Jim Smith (sorry, I have not figured out how to do links in the new and improved Blogger, but the URL is unfreezing.blogspot.com ) asked about my Gibson Les Paul Junior. I bought the Guitar in 1962 from a guy who had become a preacher and decided that it was sinful to play guitar. It is probably a 1961 model but could be as early as a 1957. I have never bothered to look it up. I paid a hundred dollars for it, a case and an amplifier. I was the first in my Bluegrass playing family to ever touch an electric guitar. My Dad actually found the guitar for me, but he never played it as he considered it to one of the Devil's instruments. I learned to play the Bluegrass standards and often accompanied Dad as he played the Mandolin. Bluegrass on an electric guitar is different.
The Les Paul Junior was a single "soapbar" pickup, single cutaway shaped from a single piece of mohogany, dyed a dark red. It had a low, fast action and a bright tone real close to a Fender Stratocaster, but deeper on the Bass notes. The only electric guitar I have ever played that I preferred to the Gibson was a recent Eastman true hollow body "f" hole and then only for certain kinds of music. With my old late sixties Fender tube amp, the Gibson sounds really good.
It is in fairly good condition, but as I told my kids, after I die, they can worry about authenticity. I have installed later tuners and several other things that I think improve the "enjoyability" of the guitar and have probably cut the dollar value by half. I will never sell the Guitar so that doesn't matter to me
posted by Larry at 11:55 AM
