Steve Gaines Les Paul Custom

[Emerald]

This great shot of the late great Steve Gaines, who was briefly with LS. Is this a '68 or so Custom. I wasn't sure to post it in the Vintage section or not, it does have double humbuckers, I'm not sure what year it is?

Thanks
yngwie308

 

[Marshall Man]

I believe I saw in an interview that Steve's widow gave the guitar to Gary Rossington after the crash. Not sure of the year, but you can find videos of him using it with Skynyrd.

 

[m_rambler]

There's a great video of him playin slide on it on the Jimmie Reed song "T for Texas".
What a great player he was.

 

[The Real MC]

A glimpse at the binding in the cutaway should reveal the answer.

I'll have to watch my Freebird DVD again and keep an eye out. The Tribute DVD has vintage footage of Steve too.

Awesome player, singer, and songwriter. He was taken from us too soon.

 

[Emerald]

Here is that video, some quick shots of the cutaway, may be a fifties 2 pickup Custom, love this stuff..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlCMZ5AlNys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08oiras-irA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkmFR-ibygw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaZGkPEmktY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV_toedW2L0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9c12NkfrEA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgRJXJyl_ao
:2cool :2cool
yngwie308

 

[Emerald]

After some searching I found the only info I could get, said it was a 1958 Black Beauty, here is a pic of it and Steve with his first band:

And that it has a dice cube for a pickup selector switch.
Mods, can we move this thread to Vintage if it is discovered that this guitar is a fifties. Ed King do you have any information about this guitar??
yngwie308

 

[The Real MC]

"T For Texas" was the song that won Steve Gaines the coveted slot for 3rd guitarist.

His sister Cassie was a backup singer for LS and had been trumpeting her brother since Ed King left the band. Well when you're a band as big as LS, everybody's a "great guitar player". After much badgering, Steve finally got a call to come out. Nobody told him his audition was onstage before a live audience!

When he was called onstage for "T For Texas" - totally unrehearsed and winging it - Steve put on the slide bottle just to be different. There was already a Kossoff side and a Clapton side in the guitar lineup, so he went for something different. That got Ronnie's attention, and Gary and Allen both were blown away by Steve's playing.

 

[mmcquain]

Here's a few more pics to help you guys maybe figure this one out for sure (I've always heard it was a 50's model)...

 

[Mitchell]

.... :applaude :applaude :dude:

 

[Billy Porter]

The Real Mc:

A glimpse at the binding in the cutaway should reveal the answer.

Don’t all customs have the thinner binding in the cutaway ???

 

[27sauce]

Cool old Fender T-shirt in on of those pics!
Sorry for the interuption, back to the Custom.

 

[Stevedenver]

The Real Mc:


Don’t all customs have the thinner binding in the cutaway ???

not the norlins

 

[intelligentpony]

It could just be because of the angles in the photos but it seems to have a shallow headstock pitch for a 50's.

 

[Jim Sloves]

great pics!!!!!!!!!

 

[Luke Gibson]

If it's a 50's Custom the last three inlays should be the same size.

 

[Mitchell]

I also heard a rumor that he aquired a new black Custom shortly before he left us.

...?


This one is defintely earlier.

 

[Billy Porter]

Stevedenver

not the norlins

I believe the Norlin Standards and Deluxes had larger bindings but the customs used the smaller.

This is the only picture I have of the cutaway of my 71 LPC but you can just about make out the maple cap showing beneath the thin binding

 

[Stevedenver]

wow thats a 71?

i didnt know they were making burst customs in 1971

i had one too (1971-fretless wonder) in black, full binding in the cutaway, same cutaway binding as my current 1976 and 1979

 

[Kap'n]

i didnt know they were making burst customs in 1971

That's the first year, IIRC. My friend owns my old burst custom, which is either a '71 or '73. What's the best way to tell the difference? This one had a 3-piece hog neck, long tenon, etc.

BTW, what kind of pickups have those indents in the bobbins between the poles like in the picture? I've got a couple of dead ones lying around.

 

[wicked1]

not the norlins

I've never seen a Custom with wide binding in the cutaway.