The Les Paul thread

[narad]

Picked up a Crews LED Custom, which is a '57-style LPC (i.e., one-piece Honduran mahogany body, no top). Consensus seems to be that these fancier Crews are Terada-built.

It's the one in the middle

Tenon is Gibson-like, not like the Navigator that runs to the back of the cavity and is seamless. No fret end binding. I measure the frets as Jescar 47095, which I think is what Heritage uses on the Core models and is the same height as the Navigator 47104.

Came with some fancier Japanese-wound pickups. Some type of '57 PAF clone with NOS wire from the 50s.

Fit and finish Id put on par with the Navigator other than the tenon and fret end binding. Both are cleaner builds than the Gibson.

For my money I'd rather have that than the Navigators. Every high-end Crews with the K&Ts has sounded much better than any other Navigator LP I've played.

 

[cardinal]

For my money I'd rather have that than the Navigators. Every high-end Crews with the K&Ts has sounded much better than any other Navigator LP I've played.

I'm very impressed with it. It does sound really good. K&T prices seem insane to be but I'm starting to really like these.

That Nav is very recent (2021 I think) and is a way nicer guitar than an older Nav that I had (from around 2004 I think). Fit and finish, weight, and neck shape are all so much nicer. The Nav does have a harder, more strident sound to it than either the Gibson or Crews.

 

[crik]

built for me in 2002. many les pauls have come and gone in that time.

 

[cardinal]

For my money I'd rather have that than the Navigators. Every high-end Crews with the K&Ts has sounded much better than any other Navigator LP I've played.

Do you have any experience with the LP types from g'7 Special or Bizen?

 

[budda]

@crik actual gibson or replica? Left out the whole back of the build

 

[narad]

Do you have any experience with the LP types from g'7 Special or Bizen?

I've held a Bizen before, seemed quality but was mostly satin finish which is a real turn-off. I don't even like it on Hubers. It's just not the right way to go for an LP IMO. I don't know if they're made by the same people that make the MIJ Zemaitis stuff but it felt very similar and binding was done in a very similar way.

G'7 I've never tried or even remember seeing.

 

[budda]

@narad im with you on “why the fuck are Huber Orcas satin!?” Maybe Nik has mentioned it in a video i dunno.

Installed one set of SD90’s this morning. Forgot the string threads lower than Klusons (though I read it before) which is fun for the low B .

 

[budda]

Took measurements of all 4 les pauls today.

Shocked the goldtop is the lowest action and relief (doom paul). Plan to shim the nut on the 96 to make it identical.

All pretty close in relief and action with .001” differences in action.

Doom paul time tonight

 

[budda]

Doom pauls are set up, two A/B's for anyone who cares:

before nut shim on 96, wherein open strings were buzzing at preferred action:



after nut shim and setup:

 

[wiretap]

Update. Guitar arrived 3 weeks ago, and I only just got back from tour. Unfortunately, we have a UPS casualty.



Shop has been cool about a partial refund despite it being well past the reverb policy timeframe. I also went ahead and filed a claim with UPS although I don’t expect them to do anything, but worth a shot.

Friend of mine is the owner of a boutique guitar company and has already agreed to fix it for me, so no worries there. Luckily it’s already a relic’d guitar and will be getting a refinish anyways.

Here’s some other quick photos. The relic job is really well done (done by KLH who used to do a lot of custom Fender-type relic builds though I’m not sure if he’s running a business of it anymore), and friends of mine are already trying to convince me to not refinish it but as the third LPC in less than a year and bought for that explicit purpose, I feel like my wife’s patience with my frivolous guitar purchases would run out if I tried to convince her I needed a 4th one, haha..

 

[technomancer]

It's at least a clean break and should be an easy repair

 

[budda]

@wiretap that sucks - so the original repair wasnt done well, since it broke again? Or is this in a different place? Packing job issue?

IIRC it's the shipper who has to file the claim, not the receiver. We need a stickied thread about filing shipping claims .

Gonna be checking out this 93 while I decide which pedal I want to buy today:

 

[wiretap]

@wiretap that sucks - so the original repair wasnt done well, since it broke again? Or is this in a different place? Packing job issue?

IIRC it's the shipper who has to file the claim, not the receiver. We need a stickied thread about filing shipping claims .

Gonna be checking out this 93 while I decide which pedal I want to buy today:

You actually CAN file a claim as the receiver. I notified the shop I would be doing so, so they are aware they may be contacted about it and are down to help. We will see if anything happens, though.

The top on that ‘93 is rad behind the bridge there.

 

[Estilo]

@wiretap Hope that resolves soon. Is that actual checking or was it part of the relic'ing? Looks gorgeous.

 

[wiretap]

@wiretap Hope that resolves soon. Is that actual checking or was it part of the relic'ing? Looks gorgeous.

Gonna make the short drive down to Miami on Friday to drop it off for my friend to fix, so should be good to go very soon. And as far as the checking, I’m not sure, I would assume it was all mostly done during the relic process, it definitely looks pretty rad.

 

[cardinal]

Tell me about your Bigsby trems

I want to put a Vibramate on an LP or two.

How is the sustain? What saddles to you use? Does the bridge rock back and forth when you use the bar?

 

[budda]

Tell me about your Bigsby trems

I want to put a Vibramate on an LP or two.

How is the sustain? What saddles to you use? Does the bridge rock back and forth when you use the bar?

 

[cardinal]

Not a Bigsby fan? A large part of this is that I think they look cool. So keep that in mind haha.

 

[budda]

Not a Bigsby fan? A large part of this is that I think they look cool. So keep that in mind haha.

Trems in general, but Bigsby may be the biggest offender

 

[technomancer]

Trems in general, but Bigsby may be the biggest offender

I love me a floyd but Bigsbys are god-awful