NGD (kind of) - Pearly Gates HM RDS with ORIGINAL 1957 Les Paul PAFs (pre-sticker, steel covers!)

[Gold Tone]

Cheers

 

[GuitarTalk]

Thanks everyone!

 

[GuitarTalk]

Nice guitar!
I don’t understand the “wide paint” as this is on the thin side?
You should share some recordings of it

I guess it's a matter of perspective And yes, I should've recorded the different pups. I've got some iphone recorded demos on IG but it doesnt do it justice

 

[Midnight Blues]

Very nice! Play her in good health!

 

[Sct13]

Damn fk!

Jeezeis, holy snappin areses, It hurtz …..

Nice guitar man...

 

[RAG7890]

Beyond outstanding,...............



HNGD.

 

[GuitarTalk]

Thank you!!

 

[lessdrop]

TL;DR - rare original, pre-sticker Les Paul PAF’s (steel covers) combined with one of the first Real Deal Series (Historic Makeovers) Pauls (1959 Reissue, 2009). Unreal tone and looks!

It’s been about a year with this beauty. All my other LP’s have been sold since getting this one and I haven’t looked back. The guitar originally is a 1959 Reissue from 2009 (same year as the Pearly Gates run) with a very familiar curly maple top. The guitar was sent to Historic Makeovers in 2011 for, what was back then, a new revolutionary “Real Deal Series” makeover: BRW board, top and neck recarve, plastics, proper aniline dyes (which in the last 10 years have actually started to fade!! Under the pg and rings the red is much deeper). The original owner commissioned the makeover to have a specific Pearly Gates-style “wide” burst paint and relic job. He kept every original part of the guitar and in addition, had replaced the pickups & harness with Throbaks (DT-102).

At the same time last year as when I bought this guitar, I happened to also come across a set of untouched, 1957, pre-sticker, STEEL cover Les Paul PAF’s with full length leads from a friend collector. I pulled the trigger as I don’t think I would have ever come across another set like this ever again.

I was pretty pessimistic about the difference in tone the PAF’s would make as I’ve read a lot about how hit and miss they are and that the newer repro’s are so close to the originals (especially the really high end ones like Throbaks), diminishing returns, etc etc etc. I also experimented with different pups by trying the original BB’s back in, tried my Throbak SLE-101‘s, tried a set of Seymour Duncan PG, Wizzes... all with noticeable but pretty minimal tonal differences. I played around with caps and pots in the harness as well (settled on a combination of the original Throbak pots, bumble bee cap in bridge and the bumble bee original cap that came with the RDS in neck).

VERDICT: I was wrong to be pessimistic (or lucky I guess) - the tone difference was ASTOUNDING when I put the PAF’s in.

After I combined the RDS LP and the PAF’s - I now think I have, what to my ears, is the best sounding and playing les paul I have ever tried after owning about 20 reissues (and dozens of aftermarket pickups) and trying three different bursts. “To each their own” as they say... this is the one for me!

Weight: 8.5lb
Neck PAF output: 7.3k-7.5k
Bridge PAF output: 7.8k - 8.0k

Absolutely beautiful! Wana put me in your will?

 

[jwinger]

Lovely guitar....I agree on the paf front. There is a difference

 

[captdan61]

TL;DR - rare original, pre-sticker Les Paul PAF’s (steel covers) combined with one of the first Real Deal Series (Historic Makeovers) Pauls (1959 Reissue, 2009). Unreal tone and looks!

It’s been about a year with this beauty. All my other LP’s have been sold since getting this one and I haven’t looked back. The guitar originally is a 1959 Reissue from 2009 (same year as the Pearly Gates run) with a very familiar curly maple top. The guitar was sent to Historic Makeovers in 2011 for, what was back then, a new revolutionary “Real Deal Series” makeover: BRW board, top and neck recarve, plastics, proper aniline dyes (which in the last 10 years have actually started to fade!! Under the pg and rings the red is much deeper). The original owner commissioned the makeover to have a specific Pearly Gates-style “wide” burst paint and relic job. He kept every original part of the guitar and in addition, had replaced the pickups & harness with Throbaks (DT-102).

At the same time last year as when I bought this guitar, I happened to also come across a set of untouched, 1957, pre-sticker, STEEL cover Les Paul PAF’s with full length leads from a friend collector. I pulled the trigger as I don’t think I would have ever come across another set like this ever again.

I was pretty pessimistic about the difference in tone the PAF’s would make as I’ve read a lot about how hit and miss they are and that the newer repro’s are so close to the originals (especially the really high end ones like Throbaks), diminishing returns, etc etc etc. I also experimented with different pups by trying the original BB’s back in, tried my Throbak SLE-101‘s, tried a set of Seymour Duncan PG, Wizzes... all with noticeable but pretty minimal tonal differences. I played around with caps and pots in the harness as well (settled on a combination of the original Throbak pots, bumble bee cap in bridge and the bumble bee original cap that came with the RDS in neck).

VERDICT: I was wrong to be pessimistic (or lucky I guess) - the tone difference was ASTOUNDING when I put the PAF’s in.

After I combined the RDS LP and the PAF’s - I now think I have, what to my ears, is the best sounding and playing les paul I have ever tried after owning about 20 reissues (and dozens of aftermarket pickups) and trying three different bursts. “To each their own” as they say... this is the one for me!

Weight: 8.5lb
Neck PAF output: 7.3k-7.5k
Bridge PAF output: 7.8k - 8.0k

that's a very pretty guitar you put a Floyd Rose on that thing you might have something

 

[dasherf17]

TL;DR - rare original, pre-sticker Les Paul PAF’s (steel covers) combined with one of the first Real Deal Series (Historic Makeovers) Pauls (1959 Reissue, 2009). Unreal tone and looks!

It’s been about a year with this beauty. All my other LP’s have been sold since getting this one and I haven’t looked back. The guitar originally is a 1959 Reissue from 2009 (same year as the Pearly Gates run) with a very familiar curly maple top. The guitar was sent to Historic Makeovers in 2011 for, what was back then, a new revolutionary “Real Deal Series” makeover: BRW board, top and neck recarve, plastics, proper aniline dyes (which in the last 10 years have actually started to fade!! Under the pg and rings the red is much deeper). The original owner commissioned the makeover to have a specific Pearly Gates-style “wide” burst paint and relic job. He kept every original part of the guitar and in addition, had replaced the pickups & harness with Throbaks (DT-102).

At the same time last year as when I bought this guitar, I happened to also come across a set of untouched, 1957, pre-sticker, STEEL cover Les Paul PAF’s with full length leads from a friend collector. I pulled the trigger as I don’t think I would have ever come across another set like this ever again.

I was pretty pessimistic about the difference in tone the PAF’s would make as I’ve read a lot about how hit and miss they are and that the newer repro’s are so close to the originals (especially the really high end ones like Throbaks), diminishing returns, etc etc etc. I also experimented with different pups by trying the original BB’s back in, tried my Throbak SLE-101‘s, tried a set of Seymour Duncan PG, Wizzes... all with noticeable but pretty minimal tonal differences. I played around with caps and pots in the harness as well (settled on a combination of the original Throbak pots, bumble bee cap in bridge and the bumble bee original cap that came with the RDS in neck).

VERDICT: I was wrong to be pessimistic (or lucky I guess) - the tone difference was ASTOUNDING when I put the PAF’s in.

After I combined the RDS LP and the PAF’s - I now think I have, what to my ears, is the best sounding and playing les paul I have ever tried after owning about 20 reissues (and dozens of aftermarket pickups) and trying three different bursts. “To each their own” as they say... this is the one for me!

Weight: 8.5lb
Neck PAF output: 7.3k-7.5k
Bridge PAF output: 7.8k - 8.0k

Omigod, I love that crackle-over-curly...
Glad for your success!

 

[landguitar]

Just stunning, absolutely awesome. Would love to hear it as well. You have a dream guitar; way to work it!
I wonder if you aged the wiring...

Put some 7’s on there and Billy might play it!

 

[Blushingmule]

The Barbara Eden of re-issues!

 

[gadgetfreak]

Hey GuitarTalk that guitar is sick man absolutely does it for me, Perfect looking Les Paul and if it sounds as good as it looks well you really scored, That's what I am looking for in a reissue burst and as you stated it has the correct dye used so the paint should fade like an original.
I'd seriously pinch myself if you, I look at pics of these reissues all day and yours is seriously what I am looking for, not overdone or cheesy in anyway. What a job they did, congrats!!!.

I'm curious here, does Gibson even do that "Real deal" makeover anymore and what is the cost? With Brazilian being what it is can they even offer it anymore? I would love for somebody to chime in. Thanks

 

[GuitarTalk]

Just stunning, absolutely awesome. Would love to hear it as well. You have a dream guitar; way to work it!
I wonder if you aged the wiring...

Put some 7’s on there and Billy might play it!

Thanks man! Wiring is starting to age on its own haha

 

[GuitarTalk]

Hey GuitarTalk that guitar is sick man absolutely does it for me, Perfect looking Les Paul and if it sounds as good as it looks well you really scored, That's what I am looking for in a reissue burst and as you stated it has the correct dye used so the paint should fade like an original.
I'd seriously pinch myself if you, I look at pics of these reissues all day and yours is seriously what I am looking for, not overdone or cheesy in anyway. What a job they did, congrats!!!.

I'm curious here, does Gibson even do that "Real deal" makeover anymore and what is the cost? With Brazilian being what it is can they even offer it anymore? I would love for somebody to chime in. Thanks

Hey, thanks a lot first of all!! Gibson never did the makeover/used these dyes to my knowledge (maybe in some of Tom Murphy’s restoration work). The makeover was done by Historic Makeovers, the real deal series makeover I think was renamed to “Deluxe Makeover” on their website years ago. Kim and his team do a great job down there (it is fairly expensive though)

 

[gadgetfreak]

. Thanks

 

[Shai`tan]

The Holy Grail!!!!!!!!

 

[bluefrog]

WOW ... stunning!!!!

 

[Duane_the_tub]

Very nice. Have you thought about upgrading anything else (wiring, hardware, etc.) to vintage as well?