2009 Goldtop Bavarian Makeover

[MrBluemick]

Hi to everybody here,

Just wanted to share this project that I have been wanting to do for a long time now.
A makeover for my 2009 Goldtop Les Paul by the great Florian Jäger.

Florian has started the work since last Tuesday.
And I must say that he's a real pleasure to deal with.
From the first contact to the now several per days emails during the work, it's a real fun and exciting project.
A whole package is going to be done on the guitar: Refin, top carve, neck shape, trussrod replacement, brazilian fingerboard installed, and as you'll see on later pics a neck reset which is really needed..
Every details are seen as things are taking shapes.

Here's a pic of the guitar before any changes.

It is with black plastic parts, as a tribute to Snowy White's goldtop, which is a light back with black plastic parts...

 

[MrBluemick]

Problem with sharing pictures solved...

 

[MrBluemick]

Here it is stripped from hardware

 

[MrBluemick]

Fingerboard removed

 

[MrBluemick]

Now is something that sort of upset me from Gibson,
Here is two close-up pics from the neck joint.

Florian, of course, said that a neck reset would be needed.
And I decided to do it.
But I am really shocked to see that Gibson would ever allow a bad work like this to go out of their custom shop factory.
Wasn't the custom shop created to crafted better quality instruments, with more details and attention delivered to the building process?

 

[MrBluemick]

Next, truss rod (and his condom) removed..

If, like me, you are wondering what these two little black circles are, keep reading further on..

 

[MrBluemick]

Here is the, now removed, truss rod and his condom.

 

[MrBluemick]

Now, Florian explained me the reasons for these two plastic plucks

Gibson uses them for glueing the fretboard. It might make the work easier.
It could often be as well the sources of deadspots in these areas.
So Florian did fill these holes with mahogany.

 

[MrBluemick]

Now the new period correct truss rod.

Being glued in with the fillerstrip.

 

[MrBluemick]

Just a new pic that I received this morning.
Fillerstrip Planed..

 

[MrBluemick]

From now, everything else will be posted in real time..

 

[1981 LPC]

Wasn't the custom shop created to crafted better quality instruments, with more details and attention delivered to the building process?

That's the story. But who's ever going to take apart a Les Paul and check the actual workmanship?



Oh wait...

 

[Curlymaple]

Fingerboard removed

Damn, fretboard removed with the frets still in? That's great work. I really thought frets are removed them the board, again what the heck do I know, lol.

Subscribed.

 

[musicmaniac]

Very cool, Im subscribed also.

 

[DimeSizeDrop]

How much does something like this cost? It looks like the work involved could buy you a USA Les Paul!

 

[jenton70]

Subscribed.

 

[MrBluemick]

How much does something like this cost? It looks like the work involved could buy you a USA Les Paul!

A work like this is indeed expensive..
Almost like buying the guitar a second time.
But the point is that I don't want or need another
USA made Gibson (especially after checking the building quality on that one!).

I just to make this already great sounding guitar into a really really great one.
And I most of all want to get rid of this nitro full of plastic..

But I can understand that somebody else would prefer to buy another guitar instead of doing all of this work.

 

[libtech]

Nice! Its going to be sweet, there was someone else who did a makeover who found a gap in the neck joint, pretty sloppy!

 

[freebyrd 69]

Subscribed.

 

[Stoj]

Looking Good - Subscribed