Why we disagree with the Bad Rap. Why you agree with the bad Rap.

[SKATTERBRANE]

I think the auto industry inspired other companies to take the steps they di. Curiously, I have a 1980 SG special(guessing that would be a Norlin), and can't see any visible difference between it and a new one, other than that mine is gloss and the new ones are not. Anyone know the differences and what they are?

I don't. But I know there is a considerable difference between a USA SG Special and a Historic 61 RI SG Special.

 

[Robert Arthur]

I don't. But I know there is a considerable difference between a USA SG Special and a Historic 61 RI SG Special.

Cosmetically or construction wise?

 

[TKOjams]

Tru Dat but it was the owners that set the business policies and unfortunately, their focus on the bottom line affected what came off the production floor.

The guys (and gals) on the production floor did what they have always done which is make the best guitar possible in the least amount of time with the available resources. That is why they are top notch guitars but it was lack of quality woods that set these era guitars apart from their 50s brethren. That is all that I am saying.

I've got no beef with the volute or multi-piece necks, etc... those were improvements to perceived design flaws but the loss of the top carve was purely to save time, and the use of multi-piece tops to save money; aesthetics took a back seat to commerce.

Gibson has always used multi pieced tops, even in the 50's. They just painted them gold or black so they couldn't be seen. Had no effect on tone, and isn't that what it's all about anyway?

The next thing ya know, folks will start conplaining that 335's are made of plywood.

 

[acstorfer]

Did anyone say, or infer that 70's Les Pauls sound like 50's or modern Les Pauls. I am in agreement that they don't. Then again, no 50's Les Pauls sound alike. I never noticed my Les Paul should be used for metal. Perhaps that may be due to the difference between mahagony and maple necks? Or because longer transitional tenons compared to short/rocker tenons? Still, I think that has more to do with amplifiers and effects used.

 

[riffsmachine]

Mine ideal old gibson LP "Norlin"custom MUST be made on a wednesday morning without rain,little windly,built by a guy named Fred or Jason who had a girlfriend that wore green socks and doesnt like baseball players named Jim or Gordon.

The wood MUST be ultralight mahogany sent in error in Alabama in July 1968 then kidnapped for two years pending investigations and returned to the sender who paid for shipping costs and drying of the wood under Alabama's sunshine.( is well know that improves tone and fix better the minerals into the wood)

Guitar MUST be assembled by a fat black woman named Louise born in Carolina in January, that while riding the strings sing whispering an old blues lullaby, smoked 32 Marlboro a day and has an husband named Cliff that doesnt smoke and is a used cars seller.

Finally guitar MUST been sented in San Francisco on a coal train and sold by an half-Italian guy named "Alvaro" that was a friend of Grace Slick cousin's boyfriend.

Hope to be clear..

 

[captain tightpants]

I might have something like that, let me see what I can do

 

[riffsmachine]

Fine!

 

[frankv]

Mine ideal old gibson LP "Norlin"custom MUST be made on a wednesday morning without rain,little windly,built by a guy named Fred or Jason who had a girlfriend that wore green socks and doesnt like baseball players named Jim or Gordon.

The wood MUST be ultralight mahogany sent in error in Alabama in July 1968 then kidnapped for two years pending investigations and returned to the sender who paid for shipping costs and drying of the wood under Alabama's sunshine.( is well know that improves tone and fix better the minerals into the wood)

Guitar MUST be assembled by a fat black woman named Louise born in Carolina in January, that while riding the strings sing whispering an old blues lullaby, smoked 32 Marlboro a day and has an husband named Cliff that doesnt smoke and is a used cars seller.

Finally guitar MUST been sented in San Francisco on a coal train and sold by an half-Italian guy named "Alvaro" that was a friend of Grace Slick cousin's boyfriend.

Hope to be clear..

I had something that would have worked until your build spec defined "half Italian".

 

[HOT-BRIT]

Who said that they did not KnoW how to do a good top carve in the Norlin era?
CHECK THIS BEAUTY OUT!
eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

 

[79standard]

Who said that they did not no how to do a good top carve in the Norlin era?
CHECK THIS BEAUTY OUT!
eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

Aw, great! now I have severe G.A.S. for this guitar and I'm unemployed!

That's one fine guitar. I'm a little surprised it's not tickling 3 grand by now.

 

[79standard]

Mine ideal old gibson LP "Norlin"custom MUST be made on a wednesday morning without rain,little windly,built by a guy named Fred or Jason who had a girlfriend that wore green socks and doesnt like baseball players named Jim or Gordon.

The wood MUST be ultralight mahogany sent in error in Alabama in July 1968 then kidnapped for two years pending investigations and returned to the sender who paid for shipping costs and drying of the wood under Alabama's sunshine.( is well know that improves tone and fix better the minerals into the wood)

Guitar MUST be assembled by a fat black woman named Louise born in Carolina in January, that while riding the strings sing whispering an old blues lullaby, smoked 32 Marlboro a day and has an husband named Cliff that doesnt smoke and is a used cars seller.

Finally guitar MUST been sented in San Francisco on a coal train and sold by an half-Italian guy named "Alvaro" that was a friend of Grace Slick cousin's boyfriend.

Hope to be clear..

I enjoyed this. It reminds me of a game I used to play, namely, picking up some common household item and conjecturing who made it, what kind of person he/she was, what kind of house they lived in, car, yard, dietary habits, etc etc etc.

 

[79standard]

The '70s in general were bad times for American Manufacturing.

I was there. Yes, America seemed to be in kind of slump back then. Someone called it a "national malaise" and they were not wrong. And yes, I, too, cherish my '70s Lester with its 3 volume knobs and 1 tone knob, and its unfortunate binding job on the neck, because it's still very beautiful, classy, and as sweet as a grand piano... and because it's mine.
It lets me rock hard or play pretty, and "all points in b'twain." Its little "Monday/Friday" glitches make me appreciate it even more.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I enjoyed this. It reminds me of a game I used to play, namely, picking up some common household item and conjecturing who made it, what kind of person he/she was, what kind of house they lived in, car, yard, dietary habits, etc etc etc.

You been reading some Stephen King?

 

[pmonk]

Personally I think it is all a bunch of crap. I bet that 90% of the people who even debate this couldn't tell the difference between a 59 Les Paul, a 1975 Custom or a 2001 R9 with the braz board in a blind sound test.

 

[79standard]

You been reading some Stephen King?

Nope, but I suspect there's considerable overlap between his thought process and mine... and I'm not sure whether it's a good thing or not.

 

[acstorfer]

Personally I think it is all a bunch of crap. I bet that 90% of the people who even debate this couldn't tell the difference between a 59 Les Paul, a 1975 Custom or a 2001 R9 with the braz board in a blind sound test.

Of course I'd be able to tell my guitar from the ones mentioned. My guitar simply kicks their a**'s!

Of course seriously though, I'm sure I can know which one is mine by feel and sound compared to others. It's spent a lot of time in my hands, I know EXACTLY how it feels, how it sounds.

 

[pmonk]

Of course I'd be able to tell my guitar from the ones mentioned. My guitar simply kicks their a**'s!

Of course seriously though, I'm sure I can know which one is mine by feel and sound compared to others. It's spent a lot of time in my hands, I know EXACTLY how it feels, how it sounds.

I was talking about the sound, because at the end of the day, a guitar was built to make sounds!

 

[acstorfer]

Like I said, I would know mine by sound. It's got a very unique sound. Mini in the neck, humbucker on the bridge which is a Lollar highwound humbucker. It's very different to any Gibson pup I ever heard. Of course I see your point though, if I heard stock of the guitars you mentioned, I might be able to tell a stock PAF to something more modern, I might not. Either way, really doesn't make any guitar better or worse. Especially because I'm not a fan of, well modern Gibson pickups, leading back to the 490/498's. I would swap them out with aftermarket anyway.

 

[HOT-BRIT]

We hear what we want to hear

 

[Robert Arthur]

Like I said, I would know mine by sound. It's got a very unique sound. Mini in the neck, humbucker on the bridge which is a Lollar highwound humbucker. It's very different to any Gibson pup I ever heard. Of course I see your point though, if I heard stock of the guitars you mentioned, I might be able to tell a stock PAF to something more modern, I might not. Either way, really doesn't make any guitar better or worse. Especially because I'm not a fan of, well modern Gibson pickups, leading back to the 490/498's. I would swap them out with aftermarket anyway.

I always read Gibson's pickup descritptions (on their website)of either 490's or Burstbucker 1's sounding the most like PAF's. While I think the 57 classics are close, the 490's just sound stale in comparison, and the burstbucker 1's don't have enough output. I think the PAF imitations used by Tokai in the late '70s early 80's are just as close as any of them , closer by far than 490's, about the same as 57 classics.