The Totally Miscellaneous non-Alembic Guitar and Bass Thread

[Nova Constellatio]

Here's a little practical joke I played some years ago using a 1959 Gibson cherry-burst. Wait... what?!

Yeah, not that kinda' '59 burst. This thing left Kalamazoo Michigan as an A-5, like Jethro Burns played. It had enough lumber innit for two mandolins. It might as well have been a solid-body. Anyway, the poor thing got crushed. So I made a class project out of it. New top, carved and cut for f-holes. Graduated much lighter than the original. I made a new rosewood fingerboard for it, and because I had them and the smartass to match, the bowtie inlays from a '50's Gibson TB-250 banjo went right in. The keystone knobs... hell, I couldn't not do that. The cherry-burst top I airbrushed to match the original sides and back. I played this one for a while before sending it along to confuse the world of Gibson snobs. Shame on me.

That's a whole new take on a conversion.

Here's a much less creative conversion, done when it was affordable to do such a thing:

[cozmik_cowboy]

Here's a fun electric — a first-batch 1960 Les Paul (these wouldn't be called SGs for a little while). Note the rectangular goof plate above the neck pickup, which has been seen on five or fewer instruments. This also has an ink-stamped serial number, which was used on the first few racks they made.

A '60 SG?

A '60 SG? I have always read/heard that the original body ran a tad into '61, and the new one was introduced then.
But then, it's Gibson, so logic and consistency lie outside the equation......

On a side note, I have also heard that the "official" version of the name change - that Les hated the new shape - is non-factual; that the straight poop is that he was getting divorced from Mary at the time & didn't want the income for her to snag. 

Peter

[Nova Constellatio]

They made a couple batches of the SG style in 1960 — they're essentially unobtainable. This one popped up on EBay when nobody wanted SGs, and I couldn't believe my luck.

I've also heard that the name change issue was baloney, although Les isn't around to ask anymore.

[rv_bass]

Beautiful Gibson guitars

This is my Benedetto Benny

[Nova Constellatio]

That Koa is spectacular.

[rv_bass]

Thank you!

It is actually flamed walnut solid piece carved arch top  

[edwardofhuncote]

Beautiful Gibson guitars

This is my Benedetto Benny

Oooh, I like it! I wondered how that turned out... I remember when it was just raw boards and a plan. 😁

[Artgeckko]

Will stay with the Gibson theme-

Friend of mine picked up a rather beat up 1983 Gibson Explorer-
Not sure which owner decided that a dragon motif complete with jewels and texture paint?  Possibly Nail polish?
Must have had a heavy fret hand too...
He asked me to take a look at it and see if I could refinish.
I suggested he re-fret it, then refinish.  He didnt want to do that because it was a "shredder"
Took a few months to turn it around, but came out pretty well, and still has very low action ( truss rod adjustment and new bridge ) so its still a "shredder"!

[cozmik_cowboy]

Well, that finish was.....um.....interesting? 

You are working for the betterment of humanity, my friend!

Peter

[Nova Constellatio]

The old finish look like something you'd see at a GWAR show. The new finish is beautiful.

[jon_jackson]

Nice work on restoring the Explorer!

[Nova Constellatio]

No Explorers here, sadly (I do have one of those Clive Davis single-pickup Dwights that I'll throw in at the end here), but I recently got my grubby mitts on this 1962 ES-175. If I hadn't been through it with a fine toothed comb, I'd swear it was a brand new reissue.

[cozmik_cowboy]

I lust after that 175!

Peter

[Nova Constellatio]

I lust after that 175!

Peter

A friend of mine took it in trade on a deal and I immediately fell in love — a month later, he needed to raise money and flipped it to me.

[David Houck]

Will stay with the Gibson theme-

... Gibson Explorer  - refinish.

Looks great!