Hey what's up with this?

[Oldskoolrob]

Just watching some old videos - Les and Mary have the jacks on the front - was this done for some reason or are they prototypes?

 

[rockstar232007]

Not "prototypes". Just early production LPs l, that Les modified.

As far as the top-mounted jack goes, I think Les probably felt it was easier, to plug in from the top?

 

[Uncle Vinnie]

Marked "Second" on the backs of the headstocks.

 

[jimi55lp]

Lester and Mary almost always played LP GTs with many custom parts.

 

[Phil W]

Mary was SO pretty!!!
Les less so ...

 

[Uncle Vinnie]

Look at that belly carve on Mary's GT. Fantastic.

 

[strayedstrater]

Les liked to tinker.

Check out all the pole pieces, and weird neck pickup on the one on the floor.

 

[Kenshi]

Check out all the pole pieces, and weird neck pickup on the one on the floor.

Look almost like Dimarzios with those pole pieces....

 

[Oldskoolrob]

Those are DeArmond pickups -like in a Gretsch. They have magnetic pole-pieces like a strat, but screws to adjust their height. Very clear and 'HiFi' single coil pickups.



But WTF is up with the bar of round stock bridge on Les'! Hard to believe there was a time before the tune-o-matic!!

 

[jimi55lp]

Mary has an unbound and Lester has only 3 holes on front for control cavity. They had to play them per the contract but never played them stock in the beginning! These weren't just altered but Gibson delivered them to Les with cavity holes where ever he wanted and his has no jack plate on the lower bout side in the "there's no place like home" tube that the OP Oldskoolrob posted But Mary's does have 2 jacks and 1 unused side plate and jack?

 

[el84ster]

I think I read les modded those with a master volume and tone.

 

[jimi55lp]

But my point is that Lester's GT has no side lower boute jack and plugs on front whith his body only having 3 front holes drilled while Mary's "unbound" has an unused lower side boute jack and another on front where the tone knob is missing.

 

[Uncle Vinnie]

Mary was SO pretty!!!

And the best female vocalist ever!

 

[Phil W]

And the best female vocalist ever!

Yes! All 17 of her.

 

[el84ster]

I might try this.
A master vol/tone setup would give you less loading when you have both pickups on. That position always sounds a little dull to me, and that would help.
maybe part of why ol les did it.

 

[el84ster]

Regarding the different knobs, I remember Barney Kessel said he put chicken head knobs on his guitar so could tell the level without having to look.

 

[el84ster]

I have the master vol/tone thing a try. Not to hard to change if you’re used to soldering. Just move a couple wires really.
anyway, wow the middle position is so good this way. Less loading for sure and you can hear it. Sounds like a little thicker version of the bridge pickup but just as chimney.
first time I’ve ever liked both pickups on.

 

[kakerlak]

I might try this.
A master vol/tone setup would give you less loading when you have both pickups on. That position always sounds a little dull to me, and that would help.
maybe part of why ol les did it.

Your could do master volume, master tone, and individual volumes with the other two. That might be a pretty useful setup. Honestly, I really enjoy the master volume knobs on my Guilds. Comes in handy!

 

[el84ster]

Your could do master volume, master tone, and individual volumes with the other two. That might be a pretty useful setup. Honestly, I really enjoy the master volume knobs on my Guilds. Comes in handy!

That set up would really load the pickups.
with a single vol and tone each setting only sees 500k and the 500k plus cap. It gives you 3 sounds that sound like 3 different individual pickups instead of 2 pickups plus a more muddy sound.

with the stock wiring the middle selection sees 250k vol pot and 250k tone with a .044 cap. No wonder you have to roll the neck down to get some clarity.

les obviously knew this. I can’t believe I’ve never tried this before.

 

[kakerlak]

That set up would really load the pickups.
with a single vol and tone each setting only sees 500k and the 500k plus cap. It gives you 3 sounds that sound like 3 different individual pickups instead of 2 pickups plus a more muddy sound.

with the stock wiring the middle selection sees 250k vol pot and 250k tone with a .044 cap. No wonder you have to roll the neck down to get some clarity.

les obviously knew this. I can’t believe I’ve never tried this before.

Another thing that always struck me as potentially useful with humbuckers is a G&L-style tone setup with a separate treble and bass cut knobs.