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Tone turds ....

El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
Recently had a tone turd R8 on the bench. New. Lots of high frets and generally poorly seated. Installed new taller wider frets ( the reason for the job) glued in (hide) and it was a tone turd no longer.
Out of curiosity what year was it ?
 

GotTheSilver

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Joined
Apr 14, 2007
Messages
2,433
this thread should have a special video associated with it
while I doubt this is Big Al's "cup of tea" I think many of you will love it

Oh my god! This video shows exactly why Will Ferrell satired this song contest! If you haven't already done so, watch "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" on Netflix. When I first watched the movie, I didn't realize this was a real competition.
 

Dr. Green

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Joined
Dec 12, 2018
Messages
683
" we have been together ....for a decade now ..... still everyday I am loving you more "
 

PHILBERT

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Nov 25, 2006
Messages
1,659
I had one...This was the most colorful reissue I ever saw. The difference was the real yellow center. Flame to die for. Perfect (to me) in every way except tone. I did the same thing a lot of other folkes did by installing ThroBaks, long steel studs, repro tailpiece and bridge, brass thumbwheels (that did make a positive contribution), and even Luxe oil in paper caps. Sorry, it just didn't have midrange snarl and growl. No bottom end either. It killed me to let it go because I loved looking at it so much, but if it doesn't do the Les Paul "thing", I cant justify it. I ended up trading it in for a new Memphis '64 ES-335 TDC reissue and a used Les Paul Traditional II that really sounds like a vintage Les Paul bridge pickup with Strat-sounding single coil neck pickup. The combo is great too with a chirp. So, because I had outstanding top with color to die for, I got very good money/value on this used tone turd. I had much better pictures until PhotoBucket held them for ransom! :mad: This was the only picture that survived. Matt originally owned this and sold it to Mark's Loft. I jumped on it as soon as I saw it. It was once daubed the "Color Me Gone Burst".


005-2010_Les_Paul_R0_full-body-bridge-tail-front (3).jpg
 
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PHILBERT

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Nov 25, 2006
Messages
1,659
Although My Trad Pro II (now a Pro III with single coil swapping push/push pot in 4th position) is a plaintop, I still love it. However, I wanted an ultimate Custom Shop recreation with hyde glue and long neck tenon with correct truss rod. The "hand picked", properly auditioned ultimate monster on tone and looks. Thanks to House of Guitars I had the chance to try over a dozen. This one was the winner! A 2018 '59 reissue.

001-IMG_2626_mid size.jpg

Not the yellow center I really loved on the other, but I never see any like that. Still, I love the way it looks and sounds. Stock it was great, with crazy harmonics, but I wanted a bit more bottom end. I tried an old set of Classic 57's just to see what would happen, and well that did the trick. Almost perfect, but I love those single coil options on my Trad Pro (now) III so much that I ordered some potted ThroBaks with 4-conductor wiring and changed the stock pots to push/push pots to do all the Trad Pro III options. Since this guitar doesn't have the 10 dB preamp, I opted to engineer a "series" selection, and now get 20 combos of tone. No "out of phase", as I never liked it when I tried it before. But let me tell you this is one incredible sounding Lester! The growl, and those harmonics that create their own feedback, and not from high volume vibrating the strings. I never heard a guitar that did that. This is "the one". They'll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers!

Here is a newer shot with the ThroBaks:

002-IMG_3532_mid sized.jpg

Phil
 

kats

Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2005
Messages
274
My first LP was a bit of a turd. I didn't know it until I had the pleasure of playing one of Slash's early one's and my jaw dropped. I got rid of it the same week, bought a tele and didn't touch another LP for a decade. In fairness, there may have been a split in the body that didn't show up in the finish - you could hear something off at a certain spot when knocking around on the body with your knuckle. I had dropped it off a stage once when the strap came off (was using bread clips haha) - that might have been it, though I didn't remember it sounding any worse after. You should of heard the sound coming through the PA (mic'd up stack of Marshall, full tilt) and the pain on the faces of the audience...
 

GotTheSilver

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 14, 2007
Messages
2,433
I had one...This was the most colorful reissue I ever saw. The difference was the real yellow center. Flame to die for. Perfect (to me) in every way except tone. I did the same thing a lot of other folkes did by installing ThroBaks, long steel studs, repro tailpiece and bridge, brass thumbwheels (that did make a positive contribution), and even Luxe oil in paper caps. Sorry, it just didn't have midrange snarl and growl. No bottom end either. It killed me to let it go because I loved looking at it so much, but if it doesn't do the Les Paul "thing", I cant justify it. I ended up trading it in for a new Memphis '64 ES-335 TDC reissue and a used Les Paul Traditional II that really sounds like a vintage Les Paul bridge pickup with Strat-sounding single coil neck pickup. The combo is great too with a chirp. So, because I had outstanding top with color to die for, I got very good money/value on this used tone turd. I had much better pictures until PhotoBucket held them for ransom! :mad: This was the only picture that survived. Matt originally owned this and sold it to Mark's Loft. I jumped on it as soon as I saw it. It was once daubed the "Color Me Gone Burst".
I have learned that if a Les Paul does not have midrange or bottom end, just move it along. You are not going to be able to add it with pickups or parts. You may be able to tweak the sound a little, but if it ain't there in the wood, you can't add it. (It cost me a fair amount of money to learn this lesson!)
I don't know how this post double quoted and I can't figure out how to fix it, but click on "Click to expand" to read what I wrote!
 

PHILBERT

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Nov 25, 2006
Messages
1,659
I don't know how this post double quoted and I can't figure out how to fix it, but click on "Click to expand" to read what I wrote!
That is the truth, GTS. You may be able to emphasize something that is there with pickup changes, but never add what was never there. I credit the hyde glue and return to the old truss rod design for the improvement in today's Les Paul sound. Honestly, they all sound pretty consistently good these days. In the past you may have gotten lucky, but I never did. We are in a new golden age. Finally!

Phil
 

Dr. Green

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Dec 12, 2018
Messages
683
this thread is about Historics that look great but sound like arse .... if such a thing exists
 

Aloha_Ark

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Apr 2, 2020
Messages
154
I agree with Al, philosophically speaking. It is an art getting an unforthcoming guitar to sound good. This is where the skill of the guitarist comes into play. Spend time with an amp and effects pedals to bring the right sound out of the instrument. Make sure you break the guitar in so that tuning is stable, and the neck achieves equilibrium. These rules apply to Fenders as well, custom shop or not.
 

rockabilly69

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Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
2,872
Recently had a tone turd R8 on the bench. New. Lots of high frets and generally poorly seated. Installed new taller wider frets ( the reason for the job) glued in (hide) and it was a tone turd no longer.
I've seen this more often than not! Good tone starts with a great setup!
 

DANELECTRO

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Joined
Feb 24, 2003
Messages
6,318
I have owned 25-30 Historic and I can’t say that I’ve ever owned one that I would classify as a “tone turd”. Granted, I almost alway have replaced the pickups with Throbak, WCR, or Wizz pickups just because I think they have an edge over Burstbucker, but none of these guitars sucked in factory configuration. There are a few that have been my favorites for whatever reason, but I have never owned one that was a dog.
 

J.D.

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Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
10,030
Funny the reputed Gibson Historic tone turds that I've personally seen over the years could 99% of the time be traced back to a (correctable) issue - usually plain old bad setup, bridge saddles, or poorly seated/uneven frets. Once properly repaired and setup, I can really only recall one singlecut Jr that was exceptionally heavy and just completely dead sounding. Like 'playing with rubber strings' dead sounding. Otherwise it's just personal preference.
 

MacFangus

Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2016
Messages
143
My favorite sounding Gibson LP Historic's have always been the R7 models. Why, I do not know?
 
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