What do you do when you can't afford a Sykes "Inspired By" Series Les Paul? Well, make your own! Just grab that old Black LPC that's collecting dust in the closet It's already reliced and ready to go! (Of course not as reliced as John's, but that's too much for me) I've had this one for years and has been my "tone of reference" guitar. I one upped Gibson and used RS electronics and TonePros/Graphtech locking hardware. The neck is not maple, but I like Mahogany on LP's anyway. Less bright.
Body & Hardware:
Flat carved maple top & solid mahogany back
Multi-ply white/black binding on top and back
Aged chrome hardware
Tone Pros Locking Aluminum Nashville TOM bridge (Superbridge)/Stopbar tailpiece
Aged ebony finish (All by myself over the years)
WD Custom Mirror pickguard from tracing (stock one did not fit) & metal chrome switchwasher/no switch tip
Neck & Headstock:
1 pc. Mahogany with 22 fret ebony fingerboard & pearl block inlays
Short neck tenon
Rounded neck profile with single-ply white binding
24 3/4” scale length, 1 11/16” nut width
Polished Chrome Sperzel tuners (instead of the Grovers)
Graphtech nut & 70s-style Gibson headstock logo
Electronics & Strings:
Gibson Dirty Fingers™ exposed humbucking pickup with chrome mounting
ring in bridge
’57 Classic exposed humbucking pickup with chrome mounting ring in neck (took cover off stock one) Saved major bucks
RS 2 volume, 2 tone Super Pots*, 3-way selector switch
*True to John's Les Paul, the lead tone control is disabled
Gibson Vintage Reissue .010 strings
Tools:
1 StewMac knurled nut wrench
Before Shot:
Cleaning up:
After Shot:
I spent a small fortune on parts, but a heck of a lot less than $7,300 street price to get one of these. I have enough to go by an amp (or two) now:ROTF:
Now, go build your own!
Body & Hardware:
Flat carved maple top & solid mahogany back
Multi-ply white/black binding on top and back
Aged chrome hardware
Tone Pros Locking Aluminum Nashville TOM bridge (Superbridge)/Stopbar tailpiece
Aged ebony finish (All by myself over the years)
WD Custom Mirror pickguard from tracing (stock one did not fit) & metal chrome switchwasher/no switch tip
Neck & Headstock:
1 pc. Mahogany with 22 fret ebony fingerboard & pearl block inlays
Short neck tenon
Rounded neck profile with single-ply white binding
24 3/4” scale length, 1 11/16” nut width
Polished Chrome Sperzel tuners (instead of the Grovers)
Graphtech nut & 70s-style Gibson headstock logo
Electronics & Strings:
Gibson Dirty Fingers™ exposed humbucking pickup with chrome mounting
ring in bridge
’57 Classic exposed humbucking pickup with chrome mounting ring in neck (took cover off stock one) Saved major bucks
RS 2 volume, 2 tone Super Pots*, 3-way selector switch
*True to John's Les Paul, the lead tone control is disabled
Gibson Vintage Reissue .010 strings
Tools:
1 StewMac knurled nut wrench
Before Shot:
Cleaning up:
After Shot:
I spent a small fortune on parts, but a heck of a lot less than $7,300 street price to get one of these. I have enough to go by an amp (or two) now:ROTF:
Now, go build your own!
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