54 Conversion... Find Of a Lifetime

[st.bede]

I was not going to say anything because 80% of what people do, I think is crazy and about 75% of what I do, I think is crazy.... never mind, I really do not know what to say, I just feel bad.

 

[1959burst]

awesome guitar, you did it right!

 

[1981 LPC]

Thanks for ruining a beautiful vintage P90 Goldtop. You must be proud of yourself.


Oh, and those plugs.

 

[Jim Klein]

Curly maple envy strikes again. another goldtop gone. sad. turned out nice looking and its likely a nice playing guitar. it was a piece of guitar history . not so much anymore. a home made R9 ?

 

[Catthan]

I would have left it gold only 'cause it would cover the bridge inserts.
But I'd still play/gig the shit out of this one proudly!

 

[Louie]

Well... it's not quite a '59 now and it's definitely no longer a '54. RIP.

 

[Alligatorbling]

to each their own.... we are all free to do what we want with what we own... that being said i would have left this piece of history alone, because if i had the kind of money to buy an actual 54, id probably have the kind of money to have one of the best 59 replicas known to man built... so had i wanted a 59, i would have had a replica built rather than gong the "conversion" route.... as its not a conversion, its a 54 les paul thats had plugs installed and re routed and drilled. doing this to a modern guitar would be considered modding... doing this to a 54 is also modding. this is a modded 54 lol. why would you mod a 54? but hey.... its not mine lol.

 

[Jimmi]

I had an exchange with the OP on the other forum about this guitar. I am of two minds on the issue. I currently own 2 burst top conversions. One was done at Gibson in the mid 60s, the other sometime in the 70s. I think they have a value in basically being an affordable 50s PAF/burst LP. When I have compared them back to back to 58-60 LPs, they hold their own but are literally 1/10th the price.

I think where I differ with the OP is that both of these were altered back when these guitars were not what they have become. Bursts were in the realm of affordability but hard to find without Internet and dedicated vintage shops. The p90 guitars seemed like just an old guitar etc. At this point, the guitars have their own history especially the one done in the 60s which has been heavily gigged by me and the prior 2 owners. They have a center or near center seam 2 pc top so I have no plans to convert them back. So in that way I guess I am as guilty as the OP as I could restore them....but, they came to me how they are.

I think leaving one done in the distant past that has already lost its originality is one thing. Seeking out gold tops and systematically converting them and retoping them is something different. I had opportunity to buy this guitar from Mike last year and passed it up because of price. He did a beautiful job overall but I would have left this one alone. A non-original finished issues guitar is something different. Just my opinion. Concede it might be a little hypocritical.

 

[andreww]

I really like it. Lets face it, for 99.9% of the people, owning an old wood burst is simply a pipe dream. That is unless you've got an extra $100K (at least) lying about. I'm not a huge gold top fan anyway. I think he's done a great job on the refin and aging.

So long as he bought this as a keeper, who cares what he does with it. But its kind of ironic cause I'm in the process of converting my 59 burst in to a 54 gold top

 

[Jimmi]

I really like it. Lets face it, for 99.9% of the people, owning an old wood burst is simply a pipe dream. That is unless you've got an extra $100K (at least) lying about. I'm not a huge gold top fan anyway. I think he's done a great job on the refin and aging.

So long as he bought this as a keeper, who cares what he does with it. But its kind of ironic cause I'm in the process of converting my 59 burst in to a 54 gold top

I don't think it is a keeper. I think it is for sale. He has 5-6 conversions he has sold in the last 6mos or so, most of which are retops.

 

[mertzy]

Jim - I'd love to see more detail on how you cut the plugs for the pickup routes so perfectly, I'm sure this is elementary for most but I've never had the patience to figure it out.

Also, was this a contract job or did you purchase it to convert and sell? Just wondering.

 

[Dave1968]

Well... it's not quite a '59 now and it's definitely no longer a '54. RIP.

+1

Something that was no longer is, whilst something that is never was..

It makes as much sense to me as converting a '59 burst to a '54

I don't get it but we're all different.

 

[69 Goldtop]

Funny he got a better reception on the "other" site

Dunno if I would`nt have left it gold... flame is good and all.
Did look like the top had some plugs/repairs.So maybe a good decision.
At least it was`nt a plain top.

 

[RevWillie]

I love the beautiful maple and result, but I wouldn't have done it to a vintage guitar that was that 'intact'.

 

[MiAa]

I can`t see the point in ruining a vintage killer looking goldtop - regardless of flames, wanting to have a burst etc. I`m sure it plays and sounds great now, but I`m also sure that the GT was a seriously tone monster! bad move imo.

 

[Jim Klein]

I think he has sold some ''conversions'' made from L.P.jrs.

 

[Jimmi]

I think he has sold some ''conversions'' made from L.P.jrs.

Yes. He and a couple others. Thankfully a trend that did not catch on.

 

[cristi tanasescu]

come on..

 

[RAG7890]

...............I wonder how many of the nay sayers here would knock this Guitar back if it came in to their hands at a doable / workable price?

Would they say, oh no I cannot own a conversion like this, it is not right & I'd never sleep at night OR would they say, well I didn't convert it so my conscience is clear, what an awesome Guitar.

I have no doubt that I am drowning in a sea of hypocracy.

As I said, not what I'd do but.................

 

[Bottleneck]

...............I wonder how many of the nay sayers here would knock this Guitar back if it came in to their hands at a doable / workable price?

Would they say, oh no I cannot own a conversion like this, it is not right & I'd never sleep at night OR would they say, well I didn't convert it so my conscience is clear, what an awesome Guitar.

I have no doubt that I am drowning in a sea of hypocracy.

As I said, not what I'd do but.................

I may be in the minority here, and this is my opinion, but I would re-convert it back to the way it was if it came into my hands at a price that would work for me.

The plugs would need to be reworked and a top only refin would be in order. However, it is my opinion and I am a devout P90/ gold top lover.

I just don't get it.....if there were other issues with the guitar, I could see using it as a conversion candidate, but to destroy one of the most popular vintage Les Paul models for the sake of "getting closer to a burst" to me is just foolish/selfish.

This may sound ridiculous, and I know there are others like me, but these vintage guitars that we own (and truly respect as pieces of musical history) should be cared for as such. As another collector stated, we are the temporary guardians of these guitars, and they should bet treated accordingly.

We love these guitars. Shouldn't future generations have the same opportunity to experience the ownership of an unmolested vintage piece?

Like I said I'm not knocking conversions that are rescues from the scrap heap- but there is no way in hell I would decide to reroute my '53 b/c it would be closer to a '57. Conversions have their place and function. But, as Ducati said, "just because you can does not mean you should."

However, his guitar his choice....I know, I know.

Perhaps I am looking too deeply into this....
Pontification complete.