Crazy Les Paul Collector (with photos to prove it)!

[Olli]

Frank,

thanks again for your kind responses.
Out of all of your beauties, If I were to pick only one , I´d pic the second from the right in the lowest row which is, I believe, a ´99 and should be this one...

This is hands down the nicest looking top I´ve ever seen. I love irregular figure in a top - but not all too much. Not pinstriped either. This one has it all and the color transition of the burst is just perfect IMO.

If you ever get around to do it, and find the time, could you take a high resolution image of the entire guitar against that cool dark background that you used in your pics.
I´d just love to put that in a frame in my playing room. It´s worthy to be displayed everywhere.

 

[RCCola]

Frank,

So, you mentioned Jimmy - does he have a larger collection of Historic's or just a larger guitar collection?

Do you have the largest Historic collection you know of?

 

[ReverendJWblues]

Frank, ever considerd opening your own store?

 

[ReverendJWblues]

Frank,

thanks again for your kind responses.
Out of all of your beauties, If I were to pick only one , I´d pic the second from the right in the lowest row which is, I believe, a ´99 and should be this one...

This is hands down the nicest looking top I´ve ever seen. I love irregular figure in a top - but not all too much. Not pinstriped either. This one has it all and the color transition of the burst is just perfect IMO.

If you ever get around to do it, and find the time, could you take a high resolution image of the entire guitar against that cool dark background that you used in your pics.
I´d just love to put that in a frame in my playing room. It´s worthy to be displayed everywhere.

Frank knows I've been in love with that beauty for quite some time. I think I just came all over myself again.

 

[pinefd]

JW and Olli, this one's for you (the picture, that is):

 

[jco.1]

Awesome...........

 

[pinefd]

If you ever get around to do it, and find the time, could you take a high resolution image of the entire guitar against that cool dark background that you used in your pics.
I´d just love to put that in a frame in my playing room. It´s worthy to be displayed everywhere.

Thanks, Olli. PM me with your email address, and I'd be happy to send you a higher res photo of the one above. Or I may try taking another round of photos in the next day or two (if the sun ever returns to my neck of the woods).

Frank,

So, you mentioned Jimmy - does he have a larger collection of Historic's or just a larger guitar collection?

Do you have the largest Historic collection you know of?

I know of at least three other Historic collections in the U.S. that are bigger than mine, and Jimmy's is one of them. He has some absolutely killer guitars, many of which he acquired from Lpflametop, another fellow MLP (and LPF) member. Another person with a large historic collection is Todd Louis. He has mostly newer Historics, as opposed to mine and Jimmy's collections which contain a good mix of older ('90s) and newer guitars. The third person is a friend of Todd's, who I'm not acquanted with. And BTW, I'm not shooting for any quantity records; in fact, I've been reducing the size of my collection a bit over the past 6 - 12 months.

Frank, ever considerd opening your own store?

What, and sell off my guitars?!? You'd like that, wouldn't you! No flppin' way!


And ultraaged, you had asked about photographing these guitars, so I'll get into that a bit here.

First, I should mention, that I'm no camera nut, and don't even know all the correct terms...so forgive my unsophisticated answer. The camera I use is a Canon Digital Rebel XT. It's the first generation of the digital Rebel XTs, I believe. The lense I use for these shots lately is a basic $80 50mm 1.8 Canon lense. ISO is set at 100 and I use the "AV" Aperture Priority setting. I set the f stop? at 22, which keeps the shutter open a long time, which necessitates my using a tripod (a must!). Then I use the timed shutter thingy to take the picture to reduce the risk of camera shake.

Regarding the setup, here is where I make up for my lack of camera knowledge. Plain and simple, I feel I'm pretty good at bringing out the best in my subject, and knowing what lighting works best, and from what angle. But I find, the simpler the better. Below are some photos showing my setup in my basement. I prefer using natural indirect light (although direct sunlight is great too). For me, the key is trying to limit the light to just one source, and having the light shine on the guitar from the side. And I should also mention, that you have to keep the flash turned off! Nothing will ruin an otherwise good photo faster, than a flash.

The first and second shot below should give you a good feel for the layout...a single indirect light source (the patio door), shining from the side. Incidentally, the full length photo of the guitar above, along with the photos below, were taken on a very dark, dreary, rainy day...so you don't need much light to get a good shot.

This shot I took with the flash on so you can see the layout a little better:

And this shot shows, that instead of natural light, you can also use a light bulb to get decent shots too. But again, the key is just one light source (preferably from the side). If you try taking photos with multiple light sources from different sides of the guitar, it usually only confuses the flame (literally!).

I hope that helps!


Frank

 

[FLICKOFLASH]

Frank what about the baby pix ?

 

[RCCola]

Thanks for the answer Frank. I officially Thanked you with the forum tool. I'm surprised you only have 3 Thanks thus far. This thread is great.

 

[Olli]

JW and Olli, this one's for you (the picture, that is):

Thank you so much Frank - that one is really a dream. I´d love to have one with a top like that. But for the moment your nicely done picture will/must suffice. I sent you my e-mail address so if you have it in even higher resolution I´d really like for you to send it to me. I´ve been looking for a cool picture to blow up to poster size and put in a frame for quite sometime now. I´ve finally found it.

 

[Kanga Blue]

I'm not really sure what you're referring to ASG. I happen to think that most of my guitars have excellent bookmatching on them. It may just be the photos that make them look like they're not bookmatched.

Please don't get me wrong Frank ... you have some of the finest Gibson tops I have ever seen and I am extremely jealous! Just I am very critical of how bookmatching tops are cut and arranged. I used to work building and repairing for Asher Guitarworks in West LA years ago.

If you get the maple slab, cut it in the middle and let the RHS fall right and the LHS fall left you will have the tiger stripes line up exactly, assuming that bottom side cut (now the center middle cut) was straight. On 99% of Gibson tops I have seen it almost as if, they flipped say the LHS 270 degrees instead of letting it falling 90 degrees and/or they moved one piece closer to the headstock & misaligned the stripes.

If you cut the way I described you will virtually get a mirror image of flame in the left and right sides. Maybe they have some really good drugs in that section of the custom shop or it's near the spray booth exhaust & they get high on the nitro?

 

[ultraaged]

thanks for the camera info. Hope you post more!

 

[gui524]

Dude that's what super cool about gibsons, you never have a similar flame top, they are all different, nobody will have a guitar like yours ... that's one of the colest things about flame tops ( to me )

 

[gui524]

But I need to admit I prefer the more vintagish look ( the fglame top with some fails in it )
it is the number 13 ( from left to right )

 

[gui524]

And do you want to give me your 70' custom ? I will pay the shipping =D

 

[pinefd]

Thanks Gui! The guitar you're referring to (#13) seems to be a popular one around here. It's an '07 R0 Yamano in Sunrise Teaburst (formerly referred to as Stanleyburst). Here it is again:

 

[pinefd]

BTW, Olli, I still owe you a hi-res photo of that '99 R9. I'll try to get that to you in the next day or so.

 

[GooCart]

+1000000.
Everything in this thread is far out.

 

[ledzepzoso3]

oh my god.............................................

 

[gui524]

BTW, Olli, I still owe you a hi-res photo of that '99 R9. I'll try to get that to you in the next day or so.

You didn't answered my question ( a.k.a. pleaaase give me the custom ... )






I'll take photos every week and send them to you, and I will never let her strings get old =D

BTW, you must spend a ****load of money with strings, right ? hahahha
how much is your whole colletion worth ?
and R0 refers to 1960 reissue ?