What is this written on the inside of my control plate?

[kakerlak]

It doesn't have the wide binding in the cutaway like all Norlins do unless they are some special run.

Narrow binding is normal on 20th Anni Customs.

 

[mudface]

Narrow binding is normal on 20th Anni Customs.

You are correct.............duh on my part.

 

[keys88]

You guys are going to give me a heart attack... bouncing between maybe it’s rare, and oh my god it’s a fake, lol.

I’ll try to get some more pics tonight under the control cavity and I’ll pull the pickups too.

 

[kakerlak]

Those Norlin era wine/walnut/cherry finishes sometimes have that mottled/grainy/splotchy look over maple -- I don't actually see real distinct, filled grain there the way you do on the back.

 

[kakerlak]

You guys are going to give me a heart attack... bouncing between maybe it’s rare, and oh my god it’s a fake, lol.

Nah, it's not at all fake -- looks great!

 

[mudface]

Nothing to worry about,.... it's very real. But i agree with @kakerlak that i could be mistaken.... but if I'm not it's even more special. Otherwise it won't hurt if I'm wrong.......

 

[efstop]

It looks like a 3 piece maple top to me.

 

[shupe13]

Damn man that's gotta have a good story!

Nice!!

 

[shupe13]

That's a badass guitar!

 

[HardCore Troubadour]

I think it is a Cherry (yes that was a color @kakerlak is spot on) LPC 20th.

I have seen a few Cherry guitars from that time period, but I do not think I have even seen a Custom? Several Standards and mostly Deluxe.

I promise I have never seen a 74 Custom in that color.....

The walnut (also a color used some during this period) mentioned is also a possibility, but this one has a lot of red (or these pics do??)....

I think with the red pore-filler and then that particular color....plus 40+ years of grime and.....well, you guys know....it is now about a half-a-pack away from looking exactly like a "The Paul".



Great player piece, but gut shots would still be nice.

 

[kakerlak]

I think it is a Cherry (yes that was a color @kakerlak is spot on) LPC 20th.

I have seen a few Cherry guitars from that time period, but I do not think I have even seen a Custom? Several Standards and mostly Deluxe.

I promise I have never seen a 74 Custom in that color.....

The walnut (also a color used some during this period) mentioned is also a possibility, but this one has a lot of red (or these pics do??)....

I think with the red pore-filler and then that particular color....plus 40+ years of grime and.....well, you guys know....it is now about a half-a-pack away from looking exactly like a "The Paul".



Great player piece, but gut shots would still be nice.

Yeah, I'd really enjoy seeing how different the color is/isn't in areas that have always been covered, like under the backplates, pickup rings and switch ring. I don't think this is walnut -- for whatever reason, walnut seems to be the least colorfast finish Gibson was using in that era and a lot of them fade out in really unbecoming and uneven ways, usually to an orangey color. They weren't typically the deep, reddish brown that other companies, like Guild, were calling Walnut in that era. It doesn't look quite as dark/dull as the typical wine red, though I think that's a possibility, but cherry would be interesting. It's pretty -- prettier than most of the dark reddish Norlin Customs look.

 

[HardCore Troubadour]

I do not think it is or was wine red.

 

[keys88]

Ok, I was able to get her undressed and take some more pics

But to start, my lighting was better today so here are two more shots of the body. This is closer to what it looks like in-person. It's a hard color to capture. Honestly, it's more like a rust tone rather than a red or a wine.

 

[keys88]

Pickup cavities...

 

[keys88]

Control and switch cavities...

 

[keys88]

Under the switch plate and a couple closeups of where the finish is worn through...

 

[ErictheRed]

Here are some pics. When I got it 3 years ago it was missing the pickguard, and some other parts had been replaced over the years. But it gave me an excuse to make it my own. I picked up a cream pickguard and other cream plastics to match. I added some black knobs with gold inserts. And at some point someone replaced the bridge humbucker with a modern pickup, so I replaced that with a period correct t-top to match the neck. It's a little rough around the edges but it's an amazing player. It's had a neck repair but it's rock solid. Someone did a refret at some point and used new binding without nibs, but that wasn't a deal breaker for me.

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That thing's beautiful!

 

[kakerlak]

Under the switch plate and a couple closeups of where the finish is worn through...

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So, definitely a maple top. Color is surprisingly similar under the covered areas. I'm just not quite getting a total cherry vibe from it. But it's definitely a more delicate/translucent finish than the typical wine red, especially thinking of all the wine red customs that are so ubiquitous more like '78-81.

 

[keys88]

I think maple makes sense anyway because the mahogany top ones were really brown. My guitar definitely has a reddish tone to it, although it's not as vivid as cherry or as burgundy as wine red. I'll admit, it's an odd one. Gibson wasn't doing special orders back then were they? Or could it be an error, like it was supposed to be wine or cherry but they thinned the stain too much?

Still haven't heard back from Joe Walsh yet, lol (shocker). Even if I don't ever find an answer, having that written on the inside plus the odd finish color definitely makes it unique.

Edit - I also meant to say don't judge me on the wiring job, lol. I wasn't the one who goobered it all up. I mean, I goobered it up a little bit, but it was already like that when it came to me...

 

[DavGrape]

Egad; I think it was Joe's.

My new fave guitar, I know that.