My '59 Les Paul Doppelganger

[???]

Woah,

That was truly an amazing build. I have been planning to do the exact thing for almost a year but keeping struggling to start mainly due to my location and how it limits me from purchasing parts to make the replica.


I actually researched several amateur to professional luthiers work on the les paul, but this has been the most flawless work so far ....

Treddingjr ....any good advice on building this beast ??? I have been waiting so long to build exactly what you have... but due to cites regulation and stuff i can't get a decent piece of mahogany (honduras) to New Zealand ... and i really don't want to pay 8 grand for a custom gibson '59 <---( im a lefty ... i dunno why lefty version of guitars are more expensive than righty ones....)


I was actually researching native timber and i thought it would be a cool idea to build a les paul with Ancient Kauri ( wood that has been buried for 40000 years ......) imagine the tone on that guitar with maple .... but i am kinda hesitating because i have heard guitars made from that wood and it sounds tooo crisp ...(has a very very sharp tone) Do you reckon its a good idea ??



heres a picture of a very beautiful ancient kauri guitar.

<---- now thats cool ....

Yeah, but i can get honduras mahogany just not from America , i can get the same type from Fijian and Indonesian plantations.....

BTW treddingjr did you have any prior experience as a lutheir? Your guitar was amazing, i checked the youtube video out, it would be cool if there was a track laid on the guitar with some distortion......

After seeing how you built this thing my determination to build is returning.

[treddingjr]

Thank you.
I'll try to answer all of your questions.

I had very little luthier experience. I built a strat from Warmoth parts when I took a build your own guitar class at a local guitar repair store. I had a lot of time to work on it. I started last and finished first only because my job let me go every day on summer break. I worked on the Les Paul for five months.

Advice. Take your time. Ask questions about how and why to do something. Be picky about your materials. I was able to get my mahogany ten minutes from where I work. The maple came from 2500 miles away. I was only planning on doing this once so I bought the best parts I could, all mentioned throughout the thread. I have enough maple to do a second guitar and I am going to use korina for the back and neck. I've started collecting parts, checking pickup sound bites, etc..

I didn't research any woods so I can't speak to kauri. I went traditional; mahogany and maple for the Les Paul, an alder body and maple/rosewood neck for the strat. I am using korina the next time for its weight and because it resembles mahogany.

As for distortion, it breaks up nicely with a little more volume, the type the neighbors can hear across the street.

If I missed anything, feel free to ask me any questions.

[???]

Thanks man,

I reckon you did abit of research yourself, didn't you or atleast had general knowledge on that guitar .... cuz i missed some minor details that you didn't ... anything small details that need to be done to make the guitar historically accurate??......

BTW my policy with this build is minimal machinery, i want to do this all by hand (or as much as possible) good idea or bad ?

[treddingjr]

I used my three Gibsons and Beauty of the Burst. All of the machinery I used is visible in the pictures.

You really should ask that last question of Roman or Greg. I did this for fun whereas they do it for real.

[AndyC]

treddingjr -



Amazing! What a fantastic job, and a beautiful outcome! I'm sure you are very proud of that guitar, and rightfully so! Really great work.

Congratulations, and thanks for sharing the photos and description!

[treddingjr]

Thank you.

[mojofilter]

WOW! ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW!
Mr. that is the most impressive project on this forum.
I bet your one of the best teachers out there,GOD BLESS YOU!

[treddingjr]

Thank you.

[???]

Hey Treddingjr, what was the thickness of the mahogany on your replica, i can only get mahogany 1 1/2 inch thick, is that okay?

[treddingjr]

My back without the top is just over 1 3/4 inches thick. If you use 1/2 inch mahogany you'll end up with a sandwich body like mid 70s Norlin Les Pauls.

[???]

Originally Posted by treddingjr

My back without the top is just over 1 3/4 inches thick. If you use 1/2 inch mahogany you'll end up with a sandwich body like mid 70s Norlin Les Pauls.

are you talking about 1/2 inch mahogany or 1 1/2?? ... i can only find 1 1/2 inches... so would it be okay if the les paul is 1/2 inch slimmer??

[treddingjr]

Originally Posted by ???

are you talking about 1/2 inch mahogany or 1 1/2?? ... i can only find 1 1/2 inches... so would it be okay if the les paul is 1/2 inch slimmer??

I missed the one - sorry. The difference between the thicknesses is not that much but a Les Paul is so thick. Only you would know it wasn't as thick as a Les Paul unless you told someone. I doubt that anyone would bring a ruler to measure your guitar.

[???]

Originally Posted by treddingjr

I missed the one - sorry. The difference between the thicknesses is not that much but a Les Paul is so thick. Only you would know it wasn't as thick as a Les Paul unless you told someone. I doubt that anyone would bring a ruler to measure your guitar.

Oh, sweet.... i'll try to get the 1/4 inch lost by the mahogany covered by a few milli meters of extra maple on top ..... i doubt that every les paul would be the exact thickness ...right??? and a few millimeters difference in the les paul won't hurt??

[treddingjr]

When I get to New Zealand, trust me, I won't bring a ruler to measure your guitar. I'll go see all of your sights, sample your culture, check out where The Lord Of The Rings was filmed, and jam.

[eshuffle]

Check out this guy for really nice guitar wood. He has what you would be looking for. Also the Stevie D Max guitars aren't as thick as the 59 I'm guessing. I don't know the specs but from pictures they don't look as thick.


Ken


North Ridge Hardwoods

[pinefd]

Originally Posted by eshuffle

Check out this guy for really nice guitar wood. He has what you would be looking for. Also the Stevie D Max guitars aren't as thick as the 59 I'm guessing. I don't know the specs but from pictures they don't look as thick.


Ken


North Ridge Hardwoods

+1 I can attest to these guys as well! I've been buying much of my wood from them lately. Luke is great to deal with.

[???]

Originally Posted by eshuffle

Check out this guy for really nice guitar wood. He has what you would be looking for. Also the Stevie D Max guitars aren't as thick as the 59 I'm guessing. I don't know the specs but from pictures they don't look as thick.


Ken


North Ridge Hardwoods

Shit, these guys sell very very nice maple tops....

[???]

Originally Posted by treddingjr

When I get to New Zealand, trust me, I won't bring a ruler to measure your guitar. I'll go see all of your sights, sample your culture, check out where The Lord Of The Rings was filmed, and jam.

My dad's gonna find me the right thickness of mahogany..so it's all sweet.....


well if you ever come to New Zealand, you'd never want to leave....

[treddingjr]

Originally Posted by ???

My dad's gonna find me the right thickness of mahogany..so it's all sweet.....


well if you ever come to New Zealand, you'd never want to leave....

True - you'd probably show me the door after a while though!

Mark Twain said fish and guests are all alike - after three days they start to smell.

[treddingjr]

I got a new camera and obviously, the first thing to take pictures of was my replica.
Enjoy!

[???]

nice.........

[treddingjr]

My replica is one year old today so I laid it on the floor in the same place for a birthday picture. I think its faded some but not much. IMHO,a great guitar, and the one I play the most.
A year ago:


Today:

[shotgunlew]

wow that turned out great buddy!

[treddingjr]

10,000 views!! This absolutely blows my mind. I never expected that many people to look at this. Thanks to each and every one of you and for the comments over the last several months!!

[decoy205]

this was a classic mlp thread! Guitar looks great man.

[jwc574]

Wow! Outstanding

[TnT~55]

wow, it looks really awesome!

[treddingjr]

A couple of weeks ago, the local tanning salon had a sign out; unlimited tanning for one month for $25.00.
So, I bought it for my replica.
The look on the lady's face when I told her what I wanted to do was priceless, as with all of the other tanners who ask basically what the heck I am doing.

I had to explain the whole aniline dye thing, relicing, etc.

I've had eleven 20 minutes sessions.

So here is October 10 - before tanning

October 11

October 16

October 23


I don't see a difference - does anyone?

I tried to take the pictures under the same lighting, same angle etc.

[alexvdl]

In the pics I don't see it, but why not just take off the pickguard to see if it's darker underneath?

[treddingjr]

I should have mentioned that the area under the switch ring doesn't show any fade. I was hoping someone might now how long it would be before you could tell.