My holygrail multi-piece top Norlin Standard. Post yours!

[grumphh_the_banned_one]

One would be insane to call T-tops "the bad". IMHO they are second best to real PAFs

Nah, the early ones may have been good, but as the decade progressed they started sucking so much that replacing pickups became standard practice...

Not everything from the 70's is perfect (< slight understatement), and pickups of that era, be it Fender or Gibson, are probably very much to blame for the poor perception of those guitars today.

I realize that originality is crucial for collectors, but personally i think that swapping out 70's pickups is a very sensible thing to do....

 

[Abozz]

Nah, the early ones may have been good, but as the decade progressed they started sucking so much that replacing pickups became standard practice...

Not everything from the 70's is perfect (< slight understatement), and pickups of that era, be it Fender or Gibson, are probably very much to blame for the poor perception of those guitars today.

I realize that originality is crucial for collectors, but personally i think that swapping out 70's pickups is a very sensible thing to do....

According with this logic, the gibsons of the 50s and 60s are worse than those of the 70s, since the former were not sold in his time and the latter sold but thounsads. Everything is relative

 

[grumphh_the_banned_one]

According with this logic, the gibsons of the 50s and 60s are worse than those of the 70s, since the former were not sold in his time and the latter sold but thounsads. Everything is relative

This has nothing to do with "logic" and everything to do with my experience with 70's Gibsons.
Early in the decade the pickups sounded nice, but as the decade progressed the pickups changed character.

Just like the guitars changed during that decade.

And then, at some point just at the beginning of the 80's some smart people at gibson tried to return to the better old days... By trying to make the guitars closer to the old ones and also redesigning the pickups. One name: Shaw.

If it ain't broken, it's not gonna get fixed. Shaws demonstrate clearly that Gibsons late 70's humbuckers were not what they should have been

 

[Xrun Morzov]

Well, I've got three LPs from that era with original pickups - the guitar that started this topic, '71 LP Custom, '76 Standard. And I had '78 standard. I can't say that any of these T-tops suck. They do not sound like real PAFs, but modern 'boutique' pickups are still hard pressed to reach their level of tone, and market reflects this -T-tops value is constantly rising.
I also had a '80 Standard with early Shaws. They are cool in their own right, but still something different from real PAFs.
And I constantly experiment with pickups on my Bartlett replica, right now carrying Throbaks with vintage magnets. These are the best so far, but still different from real PAFs.
I must confess that I got regular access to a guitar with real PAFs only this year and this was a shock - neither T-tops, nor Shaws, nor any boutique (and we tried almost anything in the market) can touch them. However this doesn't mean that othe pickups are too bad to play and enjoy. In some music styles they might be even more appropriate.

 

[grumphh_the_banned_one]

Well, I've got three LPs from that era with original pickups - the guitar that started this topic, '71 LP Custom, '76 Standard. And I had '78 standard. I can't say that any of these T-tops suck. They do not sound like real PAFs, but modern 'boutique' pickups are still hard pressed to reach their level of tone, and market reflects this -T-tops value is constantly rising.
I also had a '80 Standard with early Shaws. They are cool in their own right, but still something different from real PAFs.
And I constantly experiment with pickups on my Bartlett replica, right now carrying Throbaks with vintage magnets. These are the best so far, but still different from real PAFs.
I must confess that I got regular access to a guitar with real PAFs only this year and this was a shock - neither T-tops, nor Shaws, nor any boutique (and we tried almost anything in the market) can touch them. However this doesn't mean that othe pickups are too bad to play and enjoy. In some music styles they might be even more appropriate.

I don't believe in the PAFmojomagic that claims that "every pickup has to be judged against PAF's" either
Using collectors pricing to somehow claim that "because they are expensive they must be good" is just a logical fallacy.

I believe in hearing sounds i like, and some pickups deliver those, some don't. Old, new, passive, active - doesn't matter, some pickups sound great, others not so much.
And well, sorry to say, but especially the late 70's T-tops were a product at the (justified) end of their lifespan - something about them that is just a teensy bit grating.
In short, i think there are far better pickups that we can put into our Norlins out there.

 

[Xrun Morzov]

I don't believe in the PAFmojomagic that claims that "every pickup has to be judged against PAF's" either
Using collectors pricing to somehow claim that "because they are expensive they must be good" is just a logical fallacy.

I believe in hearing sounds i like, and some pickups deliver those, some don't. Old, new, passive, active - doesn't matter, some pickups sound great, others not so much.
And well, sorry to say, but especially the late 70's T-tops were a product at the (justified) end of their lifespan - something about them that is just a teensy bit grating.
In short, i think there are far better pickups that we can put into our Norlins out there.

I think that each of us can have own opinion, but the dialogue becomes meaningless without concrete examples.
So if you don't mind I have several questions:
1. Do you have first hand experience with real PAFs?
2. What are your favourite pickups, in what guitars do you use them and in what music styles do you play?
3. Please name the pickups that you would suggest to replace T-tops in Norlin LPs

 

[grumphh_the_banned_one]

I think that each of us can have own opinion, but the dialogue becomes meaningless without concrete examples.
So if you don't mind I have several questions:
1. Do you have first hand experience with real PAFs?
2. What are your favourite pickups, in what guitars do you use them and in what music styles do you play?
3. Please name the pickups that you would suggest to replace T-tops in Norlin LPs

1. Of course i don't have experience with real PAF's, they are effing rare, and well, tuning down and using amps with more distortion than you can get out of three cascaded tweed amps, i think PAF's are highly irrelevant to me - and by far most other guitar players who try to play music that was at least somewhat relevant within the last 30 years...
(Yes, the 70's ended more than 40 years ago)

2. I have no favourite pickups, there are only pickups that make sounds i like (EMGs (both actual EMG's and also a guitar with "selects") and Some SD models such as the JB and ssl-1) and pickups that make sounds i don't like. T-tops from the late 70's fall into the latter category.
But most other pickups do their jobs well - except for a few overgained ones that have to brittle top-end. Not really fond of DM Superdistortion or those bladed OBL's.

3. I honestly have no idea. I don't go through pickups like some of the upgrade addicts here seem to do, so can't name a specific pickup. But there are many good pickups out there, so its not like it would be difficult to get better sounds from a late 70's Gibson simply by getting rid of the T-tops.

You know, it is actually possible to like guitars of an era and still not love everything on them.
Norlins are, and will continue to be, very fine instruments but the pickup choices for many was... well... occasionally rather errant, and is partly to blame for their poor image. After all, a guitar only sounds as good as its pickups allow it to...

 

[Abozz]

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I LOVE T TOPS

 

[Xrun Morzov]

1. Of course i don't have experience with real PAF's, they are effing rare, and well, tuning down and using amps with more distortion than you can get out of three cascaded tweed amps, i think PAF's are highly irrelevant to me - and by far most other guitar players who try to play music that was at least somewhat relevant within the last 30 years...
(Yes, the 70's ended more than 40 years ago)

2. I have no favourite pickups, there are only pickups that make sounds i like (EMGs (both actual EMG's and also a guitar with "selects") and Some SD models such as the JB and ssl-1) and pickups that make sounds i don't like. T-tops from the late 70's fall into the latter category.
But most other pickups do their jobs well - except for a few overgained ones that have to brittle top-end. Not really fond of DM Superdistortion or those bladed OBL's.

3. I honestly have no idea. I don't go through pickups like some of the upgrade addicts here seem to do, so can't name a specific pickup. But there are many good pickups out there, so its not like it would be difficult to get better sounds from a late 70's Gibson simply by getting rid of the T-tops.

You know, it is actually possible to like guitars of an era and still not love everything on them.
Norlins are, and will continue to be, very fine instruments but the pickup choices for many was... well... occasionally rather errant, and is partly to blame for their poor image. After all, a guitar only sounds as good as its pickups allow it to...

Sorry, but after these answers I don't have any other questions to you
Let's leave it and return to the thread topic.
I want to see more multi-piece-tops!

 

[grumphh_the_banned_one]

Sorry, but after these answers I don't have any other questions to you
Let's leave it and return to the thread topic.
I want to see more multi-piece-tops!

The guitars holding the debated pickups are as fine as they always have been, at least we can agree on that

 

[Christosterone]

My 1976 Custom with Nickel hardware. Restoration was over ten years ago.
Note: I had it re-fretted with jumbo frets and new nibs, if you can see that in the picture.
Period-correct Dimarzio setup, PAF and Super Distortion.

In the case was a broken 5-ply black pickguard and a white poker chip. No way to know if either were originally on the guitar.
But the more I see these come up on ebay in original condition, I think this one should probably have black plastic.

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that is mind blowing…
do u have any pics of the process…I would love to see the stages

anyhow, I need a norlin
wish I was a zillionaire…

-chris

 

[WP Blues]

Here is my '74, which I've had since it was new. The 3 pieces match up well, and from some angles they just meld into each other, unlike many other examples. I've changed the tuners, knobs and truss rod cover, but that's it. The T-top pickups are pretty powerful. This guitar is still helping me earn money.

 

[Jake_Jakerson]

This is my holygrail LP, a factory Standard from the early 70's. Really outstanding instrument that tone-wise outshines reissues and fancy CSs. Original T-tops which I also love (bridge was changed to SD but I chased era-correct T-top to replace).

Persuaded my friend for several years so he sells it to me)) Recently I even bought it a special comfort Art&Historic case which I like most of all Gibson cases (original in storage).

The crazy thing that it has pancake body, 3-piece mahogany neck and FIVE-piece top)) Would love to see more multi-piece tops. Post your guitars with story behind them!

Absolute beautiful guitar! I'm really digging that finish and that grain!

And I'll post a couple of my Lps.

First is the usual the main whip my 1979 LPC in Wine Red, chased one for a while and thankfully got a decent price on it, played at almost every show since I graduated school.

Then my 1974 LPC, in the process of being refinished, but the previous finish was a refin, that was not done well, looking forward to this one being completed!

 

[Xrun Morzov]

Bring it to the top with more multi-piece tops±

 

[Bulletboy5150]

Here is my 73 custom (thanks to the forum for helping me date it!). You can only see the seams in the correct lighting, but I believe its an 8 or 9 piece top! If you look around the knobs on the body shot you can see two strips and a very small piece on the edge. These two strips are the most prominent strips, the others are a bit harder to see. Glue must sound good though because it sounds fantastic. These T-tops have made me a believer!

 

[HardCore Troubadour]

we need to find you a set of knobs for it......

 

[Bulletboy5150]

we need to find you a set of knobs for it......

This is just what came with it. I have since bought reflectors, even though I know those aren't period correct but neither is the Nashville bridge so I figured what the heck. I'm a huge John Sykes fan so went with reflectors. However if I could get my hands on some original witch hats that have aged nicely at a decent price, I would put them on in a heartbeat!

Guitar is currently with my luthier, once I get it back I will update with pics.

 

[HardCore Troubadour]

I actually like the looks of reflectors over WH's.

 

[Makeitstop]

My '82 Standard. 3 piece top.

 

[Midnight Blues]

Here is my 73 custom (thanks to the forum for helping me date it!). You can only see the seams in the correct lighting, but I believe its an 8 or 9 piece top! If you look around the knobs on the body shot you can see two strips and a very small piece on the edge. These two strips are the most prominent strips, the others are a bit harder to see. Glue must sound good though because it sounds fantastic. These T-tops have made me a believer!

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Lovely! Congrats, HNGD and play her in good health!

If you're so inclined, post some pics of her here too:

Post Your Black (Beauty) Les Paul Customs

She'd certainly be a welcomed addition.