Strings & Things Les Pauls, The First Reissue Thread

[Big Al]

I have restored my Strings and Things now with all the original parts, (gold), and will try and post new pictures if I can motivate my son. Mine was mentioned in the second Les Paul book by Robb Larwence in the interview with the owner of S&T. He recalled a beautiful Viceroy Brown one, and when I asked about it in Kalamazoo I was told they only made one.

Viceroy Brown is a light Brown to Natural Burst and was most common on Banjoes and Tal Farlow Models. I also was told that Viceroy Brown always came with Gold hardware. The only original hardware I didn't still have was the double line single ring gold Klusons. I replaced those with new Klusons.

I call her Bad Betty. She sports a perfectly shaped three piece mahogany neck with small headstock and no volute. The top carve is the same Norlin Dome you find on mid 70's Les Pauls. The headstock logo is 70's style as are the fingerboard inlays.

There is the wide binding on the cutaway and proper vintage tortoise dots in the vintage correct thin fingerboard binding. I put a fossil Ivory nut on and refretted it with 6100's. Has a modified long tenon, abr1 bridge and memories of better than 30 years of gigs and recording sessions. It is steeped in my mojo.

Here is the same old tired pic and I( will try to get new ones.)

 

[AA00475Bassman]

Very nice Al , i like the unique vibe !

 

[Chef Greg]

I remember these guitars & String & Things..... just for fun this factoid: $1500 in 1978 has the same purchasing power as $5,873.56 in 2016. They were and are worth every penny !! Nice axe & cool thread!! :dude:

 

[Fried okra]

Here is the same old tired pic and I( will try to get new ones.)

Damn, I never get tired of this pic. The color is righteous. :jim

 

[Kris Ford]

I remember these guitars & String & Things..... just for fun this factoid: $1500 in 1978 has the same purchasing power as $5,873.56 in 2016. They were and are worth every penny !! Nice axe & cool thread!! :dude:

The TH of its time....

 

[El Gringo]

Really nice guitar Big Al , love the figure and the color .

 

[renderit]

Beautiful beasty!

So Al. Now we needs a picture of youse standing nekkid behind it...

 

[ES5]

I recently saw Ace Frehley's Strings and Things Les Paul listed on Reverb in the 20K range, but looks like it's gone now

(behind the SG Custom and 50s Strat...)

http://www.abalonevintage.com/1975_..._guitar_ace_frehley_kiss_owned_collection.htm

 

[LHakim]

I have fun memories of visiting their old Union Ave. store, and then the early years at the Madison location. I'll have to dig around and look for some old literature from Strings and Things about those guitars. It goes into some detail about how the run of guitars came to be and initial problems Gibson had getting them to look right.

 

[Fried okra]

I have fun memories of visiting their old Union Ave. store, and then the early years at the Madison location. I'll have to dig around and look for some old literature from Strings and Things about those guitars. It goes into some detail about how the run of guitars came to be and initial problems Gibson had getting them to look right.

Larry, that'd be great. I'd love to see any info. The S&T Les Pauls are pretty elusive. Chris is a really great guy. I miss that place. Had some pretty good shows in the late 90's early 2000's.

 

[Fried okra]

Thanks to my friend Larry Hakim, aka forum member "LHakim" for digging relentlessly through his files to find this great piece of history that he had stashed away many years ago. The Strings and Things Website has been down for quite some time, so it is great in more ways than one that Larry found this document on paper and has preserved it. So, this is straight from the horses or (Chris Lovell's) mouth. And I am really stoked about this information to say the least. :teeth

Here it is, "The Original Les Paul 50's Flame Top Reissue, The Real Story! Circa 1974-1978". :salude

 

[El Gringo]

Thank you Fried Okra for that Strings & Things article .I remember these ads in Guitar player a lifetime ago. I wish when i was a kid that i had the money for the Guitar Trader Les Paul Sunbursts reissues ,but i just had my trusty Black Gibson Les Paul Custom which i played because i loved Joe Perry and wanted one just like he had for Get Your Wings Aerosmith album .

 

[bobadrew]

Thanks. About 8 1/2 lbs.

Is there anything printed or written in the pickup cavity? This is a beautiful guitar!

 

[bobadrew]

I should also add that S&T produced a line of guitars called St BLUES around the mid eighties. One was like a cross of a Tele and a Les Paul. The one that i had was called the Excalibur, a single humbucker pickup with a Kahler in a '62 Strat type body. Another one i wish i had back.
Does anybody remember those ?

I have one of these - a Tele-Paul is what Chris called it. Great guitar.

 

[bobadrew]

Hey guys, I posted a new thread about valuing an S&T LP. Thought someone from this thread might have some info. Thanks!

-andrew

Thread 'Strings & Things Les Paul - Market Value'
https://www.lespaulforum.com/index.php?threads/strings-things-les-paul-market-value.222222/

 

[CS Murphy 'R9]

Thanks to my friend Larry Hakim, aka forum member "LHakim" for digging relentlessly through his files to find this great piece of history that he had stashed away many years ago. The Strings and Things Website has been down for quite some time, so it is great in more ways than one that Larry found this document on paper and has preserved it. So, this is straight from the horses or (Chris Lovell's) mouth. And I am really stoked about this information to say the least. :teeth

Here it is, "The Original Les Paul 50's Flame Top Reissue, The Real Story! Circa 1974-1978". :salude

? Thanks for posting that! I do not know much about the S&T 59's so that was cool to read. Is there any other online info on them?
Like what woods were used and such? On a side note i actually remember seeing the S&T's advertisement in GP magazine back in 76 or 77?
it was a ad with two Naked guys standing wearing guitars in front of a Marshall stack?

 

[CS Murphy 'R9]

of course "Trogly" would find it!

 

[sangandongo]

of course "Trogly" would find it!

Here's my Strings & Things '55 Les Paul Junior with 1960 PAFs. Sitting next to my '54 LPC.

More info: The double-neck was owned by someone in Los Angeles named Nicky Panicci for a long time. He gave it to another person to sell. Panicci tried to buy mine from me years ago, but wouldn't make a reasonable offer. I ended up keeping it because it was just a great playing guitar I wasn't scared to put on stage. Fast forward, I acquired some PAFs before the market went insane and put them in there. The only way I'd take them out would be if I acquired an LP Standard or Custom that needed original PAFs.

Mine was converted by S&T in about 1978. It had first-gen DiMarzio PAFs in it, as well as 1978 pots, some trashy tuners, mediocre bridge and TP. I threw the Vibramate and Palm Pedal on it for funsies.