Gibson Les Paul Recording

The serial number system Gibson used proves that meth was alive and well years ago! The nearest I can tell either the SN is..
055540 or C55540 I have no clue what year this is.
It is brown in color and is an incredible playing guitar. I love the wide neck and sustain it has. I can say that the Gibson does not have the dot above the 'i'. Maybe someone can help determine the year.

I am a huge Gary Richrath fan, and this guitar gives an incredible high end sound to match Gary's sound. Many sounds can be produced with this guitar. It is extrememly heavy, but worth the hunch in my posture!
The only I don't like is the plastic cover that all the electronics are mounted. When I took it apart I noticed the hole milled out of the body is too large and as a result the screws were never actually in an adequate hole. Two of the holes are only half there, the screws never had a chance to grip!

Who ever milled this guitar must have been on drugs, absolutely poor craftmanship! The finish is beautiful, but has several blemishes from being used. I don't collect guitars I play them and I am responsible for most of the blemishes. I will never sell this guitar. I have had it since the early 90's.

I would gig with this without a backup. It has never failed, except for the plastic cover issue.

I did email the SN to Gibson USA and also asked for a schematic of the wiring. I got a response from a real live person in an email within a few days! Unfortunately I moved recently and no longer have the email with the SN info, but I did save the schematic file.

I have been playing for over 30 years. I love this guitar. I would like to have the nut and frets done as they show significant wear. The plastic cover, I am not sure if I should modify the milled out area to accomodate proper screw holes. As I play it now, the cover 'stands off' the guitar. If I could find another Les Paul with the same neck I would buy it in a second. I do not like the upper frets being cut at an angle, it doesn't happen often, but you can't get a full bend note off the high E string, the fret isn't there.

there is no sound you can't get if you take the time to work out how to really use this wonderous machine

the best action of any guitar - superbly made

who ever decided to put the input jack in the plastic cover plate should be tortured then shot and fed to wild dogs - it is the only minus - otherwise these guitars are incredible in every way

where to start, this guitar has virtually everything built right in, most of which average owners dont understand the use of so i will attempt to clear a few things up. first off, the mysterious decade control. I've heard countless claim it does nothing and add it is useless. the catch is in order for it to work you must be in tone selection 2 and have the bass turned down to 5 or 6 and it acts as a sort of attack or presence control. actually in order for any of the knobs to work you must be in tone 2 as 1 and 3 are presets.(Eureka!). Also the out of phase only works when the pickups are mixed. this gives it a fender style sound. my tuners are grovers but some came with other brands. wood is described in original catologue as "fine grained clear British Honduras mahogany" and the fretboard is a curious "ebonied rosewood".

i play rock and roll. usually i just plug straight in to a vintage tube amp (I prefer Fender or Traynor), turn it up and play. you dont generaly need overdrive pedals with a Gibson through one of those amps. but then again this is quieter then most Gibsons and cleaner than any. so I solve that by just using a meaner amp, maybe adding a tubescreamer for a solo boost. the resonance is so good on this thing once you get it to sing it may never stop. The low impendance switch is designed so you can plug straight into a soundboard or recording console and that is where you will get the cleanest, clearest sound known to man. a big plus for jazz players as it easily recreates the warm hollow body or archtop Gibson sound. but a cool trick is to plug in to your amp at low impendance play nice and clean and then BAM switch to high and rip some ears off. Probably the most versatile guitar ever made. with the right amp and know how of the controls there are endless possibilities. but dont expect a traditional les paul.

certainly the craftsmanship is amazing. they really cared about each and every one of these guitars. built to kill. easiest playing guitar I have and so solid. you can do open chords with the confidence of an acoustic.

the only problem is that for some dumb reason they decided to put the jack in the control housing which is made of plastic instead of drilling a hole in the bottom like every other les paul making it weak and breakable. easy enouph to fix but still a pain. i think im gonna bite the bullet and get my own made out of chrome. the guitar is worth it, everything else on it is the most solid ive ever seen. like a rock.

mines a '71 the first of the batch making it a kalamazoo made Gibson, the nashville factory opened in '74 im told and your supposed to be able to tell a nashville made Gibson by the last three digits in the serial number being above 500. im in the clear with 337. we all know the story of how les paul came back to gibson in 1970 with the idea of making the perfect guitar, or the 'all in one' rather, that would never need be replaced. sadly few got to test the success of his dream as the guitars were outrageously priced at the time beating out every Gibson including the les paul custom, their traditional flagship model and few could afford it. this in itself makes the guitar extremely rare.

Other guitars I own include '63 fender jazzmaster, '76 Guild S-100, '76 Gibson Firebird, '71 Ovation Eclipse and I love them all. But they are just possesions. A Gibson like this becomes a part of your soul and I couldn't imagine life without it. Les Paul is 93 this year and he still plays his Recording. What does that tell you. THIS IS IT.

I bought my Les Paul Recording in 1971 at Sound Stage in Fresno California, for 700 dollars. I liked the sound then, the versatility of it, and at the time I was playing through a fairly powerful but very clean Acoustic amplifier with 4 12 inch JBL speakers - very loud, and very clean. You could play just about anything - except that it does not do dirty very well, not like a strat or a Les Paul Custom or SG. The body is heavy, which gives the tone a solidity you don't find in a telecaster. You have to get used to the weight. At the time it was great for playing with the pickups in reverse impedence - but you can still hear that sound on many different types of music today.

Now I have a small Crate amplifier, and it sounds great together. If you need a hard, dirty sound, you can get those effects in the amplifier, or with an effects box. The days of the stacked Marshalls may be coming to a close - it's a Green day now. Although I don't think this guitar can compete with the tinny, twangy sound of a Telecaster, it gets pretty close, and it may be even better for an intimate, jazzy, or psychodelic sound.

I had the Guitar refinished by a guitar maker in Oxford Ohio in the early 90s, so it looks like new. You don't have to do too much to get it into shape - as far as ajusting the truss rod, or the bridge screws. But once you do, the guitar holds it's tuning for a long time and plays beautifully. It has no flaws whatsoever.

Durability? I have had it since 1971, and 10 years of that time I played it everyday, often in performance. Now I play less frequently, but it's perfectly dependable. The finish will last another 20 years.

N/A

I have been playing since 1967, and I have 3 other guitars - classical, 12 string, and a Stratocaster (made by Epiphone) signed by John Hiatt that I won in a radio contest.

mine is the more rare slightly yellowed white finish (arctic white?) with black binding. same classic LP body with rectangular tune-o-matic style bridge, and gibson tuners (i think grover). Judging by the serial number I think it's a '74 (same as me), USA-made of course and with the original gibson case.
There are more features on this guitar than pretty much anything else out there...
The controls on this guitar are impressive: aside from tone, volume, and 3-way pickup toggle, there's a 3-position "tone" switch, a phase selector, and the enigmatic "decade" knob....which is subtle 10-way tone-altering knob that apparently runs the signal through different capacitors.
the pickups are low-impedence factory pickups

this is a beautiful-sounding instrument! low action, perfect frets, crisp rich sound. With all the tone and phase options and combinations, you can make it sound like nearly anything...I have 5 gibsons, 8 fenders, and about a dozen other guitars, and this guitar can really sound like anything from a tele, to a hollowbody, to a LP to something totally unique...
i like the sound or this LP better than my LP standard or SG because i can get a much brighter transparent sound from it for clean songs, but it can also put out a thick rich more traditional gibson growl if needed..
really, if you have a chance to try one out...do. it is the definition of versatility. les paul himself designed it to be the ONE guitar studio musicians could take to the studio to get whatever sound they needed...intended to replace bringing multiple guitars to a recording session.
i've done some recording with it too...outstanding.

i bought the guitar about 32 years after it was built, and from a dealer in chicago.
it was set up perfectly when i got it, all original, pristine electronics, and awesome low action with no fret buzz.
i can't say i have any complaints about any aspect in this category.

i really haven't used it live, but i'm sure it's seen some use over the past 32 years, and it's still perfect.
les pauls generally can take it, and i think this model's no exception. rugged, and well-built.

no idea really.
the guitar hasn't been made for decades...

interestingly, they had a promo out when these were being made that included a record on which a LP recording and bass were used for all the sounds on the entire recording.i've heard they also explained the controls and even the "decade" switch...
i haven'e been able to get my hands on one of these promos yet, but i know they're out there

this is a great guitar. I will never sell it.
beautiful and extraordinarily versatile sound, incredible playability, and a great design.
the only complaint, if i had to try to find one, is that there are SO many tone options and combinations, that it can be kind of confusing to figure them all out. but then again, that's the ultimate versatility. and it's kind of fun too...

This is the 3rd LP recording I have owned, because I think it is a fantastic axe. My latest one is PERFECT DEAD-MINT 1973 model in the mohagany natural. I am second owner, and enjoy all the features. Yes, the decade control is useable live under cleaner sounds, and for simulating acoustic guitar sounds in the low impedance mode. I like the 3 position knife switch for preset tones, which interacts with the rotary tone pots as well.

This axe rocks! Great variety of tones,especially when you experiment with raising/lowering the angled pickups or with string guages.

This thing still has a perfect neck and action is low after 33 years!! binding is good, metal trim pieces did not oxidize except for rear plate screws. Rosewood fretboard and MOP inlays all still perfect, no shrinkage evn though prior owner had it in Colorado (alpine desert arid climate vs here in WI). Wide frets are to my preference, som may not agree.

Noiseless pots and switches, no probs with phase switch as with other Gibbys.... Absolutely no probs, and I play it at least 3x a week....

NA

35 years as a player, owning many Gibbys, Rics, Fenders, and especially Carvin guitars and amp. They are my current fave of the last 10 years, but this LP Recording is amazing to round out the 'stable'....It is all 'Les Paul' in feel nd with many sounds, but it is HEAVY with all the on-board electronics.

Made in early 70's. I believe it's a 1973.
It has all the features previously listed for the early models.

Great variety of tones. It seems especially suited to blues or jazz.

The action is very good. My PRS is better, so I wont say it's great.
The finish is beautiful. A very interesting grain in the wood.

I had to flush out the electronics, and then it worked fine.

I e-mailed customer service to find out what to do with the decade control. They e-mailed back what appeared to be the original documentation (looks like a small poster).
OK...heres the skinny...in order for the decade control to work, the
tone switch has to be set on 2, and the bass control has to be turned down a little (I set mine on 5).
With those settings, try the decade on 10, then 5, then 0. You should hear some remarkable differences!

I've been playing for 40 years. I hadn't seen one of these since I was in college, and I couldn't resist buying it.
It's definitely a unique guitar, well thought out.
After all, it was designed by Les Paul!

I bought my LPR new back in 1971 from the Barry Farrell music centre for the sum of $1200.00. At the time the black custom recording was around $800.00.
Back then a new mini cooper was around $ 2300, so in todays standard, that was around $ 18,000 for the guitar!
I'm now 51 and still have it.
The body is the typical Mahogany finish, not sure on the neck, but over the years, I have never needed to add anything special.
It is still in the original case with the original Gibson strap.

Over the years, I have played from classical through to heavy rock. The selection of the amp basically makes it sing. For recording, I prefer the fender princeton which loves overdriving the speakers, but a bit small on stage. Through the Marsall, the lower end comes through strong with little to no feedback from the pickup.
Add a few pedals & nothing compares.
I found the variety of the sound combinations are there if you have time to experiment in the studio especially directly into the mixing panel where the low impedience pickups are in a class of their own. As mentioned, when needed to rock it up a bit, just plug it into the princeton & go for it. Forget the pedals & rock away on pure sound and distortion the way it should be.

The guitar was not set up very well from the factory. The action was typical of most guitars. We bought a file from the local hardware & spent the weekend getting this right. I have never had to redo this since & today does not rattle.
I found the neck pickup a little too high & seemed to give too much presence rather than the smooth sound. After adjusting this down a bit, it gave the sound I was looking for. The reverse was true on the rear pickup.
The tuning bridge was very much out of alignment but easily rectified. Never had to do this since.
The tuning pegs have always been rock solid. I put the guitar away for a few years. When I got it out of the case, it was still in tune.
The phase control was and still is a bit 'poppy" but I learn't to live with it.

I used this guitar in all my playing. It is the strongest guitar ever built & virtually bullet proof.
The finish would have lasted forever, but I was a bit hard on it wearing metal belts. I found kitten no 3 car wax the best polish for the body with silvo polish polish for the fret board. It made these smooth as silk for bending without any resistance.
I bought the custom black model as the back up but sold it shortly after. You definitely didn't need a second guitar, even after hours of playing. If you broke a string, it was out of pure neglegence, not guitar fault.
The neck brace is easily adjustable when it was required to use a different guage string. (I went through quite a few phases from flat wound to ultra light, which did require a neck adjustment to give the best feel.

I've never needed to contact Gibson. The guitar has never needed any outside work or had any faults.

I played consistantly until 30 where it was advised to give it up or go deaf. I've owned a Maton, Fender Telecastors, Strats, Guild & other Gibsons. Nothing compares to the LPR.
IThe only question I would have asked is what amp I should have lined it up with. I bought a twin reverb but this really didn't suit the guitar until the input was modified & the speakers replaced to JBL. (Then it was awesome, thus the reason I'm a bit deaf today).
There is no way I would ever loose it. If it was stolen, I just hope it could find it's way home. It's a big part of me.
The smell when you open the carry case brings back great memories & when cleaned up, looks fantastic. Even with a few bangs here & there.
The only bad point I must add is the stupid location of the front strap nob. Being offset slightly, it gave rise to the Gibson strap slipping off & thus the guitar ending up on the floor. (And the reason for a few knocks). Any other guitar would have been damaged, but the LPR handled it & just chipped off a bit more laquer.

I have a 74, bought it new and never put it down. The neck has stained over the years but the finish is intact. The finish on the over all guitar is excellant. Grover tuners are rock solid (I'm allways waiting for others to retune). The neck is super fast and has spoiled me as I have very critical comments on other guitars.

I play all types of music (whatever is paying well at the time). This guitar molds itself from jazz to hard rock without a seam. It did,however, take a long time to figure out the electronics and what amps. suit its temprament. I use a Roland gp 120-R&P. It seems to Like clean, bright amps. then add effects. I added a Pod and this guitar loves it. Sky is the limit on sound variety.

Set up from store was poor, but it set up fairly easy as compared to others I used.

30 years of bars hasn't stopped it. Hardware is in good working order. Finish has stained though. Some dark spots but nothing major. I have owned some great guitars and none compare to the dependability, playability or versitility of this.(thats a lot of tility)

I have been playing out for 30+ years (god I'm old) and the only other electric I play out is a 77' Guild S-300D. The neck is similiar(I'm spoiled). The only drawback to this guitar is its weight, after 4-6 hrs it gets HEAVY!! I'm told its weight adds to the sustain... A little less sustain is good.

My L/P Recording is probably a 1971 or 72 model. From what I've read it's one of the earlier ones made. I originally paid $175.00 for it used from a guy who didn't know what he had back in 1977. At first I was disappointesd becaused it lacked the pickup punch of High Impedence Humbuckers. It's made of Mahogany back and front, and has a rosewood fingerboard. I cracked my original control plate but had a guitar repair man make me an Identical copy from scratch. My new half moon cover plate has no words on it, so you have to know what you're doing. This was my first electric and as far as I'm concerned you don't need any Paul Reed Smiths or Tele's or Srats, and I have played them all. This guitar does it all. But you need a very good amp to back it up.

This guitar sounds great for any type of music, however it performs best on clean sounds like Jazz leads and bright rhytyms. I have never played a guitar that sounds as clean as this one does. If you want a super bright Tele sound just put the pickup selector in the middle setting and put the phase switch in Out-of phase mode. The guitar has incredible sustain and has also a great treble lead sound with the just the bridge pickup engaged. Cuple this guitar with a Mesa-Boogie and you're on your way to guitar heaven.

The action is a low as you can go, but I like my action a little higher to get more of a workout. No buzzes or string twangs. This guitar stays in tune like no other. What is really awesome for me is that you have 1 Volume knob that controls everything no matter which pickup you're using. I have never had any problems with strings breaking, I've used this guitar so much that about 15 yrs ago I had to have a fret job. The frets were just filed down a little but were not replaced. I have a few chips of finish missing otherwise it's as good as new.

This guitar is so reliable I was almost tempted to leave my backup guitar (Gigson SG) at home. But I brought it along in case I broke a string (never happened). Sometimes I picked up my SG just because it was there and used it only on 1 song. You can play anything from Elvis to Hendrix. I play a lot of Santana and this guitar can keep up with any PRS any day of the week. I'll never sell it and if anything ever happened to it I would look for another one.

I have never had to call Gibson for anything, everything works fine.

This guitar overall is for serious players only. If you want to play Metallica type rock then buy a Les Paul Custom or Standard. If you want to play guitar in all styles then this is the instrument for you. It really has this almost hollow body Jazz guitar sound when played clean. When you kick in some overdrive however this guitar can hang with the best of them, all this with virtually no hum or sound from the pickups.