Vintage Les Paul and Burst Weights

[mikeslub]

Okay, based on an earlier thread with inquiries on weights, I pulled all the vintage Les Pauls out today and weighed them on a very accurate Pelouze digital scale. None have Bigsbys.
Here they are:

52 Goldtop 9 lbs 6 oz
53 Goldtop 8 lbs (lightest!)
54 Goldtop 9 lbs
55 Goldtop 8 lbs 11 oz
56 Goldtop 8 lbs 13 oz
57 Goldtop P90s 9 lbs 3 oz
57 Goldtop all Mahogany Humbuckers 10 lbs 3 oz (heavyweight!)
57 Custom Alnico 9 lbs
58 Custom 3 Humbuckers 9 lbs 10 oz
58 Burst 9 lbs 8 oz
59 Burst 9 lbs
59 Burst 8 lbs 15 oz
60 Burst 8 lbs 10 oz

I would say that all the necks are a comfortable medium chunky size - not much variation.

So - many in the high 8's and 9+ pound range.

Hope this helps.

 

[DutchRay]

You are a treasure!

 

[mikeslub]

You are a treasure!

Thanks. There was so much conjecture in that last thread, I thought some facts on a real bunch of Les Pauls from that timeframe would be helpful. And you can tell from the list that I wasn't hung up on weights when shopping for these guitars!

 

[AA00475Bassman]

Thanks Mike very Interesting but not surprising, I do like eight 1/2 pound to ten pound class .

Although several posted Forum Members when shopping a chosen model lightest weigh is a main consideration .

A question I might ask is this light weight syndrome Forum Kool-Aid ?

 

[mikeslub]

Thanks Mike very Interesting but not surprising, I do like eight 1/2 pound to ten pound class .

Although several posted Forum Members when shopping a chosen model lightest weigh is a main consideration .

A question I might ask is this light weight syndrome Forum Kool-Aid ?

Aging musicians with sore shoulders and back problems.

 

[seafood]

this is great information!! thanks.....i buy and sell all the time ....and the question of weight is always an important factor......i'm getting old so a lighter weight is on my mind!!!! back in the day i didn't care at all...........!

 

[Sol]

Mike, thanks so much for your intervention in this thread I really appreciate it. I had no idea that you own Les Paul's from 1952 - 1960, absolutely remarkable, and revealing the weight of each one is information that I've hoped to see for some years now, and I suspect I'm not alone in this respect.

 

[rockabilly69]

Hey Mike, of all those vintage Les Pauls, is there one of them that speaks to you more than all of the other ones?

I know these are all drool worthy guitars, but still they are guitars, and if you put me in a room with my 10 best guitars (I own about 50, so nothing like your extensive collection), I'm sure I could pick the one with the strongest connection to the way I play and what I want to hear.

Some guitars just have that neck that fits perfectly in your hand, some seem to have the perfect string tension, some have a tone that is without a doubt something that resonates deep within you, and then some have all of that. Is there one in that bunch that hits you the most like that?

 

[zhivago]

Great info!

For what it's worth, my '56 LP Custom is 9 lbs 3 oz.

 

[S. Weiger]

Thanks Mike, great info

My '56 Custom is 8 lbs 14 oz.

 

[mikeslub]

Hey Mike, of all those vintage Les Pauls, is there one of them that speaks to you more than all of the other ones?

I know these are all drool worthy guitars, but still they are guitars, and if you put me in a room with my 10 best guitars (I own about 50, so nothing like your extensive collection), I'm sure I could pick the one with the strongest connection to the way I play and what I want to hear.

Some guitars just have that neck that fits perfectly in your hand, some seem to have the perfect string tension, some have a tone that is without a doubt something that resonates deep within you, and then some have all of that. Is there one in that bunch that hits you the most like that?

Hi Dan,

Great to hear from you! Geez, you always ask the tough questions!

This is so hard for me to answer, because each guitar has their "thing". For example, even though most people don't like the '52 and '53 trapeze tailpiece because they can't palm mute, these guitars have a beautiful shimmering tone for chord work, at least to my ears.

I would say that I pull out the '57 Goldtop with P-90s and the '59 cherry sunburst Burst most often, but I love all the other ones as well, and "re-discover" them when I haven't played them for a while.

Finally, while I love the tone of the '57 Custom with the alnico "staple" neck pickup, I play it less often because the low frets are challenging, and I play the '58 Custom with Humbuckers the least because I'm not a fan of the out of phase middle position and the middle pickup gets in my way, plus the low frets are an issue with this one as well.

And, of course, it depends what amp you plug them into and settings. I play mostly Fenders (tweeds, brown face, blackface). For clean tone testing, the '64 Princeton Reverb or '64 Vibrolux Reverb are my staples. But I also love the '61 Super and have a Matchless Chieftain 2 x 10 that is heavenly. And the tweed Bassman. And and and.......

How's that for an evasive answer?

If you ever travel east, would love to have a monster guitarist like you play these and render opinions.

Peace.

 

[El Gringo]

Okay, based on an earlier thread with inquiries on weights, I pulled all the vintage Les Pauls out today and weighed them on a very accurate Pelouze digital scale. None have Bigsbys.
Here they are:

52 Goldtop 9 lbs 6 oz
53 Goldtop 8 lbs (lightest!)
54 Goldtop 9 lbs
55 Goldtop 8 lbs 11 oz
56 Goldtop 8 lbs 13 oz
57 Goldtop P90s 9 lbs 3 oz
57 Goldtop all Mahogany Humbuckers 10 lbs 3 oz (heavyweight!)
57 Custom Alnico 9 lbs
58 Custom 3 Humbuckers 9 lbs 10 oz
58 Burst 9 lbs 8 oz
59 Burst 9 lbs
59 Burst 8 lbs 15 oz
60 Burst 8 lbs 10 oz

I would say that all the necks are a comfortable medium chunky size - not much variation.

So - many in the high 8's and 9+ pound range.

Hope this helps.

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Mike they are all mind blowing beautiful and then some . WOW !!!!!!! The Black Beauty marked V30 is in splendid condition including her gold hardware still retaining there gold . May I humbly ask for some details on this Black Beauty ? For Instance was she just played at church or was she kept hidden in the closet/underside of the bed . Owner passed and kids forgot about her ? She just looks like she is in fantastic shape for a guitar over 60 years old .

 

[mikeslub]

Mike they are all mind blowing beautiful and then some . WOW !!!!!!! The Black Beauty marked V30 is in splendid condition including her gold hardware still retaining there gold . May I humbly ask for some details on this Black Beauty ? For Instance was she just played at church or was she kept hidden in the closet/underside of the bed . Owner passed and kids forgot about her ? She just looks like she is in fantastic shape for a guitar over 60 years old .

Unfortunately, I don't know anything about previous ownership, but yes, the guitar was lightly used.

 

[rockabilly69]

Hi Dan,

Great to hear from you! Geez, you always ask the tough questions!

This is so hard for me to answer, because each guitar has their "thing". For example, even though most people don't like the '52 and '53 trapeze tailpiece because they can't palm mute, these guitars have a beautiful shimmering tone for chord work, at least to my ears.

I would say that I pull out the '57 Goldtop with P-90s and the '59 cherry sunburst Burst most often, but I love all the other ones as well, and "re-discover" them when I haven't played them for a while.

Finally, while I love the tone of the '57 Custom with the alnico "staple" neck pickup, I play it less often because the low frets are challenging, and I play the '58 Custom with Humbuckers the least because I'm not a fan of the out of phase middle position and the middle pickup gets in my way, plus the low frets are an issue with this one as well.

And, of course, it depends what amp you plug them into and settings. I play mostly Fenders (tweeds, brown face, blackface). For clean tone testing, the '64 Princeton Reverb or '64 Vibrolux Reverb are my staples. But I also love the '61 Super and have a Matchless Chieftain 2 x 10 that is heavenly. And the tweed Bassman. And and and.......

How's that for an evasive answer?

If you ever travel east, would love to have a monster guitarist like you play these and render opinions.

Peace.

Yeah, with all those great options, discerning between them must be tough, but your quick answer about the '57 goldtop and the '59 burst is somewhat revealing

I love what you say about the shimmering tone of '52 and '53, that kind of thing appeals to me. A few years ago I actually tried to buy a mint '52 but I was five minutes too late picking up the phone because I was overthinking the purchase and someone beat me too it.

Like you, I like Gibsons through Fender amps, my favorite being a Tweed Deluxe, but I do haul an extremely accurate Blackface Princeton Reverb clone with me to all of the gigs that I bring an electric to.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. And I didn't know you left Colorado, where'd you settle back east? I usually go to New York every fall and visit my family in Montauk. I didn't go last year due to Covid, but I'm thinking of heading there in October if all goes well with my schedule. I've been gigging about 20 times a month (mostly outdoors), so I will need a break soon, although I have been playing some wonderful venues...

 

[Musicman]

Very nice as usual Mike!

 

[fretboarder]

Superb collection...

 

[Sol]

We all love the variations in sunbursts, but just look at the cool variation in the colour shade on all those Goldtop's. Each is unique and beautiful in its own right, Gibson have done quite well imho in capturing an average '50's shade of gold.
It's not often we get to see Goldtops from 52 - 57, lined up for us to study, thank you MikeSlub.

 

[Mustardc Caps]

Didnt the LP Bursts have small vintage frets up until mid 1959, and the LP Customs retained the small frets after mid 59??

 

[Joshabr1]

Seems like 9 pounds exactly is a pretty good weight. My number one is 8-15. So there’s that.

 

[sws1]

Didnt the LP Bursts have small vintage frets up until mid 1959, and the LP Customs retained the small frets after mid 59??

The small frets on the pre-mid-59 LPs are not the same as the frets on customs.