The New Tone Thread

  • Thread starter Thread starter Telegram Sam
  • Start date Start date
I guess it isn't an old one that has been refinished. The inlays look old but a 78 customs inlays are old and neither custom inlays seem to have any discoloration. My Late 70s Japanese les Paul copy has some discoloration on the inlays but it's a red hue....not green.
 
jimistone said:
I guess it isn't an old one that has been refinished. The inlays look old but a 78 customs inlays are old and neither custom inlays seem to have any discoloration. My Late 70s Japanese les Paul copy has some discoloration on the inlays but it's a red hue....not green.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure it's a Classic from the late '90s or early 2000's. I have a '98 Classic, and they used some sort of faux-aged inlays and tuning knobs to simulate old, aged abalone or mother or pearl. Unfortunately, the faux-aged stuff doesn't age very well itself, and ended up that nasty greenish color. My LP Classic is the same way.
 
Yup, the Black "Mopar" LP is a late 90s Classic. I think it's a 98. That's a fine example of the green-ish inlays that plague Classics from that time period. It also had those hot-as-shit 500Ts in it, but they've been replaced with 57s, and they're way better.

But besides the greening inlays, and questionable paint work, it's a fantastic guitar. It really is. I almost bought it from a him a while back. I really like it. Slim neck, good weight, good setup, really nice. It plays beautifully.

The fretboard really is as gross as the pic looks though. It needs a good cleaning, real bad. That's his main play-in-the-garage guitar, and it's coated in funk and sweat and grime.
 
Greg_L said:
Yup, the Black "Mopar" LP is a late 90s Classic. I think it's a 98. That's a fine example of the green-ish inlays that plague Classics from that time period. It also had those hot-as-shit 500Ts in it, but they've been replaced with 57s, and they're way better.

But besides the greening inlays, and questionable paint work, it's a fantastic guitar. It really is. I almost bought it from a him a while back. I really like it. Slim neck, good weight, good setup, really nice. It plays beautifully.

The fretboard really is as gross as the pic looks though. It needs a good cleaning, real bad. That's his main play-in-the-garage guitar, and it's coated in funk and sweat and grime.
Click to expand...

I have to agree, while the Classics may not have the looks, the playability is what sold me on mine. It's just supremely comfortable to play (well, as far as 9-pound hunks of maple and mahogany go). Great neck profile, good-feeling guitar all around.

I swapped out the pickups for the Burstbucker Pro I & II a while back. They're better, but still not terrific. More reasonable output, but a little harsh in the upper frequencies. They actually sound a little like single-coils, if you'd believe that. I'm really thinking of going for the Classic '57s. Or at least original BB I & II that used the Alnico II magnets instead of the Alnico V that the Pro versions use.

But that'll have to wait...I just bought a ridiculously high-end mic preamp, and I just wrote checks for new hardwood floors and a new shower in our home. So I'm feeling pretty broke right now. Hell, I can't even walk across the new floor for 2 more days, so I can't get to my studio anyways! So I'll just sit here and ogle everybody else's gear for the next few days.
 
Yeah they did a nice job on those 90s Classics. The green inlays notwithstanding. The rest of the guitar is great.

I agree with you on the BB Pros. I LOVE the regular Burstbucker lineup, but the "Pro" versions are meh. Too bright, kind of harsh.

If you do go with a 57, I'd suggest you stay away from the "plus". It's like the BB Pro. Just go with a plain standard 57.
 
well .... the Hallmark is the coolest but those are aight.

Once it gets thru raining here I'm gonna get started assembling my 335 ..... that'll be interesting
 
Lt. Bob said:
well .... the Hallmark is the coolest but those are aight.

Once it gets thru raining here I'm gonna get started assembling my 335 ..... that'll be interesting
Click to expand...

Haha yeah, my 60C is the coolest. :D


Cool on the 335. Give is some pics of the progress.
 
Greg_L said:
Haha yeah, my 60C is the coolest. :D


Cool on the 335. Give is some pics of the progress.
Click to expand...
ok ..... I'll do that ..... I still have stuff to decide .....

If I can find my abalone fleur de lis, I'm gonna get an ebony cap for the headstock in which case I'll go for black p'up rings.

If I can't find it, I'll leave the headstock plain and maple or whatever it is and then I'll use maybe some maple rings.

I'm gonna use an OLD set of Bill Lawrence p'ups I've had forever.
No one, including Lawrence, knows what they are ..... some obscure p'up they made in the late 70's ..... but they're uncovered with yellow bobbins.

I'm VERY undecided on whether to set them up for coil tapping or not.

If I find the inlay I'll lean towards an amber color with black knobs and such because of the black headstock.

If I don't ..... I'm gonna put clear on the very white maple and go all light colors and maybe clear knobs.

So the next step is cut the headstock down ( it's a paddle so you can do what you want ) ..... I'm gonna go super simple and just cut a slight arch across the top.

And see if I can find the inlay ..... I have a nice large multi-piece feur de lis .... I've been holding onto it for a while and now I can find it! :mad:

So that's where I am ..... I'm open to suggestions and if you want a glimpse of the kit I'm building from (not using their p'ups) it's here:
335 Set Neck Kit Flamed maple, Bound Rosewood fingerboard
 
Greg, thanks for the tip on the '57. Good to know that there is the same misleading similar pickup in that line as the BB. Else I may have accidentally bought the wrong ones like I did with my BB set. Shoulda examined those pics more closely before i bought these!

Bob, one of the last major remnants of my long-standing GAS is for an ES-335. The main flavor that I'm missing is a semi-hollow with PAF-style pickups. It's hard not to envision it in classic Gibson fader cherry. But I bet that an Amber or light color could do some major favors for the right maple top. One good thing about being broke is that I now have zero desire to go peruse Reverb for used 335's :)

Keep us updated, I'd love to see it in progress.
 
I'd like a 335 too, just coz I've never owned a guitar like that so it would actually be something different.

Bob, definitely go for coil taps. They're great.
 
I had a 335 for about a month. Couldn't get along with it. Too much feedback, but it still wasn't quite "hollowbody" enough for me. As much as I'd love to have a big-bodied Gretsch, they just aren't practical for me. This is the one I had briefly....

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top