Check out where the input jack access is.

[Rico]

Seems that the first Goldtop LPs had the input jack on the top of the body like the Sg, 335 and various others.

 

[dc007]

Bound to be a fake

 

[Roxy13]

I wouldn't mind in a way if they were on top, but there is a good reason it is where it is. You can drill through it to the pickup cavity for running your wire and to run the ground wire to the tailpiece.

They must have drilled like they would on an SG through the neck cavity then for the pickup wires to the cavity.

 

[CerebralGasket]

1979 "The SG"
Side Output Jack

 

[Rico]

1979 "The SG"
Side Output Jack

Yes, I've seen those, but up until today. I never knew that LPs back in the day had the inputs on the body.

 

[BadPenguin]

Chibsons.

 

[strayedstrater]

Seems that the first Goldtop LPs had the input jack on the top of the body like the Sg, 335 and various others.

None of the production models had top jacks.

Les modded pretty much every guitar Gibson gave him. Note the odd tailpiece and chicken-head knobs on the one he's playing. Mary's is either missing a knob with just a bare pot shaft sticking up, or has a switch there instead of a tone pot.

For whatever reason, Les removed one of the tone pots from both of those guitars and moved the output jack to the tone knob hole.

(Of course if he asked Gibson to build him a couple that way, they would have, so those two guitars may not have empty side holes. But Gibson never sold any like that to the public.)

 

[strayedstrater]

I wouldn't mind in a way if they were on top, but there is a good reason it is where it is. You can drill through it to the pickup cavity for running your wire and to run the ground wire to the tailpiece.

They must have drilled like they would on an SG through the neck cavity then for the pickup wires to the cavity.

It was only the 1 piece mahogany Custom bodies that were drilled through the jack hole. On the maple capped models like those, they routed the channel in the mahogany before gluing on the top.

 

[Roxy13]

It was only the 1 piece mahogany Custom bodies that were drilled through the jack hole. On the maple capped models like those, they routed the channel in the mahogany before gluing on the top.

Well, for at least the switch wiring on the maple cap ones, but what about pre-CNC? I've never had a Gibson that old, but I do have several pre-CNC MIJ singlecuts and most are drilled through the jack hole only. And obviously they had routers so I just figured they were copying Gibson, but I don't actually know.

 

[mudface]

It was only the 1 piece mahogany Custom bodies that were drilled through the jack hole. On the maple capped models like those, they routed the channel in the mahogany before gluing on the top.

Not on my 1977 and ‘78 Les Paul Custom.... both have round wire channels clean thru to the threeway switch.....drilled way below the maple cap.

 

[LocoTex]

I prefer the top jack. I just use a right angle cord - it swings out of the way when I play sitting down, which is about all I do.

 

[strayedstrater]

Not on my 1977 and ‘78 Les Paul Custom.... both have round wire channels clean thru to the threeway switch..... and both have maple caps.

Interesting -- Gibson has done lots of odd things. I guess there have been eras where they did all Customs that way.

I wouldn't be totally shocked if some of maple cap Standards are also drilled.

But from '54 on, maple caps typically have square/rectangular routed channels.

 

[dmac in SC]

Thanks very much for posting this. I pretty much could not give a crap about the location of the input jack, but the series of Les Paul Youtube clips that popped up from this post is the best half hour of my week. Greatness is exactly that

 

[jkes01]

Looks like he just replaced the bridge tone knob with an output jack. What is that in the neck tone knob position? Another switch or just the pot without a knob?

All that shredding, he broke a string.

 

[Lester]

I prefer the top jack. I just use a right angle cord - it swings out of the way when I play sitting down, which is about all I do.

I use a right angle in the side jack too for sitting too. With today's long jacks and shrink-wrap on the cord, you can't sit in a comfy chair or on the couch and play with a straight jack. Standing up, the straight jack rules. But a right angle is a must for a front jack at all times.

 

[mrblooze]

Remember, too, Les Paul did a lot of mods on his own, and Gibson would build him anything he asked for... I suspect those were customized by Les himself. Cool video, and an interesting question...

 

[RufusTelestrat]

Gibson was not the only one who toyed with front jack. This is a Nocaster from the Namm museum in Oceanside CA. 1951 with front jack .

 

[Jp3764]

Seems that the first Goldtop LPs had the input jack on the top of the body like the Sg, 335 and various others.

Thats an "output jack" cuz it outputs.

 

[musicmaniac]

Thats an "output jack" cuz it outputs.

More likely it puts out!

 

[Bend'n'Slide]

That top jack input/output thingy is clearly very bad for string snappage, whatever it is...!