan Antiquity pickups with a reversed neck magnet and Antiquity covers. Of course the neck pickup is also reversed for the correct look. Historic plastics and truss cover and some knobs I had that look right. I may remove the Klusons and install Grovers, but I kinda like the Schallers that look just like the classic Rotomatics as the ones i tried were pretty nice.

These USA Standards make excellent modding platforms and already are fine guitars. If you look you can find tops that resemble guitars like Pages Number 1 or my "Greeny". I've seen dead ringers for Hot Lanta with the correct gull wing figure and one that looked just like Pearly. I started mine because the guitar just looked a lot like Peters and i wanted to prove to a friend that these guitars can be modded easy enough to get the vibe and sound of a cool vintage guitar for a fraction of the cost. The only hard part for me is finding neck profiles I like.

I am also going all out and doing a Route 66/Americana/Rustic type of mod on the cheapest carved top Les paul I could find. A $500 Worn Brown Studio, all mahogany chambered Les Paul that plays and sounds great. Again my idea was to show that even the cheapest model makes for a very fine playing and sounding guitar and now I want to inject some personal mojo and visual interest. It will be very cool when done.

I've been following your make over with this guitar and I must say, it's a real humdinger. You had a plan, carried out the mission in fine style and you really do have a beautiful Les Paul there. This stuff is so treakin' fun!!!

Good job, brother!! You did well!!:hank:salude:yah
 

Wilko

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Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
20,854
Love that guitar Wilko. Like the knobs. I just am about finished with my 90's GOTW Unburst modded to a Peter Green Les Paul clone. Everything is done except I need to change the chrome nashville bridge to a nickel ABR1. It has ouble cream Duncan Antiquity pickups with a reversed neck magnet and Antiquity covers. Of course the neck pickup is also reversed for the correct look. Historic plastics and truss cover and some knobs I had that look right. I may remove the Klusons and install Grovers, but I kinda like the Schallers that look just like the classic Rotomatics as the ones i tried were pretty nice.

These USA Standards make excellent modding platforms and already are fine guitars. If you look you can find tops that resemble guitars like Pages Number 1 or my "Greeny". I've seen dead ringers for Hot Lanta with the correct gull wing figure and one that looked just like Pearly. I started mine because the guitar just looked a lot like Peters and i wanted to prove to a friend that these guitars can be modded easy enough to get the vibe and sound of a cool vintage guitar for a fraction of the cost. The only hard part for me is finding neck profiles I like.

I am also going all out and doing a Route 66/Americana/Rustic type of mod on the cheapest carved top Les paul I could find. A $500 Worn Brown Studio, all mahogany chambered Les Paul that plays and sounds great. Again my idea was to show that even the cheapest model makes for a very fine playing and sounding guitar and now I want to inject some personal mojo and visual interest. It will be very cool when done.

I've been following your make over with this guitar and I must say, it's a real humdinger. You had a plan, carried out the mission in fine style and you really do have a beautiful Les Paul there. This stuff is so treakin' fun!!!

Good job, brother!! You did well!!:hank:salude:yah

I love the your project ideas! A Greeny would be very cool to have and for all the reasons you outlined. I didn't really have a plan, I just had to get a Gibson Les Paul (I have a replica) after selling off all of mine to pay bills. The '56 was a joy to play as long as I did, but the money was just too much to justify while only playing part time and having two kids and not as much work as I'm used to.
The top on this one looked so much like Gladys or the recent "Doris" (that still had a lot of red). The lame top carve was killing me and I wanted a more Gladys or Greeny amber faded top. I did real subtle burst compared to the burst I did on the Nunis replica.

I can't say enough about how great the wood tone is with this one. It's close enough and/or "better" than the '56 in all areas except the old-wood neck stiffness that is just so hard to come by. I rushed out the sanding on this one so it's pretty uneven in person, but the "vibe" is so much better now with the deeper carve and lightly buffed finish.

Thanks for the kind words, good luck on your greeny! :salude
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
I love the your project ideas! A Greeny would be very cool to have and for all the reasons you outlined. I didn't really have a plan, I just had to get a Gibson Les Paul (I have a replica) after selling off all of mine to pay bills. The '56 was a joy to play as long as I did, but the money was just too much to justify while only playing part time and having two kids and not as much work as I'm used to.
The top on this one looked so much like Gladys or the recent "Doris" (that still had a lot of red). The lame top carve was killing me and I wanted a more Gladys or Greeny amber faded top. I did real subtle burst compared to the burst I did on the Nunis replica.

I can't say enough about how great the wood tone is with this one. It's close enough and/or "better" than the '56 in all areas except the old-wood neck stiffness that is just so hard to come by. I rushed out the sanding on this one so it's pretty uneven in person, but the "vibe" is so much better now with the deeper carve and lightly buffed finish.

Thanks for the kind words, good luck on your greeny! :salude

Yep! I've played many of the USA Standards that were just superb. Maybe not 100% Vintage sounding, but I have found that it is possible to mod and adjust them to suit most any desired tone target. The period that yours comes from seems to have produced some very, very good sounding examples and from those I've seen some very good looking ones. I have championed these precisely because of that fact. Lots of folks just cannot afford to the more expensive stuff, and like you I have a tight budget. The reason I do not own any more vintage Les paula is because the dough I could get and use exceeded the need for me to keep them. Both Bursts were sold for that reason and my wife who scolded me for selling them really laid on the "I told you so's" when she found out what they sell for now!!!

Truth is, if I still had any of them, they'd be sold tomorrow. I simply cannot afford to keep them. The upside is that now my wife has put the hammer down and has FORBADE me from selling any of my vintage amps or guitars. In fact she doesn't want me selling anything and when I mention that maybe I should thin the herd she goes ballistic!!! What a crazy state I find myself in when I have G.A.S. and wife won't let me sell or trade. Hello??? Hoarders anyone?

I do have permission however to indulge my artistic side and have several projects lined up. It is kinda cool as I can't really play well but I can do these projects and it allows me to still find satisfaction with this stuff that has been such a big part of my life.

I like to have a plan. I sit on things for awhile until I get a clear inspiration as to how I want it to appear. I also plan on doing some matching amplifiers. I have some old Fender heads and combo's from the early 70's that are rough and I thought I would put them in knotty pine cabinets with a rustic hand rubbed, distressed finish and use some really cool old Burlap sacks I found with really cool graphics for a classic Americana vibe. Would look cool with a knotty pine Tele I think.

I have found some early 60's Melody Maker husks and these present a very cool option to indulge my artistic whims. Baby Bursts with veneered flame tops and hum buckers. Cherry red finished with P90's, three pickup and Bigsby for a GibStrat. Fiesta Red or Sea Foam Green of course! A TV Yellow Blackguard Tele style single cut would be killer! It might just be a productive summer!!!
 

Wilko

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Mar 11, 2002
Messages
20,854
Absolutely! That's so great that you have all those outlets for related artistic projects. Since I haven't been playing as much, the projects are piling up and I still feel connected to the guitar. Even this forum helps.

I love the old pine ideas. Give me a bit to round some old photos of TK Smith's early stuff. He's a killer builder in the tradition of Bigsby, even casting his own parts. The first years I was seeing him play he played through some killer pine stuff... Hang on.

Oh, and here's the carve angle shot of the traditional:
carve_angle.jpg


side_carve.jpg
 
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Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537

DID YOU DO THAT????? That is so cool. Yup that is where I am going this summer, funky ass Americana to match the music and vibe I love! I have a couple of old walnut stand up radios like that I bought and am planing on doing something cool with them also. You should see my Stromberg Carlson metal PA tube head and matching Stromberg Carlson suitcase spreaker cab. It is a wooden suitcase type with two 12's that opens up with a 12 on each side and they both are in this cool industrial green color and sound sound amazing. Tweed on steroid tone! I haven't figured out the matching guitar yet but I was thinking a Jazzmaster or Jaguar type with matching green finish and anodized gold pick guard.
 

ajay taylor

Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2015
Messages
188
Beautiful Gibsons everybody! I love those top makeovers. I have a Flamey top that I'm dying to give the "Skinnerburst" treatment. I really think I would like it better with a worn, re-shaped top.
 

Hotshot

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
282
Geez and i thought scuffing mine with 3500grit was hardcore. That looks awesome! Love this post.

Heres my 2016 Trad after my mods. I did a write up in the USA forum.

i-CGspHRG-XL.jpg
 

Hotshot

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
282
Love that guitar Wilko. Like the knobs. I just am about finished with my 90's GOTW Unburst modded to a Peter Green Les Paul clone. Everything is done except I need to change the chrome nashville bridge to a nickel ABR1. It has ouble cream Duncan Antiquity pickups with a reversed neck magnet and Antiquity covers. Of course the neck pickup is also reversed for the correct look. Historic plastics and truss cover and some knobs I had that look right. I may remove the Klusons and install Grovers, but I kinda like the Schallers that look just like the classic Rotomatics as the ones i tried were pretty nice.

These USA Standards make excellent modding platforms and already are fine guitars. If you look you can find tops that resemble guitars like Pages Number 1 or my "Greeny". I've seen dead ringers for Hot Lanta with the correct gull wing figure and one that looked just like Pearly. I started mine because the guitar just looked a lot like Peters and i wanted to prove to a friend that these guitars can be modded easy enough to get the vibe and sound of a cool vintage guitar for a fraction of the cost. The only hard part for me is finding neck profiles I like.

I am also going all out and doing a Route 66/Americana/Rustic type of mod on the cheapest carved top Les paul I could find. A $500 Worn Brown Studio, all mahogany chambered Les Paul that plays and sounds great. Again my idea was to show that even the cheapest model makes for a very fine playing and sounding guitar and now I want to inject some personal mojo and visual interest. It will be very cool when done.

I've been following your make over with this guitar and I must say, it's a real humdinger. You had a plan, carried out the mission in fine style and you really do have a beautiful Les Paul there. This stuff is so treakin' fun!!!

Good job, brother!! You did well!!:hank:salude:yah

Oh boy. Now you have me wondering about going all out on my 97 beat up studio..... I was wondering if I should sand it down. I paid $500Cnd for it. its not like its a high ticket item....


Can you PM or post pics to tis project?

i-Btm8Nfw-L.jpg
i-nNxwGt9-L.jpg
 

voxworld

New member
Joined
Sep 25, 2001
Messages
57
Hotshot, what were the zebra exposed coil pickups in your Traditional, I just picked up a plaintop Trad with these, shop told me they were Classic 57's, not sure I've ever seen '57's without covers.
thx for any info!
 

Hotshot

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
282
Hotshot, what were the zebra exposed coil pickups in your Traditional, I just picked up a plaintop Trad with these, shop told me they were Classic 57's, not sure I've ever seen '57's without covers.
thx for any info!

Yup... I have to do some digging. They are called 57Zebra +

They are reg 57s less the Caps and with white n black bobbins.

My 96 Studio came with P94s in it, I put the zebras in the 96 ( the re finish one. ) I’m doing and I put the Seymour custom Skinnerburst pickups in the Trad.
 

WytLytnyn

New member
Joined
Feb 20, 2002
Messages
88
Love what you've done, Wilko. This is exactly the next "project" I'm looking to do. I'm scouring the Internet and every shop I can for a decent traditional to do a decent working man's Pearly Gates approximation.
 
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