My poor les paul....

N

Nateneal1966

New member
A tragic story about my les paul....
I have wanted one for years since in highschool early 80's. one of my buddies had a goldtop from the 50's he got from his uncle. it was an awesome guitar and Rich could smoke out the licks like randy rhoads.
Anyway fastforward to 2003 christmas and I finally am cashful enough to buy a 2k guitar...which i suck at playing. I shop around a while visit guitar center and sam ash and another place in Iowa while i was out on business. So one day at Sam Ash I am playing a store model for around 1750. The sales guy says that if i order one i can have it for the same price. This was the antique white and the gloss black finish. I bite and say yah lets order it.
I got my nuts so far up my stomach at this point, he lets me take the display modal home till the new one comes in. Awesome, I get home jam out play like crazy, love it. and cant wait for my brand new leas paul without the surface scracthes and the drool of every teenage guitar hippy in lombard,il.
So the six weeks go by and the new one is finally at the store. they call on weds when i am out of town, my wife informs of the impending birth and i cant wait till the weekend when i can recive my new baby.
I get home friday night from my road trip and go to play my les paul and find the head crack off and guitar in the stand. of course i freak out cry scream wail nuts up in the stomach again. less than 15 hours away from my brand new baby. the kids ( i have 3) all claim innocence. since they know this a life or death situation for them.
I go back to Sam Ash and tell them i am there to pick up my new les paul but i have a problem. The guitar jockey has pulled my new les paul in the box up to the counter as I am explaining my tales of woe and discussing the split in the headstock. :eek:
They sent me away saying tough shit the paul is yours. they give some cards of good repair gods. I truck off to the old regular shop and send it off for repairs.
For 200 they completely repaired it and repainted the patch. I can barely see the crack.
Anyway I could of had the transparent finsh for the end resulting price i paid, not to mention the emotional suffering over this 9 pound bitch of misery.
The thing plays great today and i am very happy with the guitar. :o

This long ass story leads me to my question....

The rythem/lead switch was loose when i got this prick. Which way is the switch to toggle?
Rythem up?
lead up?
And are the lead pick ups at the neck or the bridge?

thanks for reading this far...
 
The lead pickup is usually the bridge. I'm under the impression that having the switch down will enable this pickup.
 
geet73 said:
The lead pickup is usually the bridge. I'm under the impression that having the switch down will enable this pickup.
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Yeah, that's correct.

Nateneal1966 said:
mine is upside down.
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Yeah, it's upside down

Sorry to hear that story man, that really sucks. One of my musician friends had a damn near priceless pre-war Martin acoustic and for some crazy reason he decided to use it at a show he was playing. After it was over, some toddler that wasn't being supervised wandered up on to the stage and started running around. He tripped, landed right on the Martin and smashed it to pieces. The kid's parents came up to my friend, offered to pay for a replacement, and then asked how much it was worth......my friend just said "you know what...don't even worry about it" knowing damn well that there was no way they could ever afford to replace it.

Oh the sad tales of axes being abused by the clueless...
 
hey not to sound like your dad, mom or wife?? but........

1) if you really do suck at guitar (like you stated) why would you waste your money on a lespaul?? its not gonna make you sound or play better.

2) never keep your guitar worth thousands of dollars on a 10 dollar guitar stand. keep it in its hardshell case LOCKED at all times when not being played.

3) i Think the pickup switch is really optional based on what kind of music you play. blues guys use the neck pickup for rythm, and bridge for lead, metal guys do the exact opposite. do what you want it to be.

great story though, sorry to sound so harsh, but man that part about the cracked head made my stomach drop.
metalJ
 
Hopefully your repair shop told you all this, but a couple of things to remember:

NEVER let your guitar get hot. Heat will make the glue release, and when that happens the repair is WAY more expensive, because you can not do a simple reglue a second time. It is simply impossible to get a good glue joint a second time. It doesn't take much heat either. 15 minutes in your car in the summer sun, and you are done. If you wouldn't leave your child or your dog in your car, don't leave you guitar.

Don't let it drop again (duh!!). The glue joint can usually take more lateral force than the wood, but a shock can make it let go (in fact, we use a shock method to remove acoustic guitar bridges for reglues, as we find it to be less traumatic than the heating blankets most people use, though it is MUCH more truamatic for customers to whatch. We use a hammer and a chisel to apply the shock. :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: ). Also, even if it breaks in another spot, multiple glue joints are just begging for disaster.

Cold is not much of an issue for glue joints, though you want to make sure you do not let your guitar warm up too fast if it is cold. If you have to leave it in your car durring winter, leave it in the case for a few hours once you get inside, or you will get a condition called weather checking. This has no structural effect, but it is ugly, kind of like the lacquer has shattered, but it is still adheared to the guitar. What happens, basically, is the wood expandes faster than the lacquer. This has nothing to do with the break in the neck, but as you live in an area of the country where winters are usually colder than a grave diggers ass, I figure you need to know.

However, the good news is, with some minor caution on your part, which you should really have taken even if the headstock had not broken, your guitar will work and sound exactly like it would have without the break. So relax, don't worry, and ...

Enjoy your guitar.

By the way, what the fuck where you doing leaving the thing on a stand with three children in the house? Just a thought.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
metalj said:
1) if you really do suck at guitar (like you stated) why would you waste your money on a lespaul?? its not gonna make you sound or play better.
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In the end, it may help him to play better.

You see, if he feels his guitar is better than he deserves, it may well incourage him to practice more, which will lead to him being a better player.

But really, your just talking out of your ass. He deserves the guitar he wants and feels he can afford. His skill level has nothing to do with what he should play. Anyone who thinks differently is full of shit.

And there is no reason to keep the case locked, but keep it in the case.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
I feel your pain :( . A couple of years ago I had just finished recording bass tracks with a les paul bass, put it on the stand, turned around and tripped over the guitar cable. It seemed like it took 5 minutes to actually hit the ground, the universe slowed and I made the leap for the save but I was an inch too short(story of my life ;) ). The headstock snapped in a real bad spot, I had it repaired but it eventually broke at the same place, better luck with yours. That was a great sounding bass too, damn, I'm bummed all over again. Peace-
 
Light said:
In the end, it may help him to play better.

You see, if he feels his guitar is better than he deserves, it may well incourage him to practice more, which will lead to him being a better player.

But really, your just talking out of your ass. He deserves the guitar he wants and feels he can afford. His skill level has nothing to do with what he should play. Anyone who thinks differently is full of shit.

And there is no reason to keep the case locked, but keep it in the case.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
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light,
go back and read his first post. he sounded like he was making a uniformed/unsure desiscion except for the name of the guitar. he even stated "his nuts were in his stomach" or something like that. maybe do a epiphone first then work your way to a lespaul is all Im saying, by then he'll know, yes i have no question in buying this lespaul.

i would for sure keep the case locked with 3 kids around, wouldnt you, whats to stop the kids from opening the case if they want?

the lespaul effect will help for like a week/month, then it wheres off and then its just a guitar that wont help you play better. Ive just seen too many "big spenders" that just couldnt play one song on any guitar.

buy a $500 dollar epiphone, put the other $1500 towards 2 years of weekly lessons, you tell me which would be more gratifying, air guitaring a jimmy page solo or actually playing it.

but yes, he can do what he wants with his money, we all can. thats obvious.

peace out from "my ass"
metalJ
 
metalj said:
i would for sure keep the case locked with 3 kids around, wouldnt you, whats to stop the kids from opening the case if they want?
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People who lock cases usually lose the keys. I see it all the time.


metalj said:
the lespaul effect will help for like a week/month, then it wheres off and then its just a guitar that wont help you play better. Ive just seen too many "big spenders" that just couldnt play one song on any guitar.
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And I sell guitars to people all the time who are not great guitar players, but their new guitars make them dedicate themselves to practice, a lot. For as long as they own the guitar. I see THIS all the time, too.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Nateneal, a very sad story. But the ending is a little happier cause it got repaired for not too much $, and, from what you say, it plays fine and you like it.

Metalj: I'm with Light on his second post, and I sympathize with Nateneal. Sounds to me like the man had his sights on the very kind of guitar his friend had. (Uh, as you said, go back and read the post. He's wanted one for 20 years!) If what you need is a $2000 Les Paul (and you have the $2000), spending money on an Epiphone would be wasting money on an Epiphone. Think about it. Spend $500 on a guitar, and every time you open the case, you say to yourself, "It's not a real Les Paul." You would have spent a lot of money to be dissatisfied. (Nateneal didn't mention it, but the guitar he got, an "official" Les Paul, is probably a great deal less expensive and less risky than a vintage Les Paul gold top from the '50s.)
 
Good for you...asside from the mishaps, sounds like you've got your dream guitar and you have no remorse. If this guitar will inspire to pick it up and play, practice or what ever then in the long run it was a good buy. If you had bought a "compromise" or budget alternative, you might have had regrets and perhaps lost a little more money in the end when you finally broke down and got the guitar that was "right" for you. With a "top shelf" unit, if well maintained and cared for, you could recover a good portion of your dough if later you decide to ditch it.

Congratulations, get obsessive about playing and enjoy!


PS...while I'm bad about it myself, I'm an accident waiting to happen. Of all my geets,(8 electrics - 3 of which are serious keepers and 2 acoustic - 1 serious keeper) only the acoustics regularly sleep in their coffins. I don't advocate this but for me, I just want them out so I can get at them without hesitation. BUT...I don't leave them on those flimsy 3 legged stands either. I've got them on hangers.
 
I've got them on hangers.

Good solution...hung up high enough where the kids can't reach them.

On the other hand, some people will tell ya an LP's not broke in until it's had its head snapped off....

Not me, though!
 
my les paul

Listen, I am not a pro nor do i ever intend to be. I have been playin for many years and can jam with the rest of them. My point was that I am not touring or even playin out. No time,dedication and natural talent. I can jm out zepplin,sabbith, nirvana etc. this is my hobby and my lifelong pursuit of enjoyment not my career, income source or commitment. by the way i think most guitarist suck that i see live. only impressed with a few so my standards are pretty hig for myself and others

I have had the 500 guitar for years. anyway...if you got the dough spend it. The way I see it, its like buying a harley. the price doesnt decline on the high end shit.
Too bad everyone cant have one. I love it and will keep it the rest of my life.

Enjoy :)
 
lpdeluxe said:
Good solution...hung up high enough where the kids can't reach them.
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I would not reccommend this....... My Dad has a 1952 Gibson LG-1 that he played in high school. He hung the guitar on the wall so that his younger siblings wouldn't touch it. One day it fell, and now it has a crack that runs 3/4 the length of the guitar along the bottom side. If only he had put it in a case. Conicidentally it was neglected, and left in a cellar in the dirt for twenty years, I still like to play it, but It would be so much cooler had he have locked it a a case/closet or something.......
 
i'm gonna echo what a few others have said ...you should buy what you want you work hard for your money don't let others tell you how to spend it...the only thing that bothers me is that they let you take one home, i read on another post where a guy was running out his trial period and taking it back to get another one, that just doesn't sit well with me, i mean i would hate to get a guitar that may have been used by someone for weeks and sold to me as new, maybe it's just me...i would've been scared of what happened to you ...the way i see it this can either endear the guitar to you and inspire you and you can tell the story about your baby, or it will sit in your mind like a big lump of crap that you'll resent for the rest of your life...i feel for you dude :confused:
 
Nateneal1966 said:
Listen, I am not a pro nor do i ever intend to be. I have been playin for many years and can jam with the rest of them. My point was that I am not touring or even playin out. No time,dedication and natural talent. I can jm out zepplin,sabbith, nirvana etc. this is my hobby and my lifelong pursuit of enjoyment not my career, income source or commitment. by the way i think most guitarist suck that i see live. only impressed with a few so my standards are pretty hig for myself and others

I have had the 500 guitar for years. anyway...if you got the dough spend it. The way I see it, its like buying a harley. the price doesnt decline on the high end shit.
Too bad everyone cant have one. I love it and will keep it the rest of my life.

Enjoy :)
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Yet another good reason to get a Gibson. In ten years, you guitar will be worth MORE than it is now, whereas the Epiphone would be worth MUCH less.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Light said:
Yet another good reason to get a Gibson. In ten years, you guitar will be worth MORE than it is now, whereas the Epiphone would be worth MUCH less.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
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I'm feelin' your sentiment but no so much that it has to be a Gibson (I own a couple GLP's and love them)...could be that special Fender (not a fan myself), or that custom Ernie Ball, or how about a total shredder Vai model Ibanez's (got them too), or what ever...the player has to find "his/her" guitar. There are some very playable Epi's too you know. We're still talking about instruments for makin' music right...not investments...that would be a whole different thing. In that case...Gibson in the LP models.
 
punkin said:
I'm feelin' your sentiment but no so much that it has to be a Gibson (I own a couple GLP's and love them)...could be that special Fender (not a fan myself), or that custom Ernie Ball, or how about a total shredder Vai model Ibanez's (got them too), or what ever...the player has to find "his/her" guitar. There are some very playable Epi's too you know. We're still talking about instruments for makin' music right...not investments...that would be a whole different thing. In that case...Gibson in the LP models.
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Look around here. I am WELL aware of that. None the less, the Gibson name carries more long term apreciation value than any other. It is simply an added advantage to the Gibson, not the reason in and of itself to buy the Gibson.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
It's all good...just keeping the whole context of this thread clear in my mind. I for one am all for getting the axe that moves you. Spend more, spend less...don't matter to me. I tend to lean towards some of the refined pegheads myself.

Like I said...got two GLPs myself and love the way they growl. Cost me an arm and a leg. They might help to put one of the kids through college one day...who knows. I just hope the house doesn't burn down. Insurance is nice but you can't play it and if they put me in the ground with all my geets on my last day, I'll still be cold. :D

Peace at you my friend.
 
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