New Project: '59 LP Reissue

Johnhamdun

Junior Member
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173
So, as some of you know I am currently working on my first Warmoth build. I ordered a neck with a Boatneck contour and wanted to make sure I wanted something that thick which led me to the local Guitar Center. Bad Idea - I picked up a '59 reissue and fell in love. I felt more "at home" on this LP than I've ever felt on a solid body (played mostly acoustic up until this point.) So, despite my first project still being under construction, I am going to start planning my next.

My questions are as follows:

1) Does anyone really like the tone from a chambered LP or is it just about weight. I don't like the modern LP's tone and it think its because of the chambered bodies but I may be wrong.

2) Has anyone tried the Lollar Imperial Humbucker? I may just get the pick-ups that are in the '59 but I love the Lollar shop and would love to give them more business. Otherwise, any pick-up recommendations?

3) How can I get a finish from warmoth like this? Warmoth's Honey Burst is very different (very red). Does Warmoth have anything close to it?

2653165023_98034cef8f_o.jpg


4) If I wanted a Warmoth with its back dyed red like a Gibson, can they get the color close? I can always take it to a local shop and have them spray it, but I'd love to have it all done in one shop.

5) In your own opinions, do you notice a big difference in tonality between a bolt-on and neck-thru LP? I don't need sustain, I just want that LP sound.

6) Lastly, does the Nitro finish actually have a tonal quality, or does poly sound the same?

I know I have asked questions that could start wars, but I would love yall's input.

Thanks so much guys,
John
 
I wont answer all of them, because I dont know the answers, but here are some.


warmoth finishes in rather thin poly, compared with pancakestyle nitro a gibsons. its not the TYPE of finish that matters, but how thick you spray it on the guitar. I had a warmoth-les paul with poly finish, sounded great, sanded it off for a new color (just for the fun of it), got a nitro-layer instead of poly (the guy who does my finishing does only nitro, for personal reasons), and it still sounded great. IMHO: no difference.

Bolt-on will give you a bit more 'snap' compared with neckthru or set neck. which is, on a les paul, not a bad thing, since the original les paul had a lot of snap, brightness and i'd almost say twang (this ofcourse due to the fact that a les paul as concieved with a tele in mind! it had to compete with the telecaster. its stupid to make something that is completely different from the thing it has to compete with).

It will give you real les paul tone though. I've got a les paul with a wenge neck, ebony board, and bolt-on neck, and it sounds so much more like a real 50ies gibson than the modern gibson les pauls. and yeah, I've played several great 50ies standards and customs.

about chambering...It gives you more resonance, more airyness to your tone,a more gentle mids, softer highs and less tight lows. if thats what you like; cool! its great sometimes, but the warm, punchy, open sound will be lost a bit.

Because warmoth doesnt rout as much wood out with their hollow-option, the before-mentioned effect will be subsequentially, less than with gibsons. you can compare warmoth hollow les pauls a bit, tonewise, with gibsons weight relief holes, more than the chambered bodies, imho.

if you dont feel comfortable with that anyway, just ask them to have light mahogany (but with an upcharge).

about the color: I believe it is possible, Give a pic with the order, and describe it as well as you can, and then they should be able to do it. its not like you ask them to do a purplemistburst on your guitar, with blacklipover, with metalflake transparant nitro (that was my first color on a warmoth, and my painter did a GREAT job; exactly as I wanted it to be).

about the pickups: no idea. I stick to bareknuckle pickups.
 
I like the sound of my Warmoth hollow LP. I'd love to able to hear what it would sound like if it wasn't chambered but I don't think that will happen. I just got it that way because it's lighter. Go solid if you're not sure.

I've never heard the Loller pickups you asked about, but I seriously doubt you could go wrong with them.
 
Sounds really cool.  There was a FANTASTIC Warmoth LP on eBay that was a replica of a '59 (I will try to get some pics of it).  The guy had it sprayed locally in nitro, and it looked great.

It's very hard to do a fair A/B with poly and nitro... mainly because poly finishes usually go on cheaper guitars!  I think that might be the source of some of the slant.

My opinion... maybe one sounds a bit better than the other, who knows, but that probably affects your tone less than the tolerances on your caps and pots, so it just doesn't matter.

All that said, if you want it to age like a real LP, you gotta have nitro!

As for the color of the burst... keep in mind they were originally cherry-bursts, red to yellow.  They just faded a lot over the last 49 years---some more than others!  So anywhere in the cherry-burst to all-yellow spectrum will look fine IMO.  I don't know if Warmoth can dye it to an exact color on request or not.  If you want it exact you probably have to find someone locally!

Yours sounds cool, Orpheo, I was planning a similar one:

24.75 wenge/brazilian Warmoth-style neck, cream binding, pearloid trapezoids, ebony headstock veneer, jumbo frets, corian
Carved-top LP, flame maple on solid one-piece mahogany, cream binding, cherry burst, trans red back (poly :))
Some sort of chrome locking tuners, chrome TOM/stop
Pair of nickel BBQ Buckers in cream rings, LP-style controls with no "RHYTHM/TREBLE" plate and amber speed knobs
And of course, a Dangerous plate  :headbang1:

I'm also considering making it a VIP instead... I call that idea the '59 PRS :D
 
dbw said:
Sounds really cool.  There was a FANTASTIC Warmoth LP on eBay that was a replica of a '59 (I will try to get some pics of it).  The guy had it sprayed locally in nitro, and it looked great.

It's very hard to do a fair A/B with poly and nitro... mainly because poly finishes usually go on cheaper guitars!  I think that might be the source of some of the slant.

My opinion... maybe one sounds a bit better than the other, who knows, but that probably affects your tone less than the tolerances on your caps and pots, so it just doesn't matter.

All that said, if you want it to age like a real LP, you gotta have nitro!

As for the color of the burst... keep in mind they were originally cherry-bursts, red to yellow.  They just faded a lot over the last 49 years---some more than others!  So anywhere in the cherry-burst to all-yellow spectrum will look fine IMO.  I don't know if Warmoth can dye it to an exact color on request or not.  If you want it exact you probably have to find someone locally!

Yours sounds cool, Orpheo, I was planning a similar one:

24.75 wenge/brazilian Warmoth-style neck, cream binding, pearloid trapezoids, ebony headstock veneer, jumbo frets, corian
Carved-top LP, flame maple on solid one-piece mahogany, cream binding, cherry burst, trans red back (poly :))
Some sort of chrome locking tuners, chrome TOM/stop
Pair of nickel BBQ Buckers in cream rings, LP-style controls with no "RHYTHM/TREBLE" plate and amber speed knobs
And of course, a Dangerous plate  :headbang1:

I'm also considering making it a VIP instead... I call that idea the '59 PRS :D

nice one! a '59 burst style, but with modern warmoth-appointments! GREAT!

I had a new idea for my new body... wenge back (is boring for looks, except for the sidegrain; that looks COOL!) and rosewood top, and for a lamback: shedua, imbuia, cocobolo or mango! with just 1 layer of clearcoat.
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/59-LES-PAUL-BURST-WARMOTH-GUITAR-BRAZILIAN-NITRO_W0QQitemZ260251414953QQihZ016QQcategoryZ33038QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Here's the '59 that was on eBay.  I would have gone higher than $995 on this beauty.
 
Lucky #7 said:
http://cgi.ebay.com/59-LES-PAUL-BURST-WARMOTH-GUITAR-BRAZILIAN-NITRO_W0QQitemZ260251414953QQihZ016QQcategoryZ33038QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Here's the '59 that was on eBay.  I would have gone higher than $995 on this beauty.

I saw that one! I actually bought "Beauty of the Burst" based on that. Which brings up an interesting question: If he was going for the '59 look at feel why didn't he go with fatback instead of standard thin? I measured a '59 the other day and it stays 1" all the way down...

Either way, I'm with you on that one. That's the single most beautiful LP I've seen: Gibson or otherwise.
 
That dude was crazy to not put at least a $1300 reserve on that bad boy the first time through.
 
Lucky #7 said:
That dude was crazy to not put at least a $1300 reserve on that bad boy the first time through.

I was out of town when it ended but I assumed it would go for about what he paid for it. If I had any idea how low it would close for I would have stayed at home... I'm sure the winner was happy but seeing that one go was a sad day for me
 
I considered bidding but I wasn't willing to go higher than $1000 just because then I'd be broke.  I used "Ask seller a question" to tell him we liked his guitar :)  He told me he was selling it for the classic reason: he's broke.
 
If you happen to get back in touch with him asked him what address he shipped it to. I'm not above a few illegal acts for a guitar that nice :laughing7:
 
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