FREE GIBSON LES PAUL GUITAR (FOILED JOURNAL) PDF

Flame Tree | 176 pages | 04 May 2014 | Flame Tree Publishing | 9781783611829 | English | London, United Kingdom Gibson Les Paul Standard Cherry Sunburst- Mini Guitar– Walt Grace Vintage

Its typical design features a solid mahogany body with a carved maple top and a single cutawaya mahogany set-in neck with a rosewood fretboard, two pickups with independent volume and tone controls, and a stoptail bridgealthough variants exist. The Les Paul was originally offered with a gold finish and two P pickups. Inhumbucking pickups were added, along with sunburst finishes in The sunburst — Les Paul — today one of the best-known electric guitar types in the world — was considered a failure, [ citation needed ] with low production and sales. The original single-cutaway, carved top bodystyle was re-introduced in The Les Paul has been produced in many versions and editions since. Along with Fender's Telecaster and Stratocasterit was one of the first mass-produced electric solid-body guitars. Due to their versatility, Les Paul electric guitars have been used in a wide range of music genres, including rockcountrypopsoulrhythm and bluesbluesjazzreggaepunkand heavy metal. Inthe ancestors of Fender Telecaster Fender Esquire and Fender Broadcaster were introduced to the musical market and solid-body electric guitars became a public craze. Les Paul was a respected innovator who had been experimenting with guitar design for years. He had hand-built a solid-body prototype nicknamed "The Log", often suggested as the first solid-body Spanish guitar ever Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal). In orPaul had approached Gibson with "The Log" prototypebut his design was rejected. Early prototypes are very similar to the final version. McCarty approached Les Paul for the right to imprint the musician's name on the headstock with the intention of increasing sales; inGibson presented Paul a nearly finished instrument for approval. McCarty stated that design discussions with Les Paul were limited to the tailpiece and the fitting of a maple cap over the mahogany body for increased density and sustain, which Les Paul Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) requested reversed. However, this reversal would have caused the guitar to become too heavy, and Paul's request was refused. The Custom did not appear on the market for another two years following the introduction of the Goldtop; it is possible that Gibson had planned a full model range of guitars with a roll-out over the course of several years at the time when initial specifications were being set. Les Paul's contributions to the guitar line bearing his name were more than cosmetic; for example, Paul specified that the guitar be offered in a gold finish, not only for flashiness, but to emphasize the high quality of the Gibson Les Paul instrument. The guitar made its public debut when Paul used it onstage in June at the Paramount theatre in New York. A Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) Les Paul model was introduced in Called the Les Paul Custom, this black guitar with gold-plated hardware was dubbed the "Black Beauty". Various bridge and tailpiece designs were added in andincluding the popular Tune-o-matic bridge. The Goldtop and Custom models continued without significant changes until InP pickups were no longer offered on Les Pauls. New humbucker pickups designed by Seth Lover in U. Patent 2, debuted on Les Pauls in This innovation in pickups became the flagship pickup design most associated with Gibson. Many other guitar companies followed suit, outfitting their electrics with versions of the humbucking Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal). Inthe Les Paul saw its first major design change. A new model, called the Standard, retained most features of the Goldtop. However, Standards featured a cherry-red sunburst finish. These guitars were priced higher than the Goldtop models, but lower than the Customs. At this time, Gibson instruments were marketed toward an older, jazz- oriented audience rather than young burgeoning guitarists. As a result, over the three-year period of production, only c. These Les Pauls were considered to be too heavy and old-fashioned, and they initially did not find favor amongst guitarists. InGibson stopped producing the traditional Les Paul in favor of a lighter redesign which was later called the SG. The mids, however, brought a resurgence of interest in the Les Paul Standard. A year later, Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) traded it for a Standard with which he became most identified. ByJerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead was using mids, P pickup-equipped goldtops or black custom models, which he used through Responding to this influence and increased pressure from the public, Gibson reintroduced the Les Paul single-cutaway guitar in Julyand the guitar remains in production today. These ownership changes, often called the "Norlin Era", caused Gibson products of the time to undergo changes in manufacturing and construction. Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) Paul designs were altered and a reinforced upper neck volute to decrease headstock breaks was added. Neck woods were changed from one-piece mahogany to a three-piece maple Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal). The body was also changed from one-piece mahogany with a maple top to multiple slabs of mahogany with multiple pieced maple tops. This is referred to as "multipiece" construction, and sometimes incorrectly referred to as a "pancake" body. The expression "pancake body" actually refers to a body made of a thin layer of maple sandwiched between two slabs of mahogany, with a maple cap. The grain of Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) maple was placed at 90 Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) to that of the mahogany. The "pancake"-like layers are clearly visible when looking at the edge of the guitar. This process is also known as "crossbanding", and was done to make use of less expensive and more readily available thinner mahogany. Crossbanding was phased out by In this era, Gibson began experimenting with new models, such as the Les Paul Recording. This guitar was generally Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) with guitarists because of its complex electronics. Less noticeable changes included, but were not limited to, optional maple fingerboards added inpickup cavity shielding, and the crossover of the ABR1 Tune-o-matic bridge into the wide "Nashville" bridge. During the s, the Les Paul body shape was incorporated into other Gibson models, including the S-1the SonexGibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) L6-Sand other models that did not follow the classic Les Paul layout. In JanuaryGibson again changed ownership and began manufacturing a range of varied Les Paul models. The s also saw the end to several design characteristics, including the volute and maple neck. However, because of consumer demand, the Gibson Les Paul guitar is available today in a wide array of choices, ranging from guitars equipped with modern digital electronics to classic re-issue models built to match the look and specifications of the guitar's earliest production runs from Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) As of [update]Gibson offers several variations of the Les Paul guitar with differences in features, electronics and finishes. For example, the modern Standard Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) split- coil pickups which offer a wider range of sounds. The 'Traditional' model offers more the more basic features of guitars available during the period s to s and the 'Classic' model offers yet other features. Into respond to the high demand for vintage models, Gibson formed a Custom Shop division. Originally, the Custom Shop began producing accurate reproductions of early Les Pauls, as well as one-offs. Today, the Custom Shop produces numerous limited-run "historic-spec" models, as well as signature artist models. The first Custom Shop artist guitar was the Joe Perry Les Paul, and today, several artist models are offered "reliced" or "aged" models are made in the Custom Shop Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) replicate vintage models that have seen much use. The post Les Paul guitar line included two models: the Classic nicknamed the Goldtopand the Custom which offered gold hardware and a more formal black finish. However, advancements in pickup, body, and hardware designs allowed the Les Paul to become a long-term series of electric solid-body guitars that targeted multiple price-points and market levels. Goldtops, the first Les Paul model, were produced from — Early Les Pauls were not issued serial numbers, did not have bound Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal), and are considered by some as "LP Model prototypes". However, later Les Pauls were issued serial numbers and also came with bound fingerboards. The design scheme of some of these early models varied. For instance, some early Les Pauls were fitted with black covered P pickups instead of the cream-colored plastic covers that are associated with this guitar. The weight and the tonal characteristics of the Goldtop Les Paul were largely due to the mahogany and maple construction. Inthe trapeze tailpiece was dropped, and a new stopbar design was added. This Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) combined a pre- intonated bridge and tailpiece with two studs just behind the bridge pickup. This increased the sustain of the Goldtop noticeably; however, the intonation and string height adjustability were limited. A new design, the Tune-o-matic, replaced the stopbar in It consisted of a separate bridge and tailpiece attached directly to the top of the guitar, combining an easily adjustable bridge with a sustain-carrying tailpiece. This design has been used on most Les Pauls ever since. The tuners were produced by Kluson. The Les Paul Custom features gold hardware, multilayer binding including the headstock, ebony fingerboard, real mother-of- pearl inlays and two or three-pickup layout. The original Customs were fitted with a P pickup in the bridge position and an Alnico V "staple" pickup in the neck. Inthe Custom was fitted with Gibson's new PAF humbucker pickups, [22] and later became available with three pickups instead of the usual two. The traditional Les Paul Custom was discontinued in and its name transferred to the custom version of the then-new Gibson SG. InGibson reintroduced the Les Paul Custom as a two-pickup-only model. The headstock angle was changed from 17 degrees to 14, and a wider headstock and a maple top in lieu of the original mahogany top construction were added. White and two sunburst finish options were added to the color palette in Also new in was the optional TP-6 fine-tuner tailpiece, allowing for micro-adjustment of string tuning from the bridge. The mahogany neck was replaced with a three-piece maple neck in though mahogany still saw limited use with this change lasting until around Popular colors, such as wine red and "silverburst," were added in the s and '80s. Gibson currently produces several Custom models with various finishes and pickups. Innew Standard model retained most specifications of the Goldtop, including PAF humbucker pickups, a maple top, and a tune-o-matic bridge with a stop tailpiece or Bigsby vibrato tailpiece. The gold color used since was replaced by a cherry-red version of the Sunburst finish long used on Gibson's flat-top and archtop acoustic and hollow electric guitars. Since the maple cap was now visible, tops were made either with a solid "plaintop" piece of maple or two bookmatched pieces of figured curly or quilted maple. Specifications during —60 varied from year to year and also from guitar to guitar. Typical Les Paul Standard necks had a thicker neck, thinner frets and lower fret height, which Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) during the course of to develop into typical necks with a thinner cross- section and wider, higher frets. Only about 1, Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) these early models were made and have subsequently become highly valuable. Production ended when, inGibson redesigned the Les Paul to feature a "double cutaway" body, which has subsequently become the Gibson SG. Because of high demand, Gibson resumed production of Les Paul Standards in Inthe Les Paul Junior debuted, targeted the beginning or student guitarist. Gibson Les Paul - Wikipedia

There are times when an instrument is so wonderful and iconic that staying appropriately impartial and dispassionate can be a challenge. With that in mind, this gorgeous Les Paul Standard is going to be a test for more than just the guitar. Huw Price feels fit to burst…. But getting to spend a whole week playing an original Burst unsupervised, through our favourite amps? Even so, a vivid red colour remains under the pickguard and it can also be seen under the poker chip and the pickup rings. Photos from clearly show that most, if not all, of the shaded areas had already faded away by then and, since the Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) owner Doug Lock, played with the pickguard off, the un-faded area is vivid even in black and white. Lacquer checking is extensive and is most apparent across the face of the flame-free maple top. The nitrocellulose retains a deep all-over gloss, but the Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) texture looks subtly different around the controls, with a hint of orange peel. Four screw holes from a long gone Bigsby B5 have been plugged and lacquered over. In addition, there are two tight crack lines running across the pot shaft holes of the neck pickup controls. We might conclude that the area in question has had a light blow-over. The back of the neck blacklights nicely, too, but Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) are informed it was also sprayed over at some point. There are some fairly deep and wide lacquer cracks running across the back of the neck, so it may have been an attempt to smooth out the feel. In that sense, the blow-over succeeds and the non-original lacquer shows up as deep and clear infills between the missing areas of cherry, with oxidised mahogany beneath. The same can be seen in various spots around the rear body edges. A vivid verdigris is apparent on the control knobs, one of which is slightly deformed in a way that suggests heat was involved. The neck pickup ring is cracked, but remains fully functional and the original pickguard is back on, albeit with a Pozidriv bracket screw. Although the wireless ABR-1 bridge appears original, almost 60 years of string pressure has forced it into a slight downwards bend and the saddles all look a bit fresh. Inside the control cavity, the routing and the characteristic router marks appear as expected. The tone caps are Astron metal foil types in ceramic housings with green lettering and these are often seen in s LPs rather than the earlier Mylar bumblebees. Nothing suggests the solder joints have been touched — hence our unwillingness to pull everything out to read pot codes. Previous owner, the producer Terry Thomas, reveals that the guitar was once fitted with Grovers, but the enlarged post Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) have been expertly plugged and re-drilled. The Kluson-style tuners currently on the guitar are labelled Gibson Deluxe and they were made in Japan. They have the appearance of age and with Uncle Lou single-ring buttons, they look the part. At the risk of veering into gross generalisation, lighter Les Pauls tend to be louder with an airier sprang, faster Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) and deeper lows. Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) ones often resonate with more midrange emphasis, tighter lows, softer treble, a smoother attack and sometimes longer sustain. This falls on the heavier side of the vintage spectrum and conforms to our expectations for a weighty vintage Les Paul. It bears a closer resemblance to the Ploaded Goldtop we featured in the magazine a couple of years back than it does the PAF-equipped model from the same article. However valuable they may be, not all vintage guitars play well. A pretty decent job was done and the fingerboard is in superb condition. Through a clean amp, you get tremendous clarity, uncanny sustain, ever shifting harmonics and touch dynamics that can rival the finest acoustics. Having ticked all of the fundamental Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) boxes, this guitar also has a very distinctive voice. In large part this is due to a pronounced sonic contrast Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) the pickups. The cocked wah midrange resonance is most apparent on the bridge pickup, and it combines with a mellow sparkle and more than a hint of twang. Picking single notes across a chord, the clarity of each note is something special, and yet everything gels together. Swap the plastic for a spot of fingerpicking and the warm cluck at the front of each note sounds not unlike Merle Travis playing away on his famous Bigsby guitar. If you want prettiness or jazzy warmth, switch to the neck. Notes are rounder, woodiness abounds and fast runs have an effortless fluidity. This guitar hands it to you on a plate. Overdrive can have a homogenising effect on guitars, masking subtle tonal characteristics, smoothing out quirks and compensating for a lack of sustain. With this guitar, the opposite occurs because an overdriven valve amp actually accentuates the clean characteristics. It transpires that the complex harmonic overtones we associate with PAFs Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) in there, and overdrive merely helps to draw them out. Remember that the Les Paul was designed for jazz and although this is a consummate clean guitar, its sheer grunt and strength through a cranked valve amp inspires awe. The elephant in the room is of course, the cost of taking it home. Whether we approve of the cost of this guitar or not is immaterial — vintage Les Pauls have long since become investment goods and are valued accordingly. As such, those who can contemplate buying a real Burst will be well- heeled rock stars, serious collectors and investors — or maybe some combination of all three. For some of these individuals, the value of a vintage Les Paul as a musical instrument or cultural artefact will be secondary at best and the issue is not whether they can afford it, but whether a specific Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) is worth the asking price. Like certain antique violins, they may even play and sound just as good when they are three centuries old. Whether guitarists will actually be granted access remains moot. Is getting your hands on such a great sounding and playing original Burst a life-changing experience? They are so different from what we expected, and significantly better. That said, any player discovering how subtle, complex, versatile, delicate and ferocious these guitars can be, will never again dismiss vintage style Les Pauls as old school blues or rock instruments. However long we spend playing the Duggie Lock Burst, it keeps surprising us with different sounds and new textures. Locked And Loaded. He played it in various groups, including an obscure early s British rock band called Bulldozer. There are two videos on YouTube that are merely collections of still photographs, but you can see and hear him playing this very guitar. Bulldozer were managed by Ten Years After drummer Ric Lee and while recording at Escape Studios in Kent, the band was interrupted by the roar of a hot-rod pulling into the driveway, driven by none other than Jeff Beck. After contracting pneumonia in the early s, Doug and his long-time partner Joy Arnold relocated to Ireland. The Les Paul was sold to help finance new ventures and Doug soon developed successful sidelines as a guesthouse owner and fly-fishing instructor. Doug stayed on in Cork after Joy succumbed to cancer but inDoug also died. His friend Joani wrote the following. I could still hear him at the top of our land. Doug once offered some words of wisdom to one of his guitar students, but they might apply to any of us. Sign in. Log into your account. Forgot your password? Password recovery. Recover your password. Cillian Breathnach - 21st October Rosie Heydenrych left Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) a career in the charity sector to set up her small workshop in Surrey, which now specialises in English-grown timber and is building a customer base that includes Tom Quail and Martin Simpson. After two decades on the indie fringes, Pulp struck gold in with a No. Intwo Dylan collaborators and a future Laurel Canyon superstar were at a loose end, so they booked some studio time in LA and improvised a freewheeling blues-jazz blueprint for the supergroup-on-record concept. Essential Guides. DIY Workshop. He tapped, he tinkered, he thrilled and he turned the guitar world upside down. Buyer's Guides. Our favourite new electric and acoustic guitar announcements, releases and rumours of the past month. All Advanced Beginner Intermediate. In the final part of his intro to country guitar, Nashville sessioneer David Henricksson puts it all together with a pair of solos to master. With a long career involving unpredictable twists, turns and collaborations Paul Simon is one of the most successful songwriters of the last 60 years. We take a look at the chord shapes and sequences which define his sound. Reviews Vintage. Huw Price. 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We attempt to find out precisely what makes golden-era Les Pauls tick and explain how you too can taste the tone fantastic without breaking the bank. If you are shooting for s Les Paul tone, we think that success is more likely if you consider things as a whole rather than obsess over specific details. Identifying the key components Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) gaining insight into how they work together is essential. Read on Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) an analysis of what we consider to be the key components, the way they Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) tone and what your options are. A significant proportion of vintage Les Pauls were retrofitted with Grover or Schaller machineheads at some point — many have since been converted back to Klusons. Consequently, attention focuses on bridges and tailpieces and we conduct our primary listening tests with the guitars unplugged. With the electrics eliminated, these differences can only be attributed to the wood, the bridges and tailpieces or a combination of both. The strings on both guitars are identical sets of Ernie Ball Pure Nickel 0. The results are clear, with the Greco now sounding like a vintage Gibson and Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) Gibson taking on the snap, brightness and chime of the Greco. The changes are less dramatic, but still clearly audible. We hear a softening of the treble, which leads to a more vocal midrange and a compressed warmth. Since both wrapover bridges are aluminium, we must conclude that the grade of aluminium being used by Faber differs from the aluminium Gibson was using during the s. Research suggests vintage ABR-1 bridges were cast from an alloy Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) zamak — containing zinc, aluminium, magnesium, and copper — and there are eight grades of zamak. Therefore, hardware is an important factor in the Les Paul tone equation, and your options are to buy vintage parts or find replacements that sound like vintage ones. This area could benefit from more research. With the 50s wrapover bridge installed, our Greco project sounds remarkably like a 50s Les Paul. This involves taking the actual value of the potentiometers and then plotting their tapers on graph paper based on resistance readings taken at 10 intervals corresponding to the markings on a Les Paul control knob. The actual resistance values vary from a low of k to a high of k with an average of All four vintage pots also read between 1k and 2k with the control knobs set to one and they are all logarithmic rather than linear. We average out the readings from the four vintage pots and draw a response curve see p A graph is also drawn for each of the replacement potentiometers, so they can be individually placed over the vintage potentiometer graph to provide a visual indication of how closely the resistance readings and tapers match. The actual resistance value is k and resistance remains significantly lower until five, whereupon it conforms to the vintage curve until three before drifting lower. It still shows some resistance at one and although resistance drifts very slightly above and below the vintage average, the taper shape actually conforms closely to the vintage taper. The actual resistance is k, which is higher than the lowest vintage pot reading, and it has a nice smooth feel. But the taper is very different between four and seven, where the CTS is noticeably higher in resistance, and between eight and 10 where it is lower. Pot resistance is k. Bourns Long Shaft With an actual value of k, Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) one starts well, but things quickly veer off course. Between 10 and nine, resistance hardly changes, then the taper follows the vintage line, albeit at a higher resistance, until it joins the curve at five and remains quite close from five to one. With its long shaft, this pot might suit Les Pauls with thicker tops and some will like the loose feel. Bourns Short Shaft This is fairly similar to the long shaft version but there is even less of a resistance change between 10 and nine. From there the resistance decrease is very linear and Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) higher than vintage average until the lines meet up at five and follow closely to one. Bare Knuckle CTS K These pots have long shafts and a plus or minus 10 per cent tolerance, which makes them bang on for the vintage range we measured. Testing two of these, we get measurements of k and Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal). Comparing the graphs, the k pot moves slightly above and below the vintage curve between five and Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal), but otherwise stays close. The k pot is an almost perfect match for our vintage average from one to The clear winner is the k Bare Knuckle with the Alpha a very close runner up. If you want a bit more brightness, use the higher value pots as volume controls and use the others for tone. The closed-back casings will also look more vintage correct, so long as you disguise the markings by soldering the ground wires over the top. Measuring just 10mm, the short shaft means the Alpha pots we tested should be fine Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) SGs, Juniors, Vs and so forth, but cannot be installed in some Les Paul-type guitars. If you like to Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) your guitar controls for tone shaping, or think you might enjoy learning to do so, a pot change is recommended. Vintage Les Paul enthusiasts can get pretty obsessive about tone capacitors and serious money changes hands for original — and sometimes not so original — Bumble Bees. These were the Sprague-manufactured capacitors Gibson used during the late 50s. You can tell the difference because the oil-filled versions have a filler cap protruding from one end with the leadout wire soldered into it. At the other end, the wire goes straight into the capacitor body. The Astron capacitors that Gibson started using in are lesser known, but we recently encountered them in the early Duggie Lock Burst. Research suggests these are metal foil capacitors in ceramic tubes. Sometimes they were branded Lafayette and those tend to be even cheaper. In fact, it could be beneficial. While measuring pots is a valid exercise, capacitor choice is more subjective. Instead we gather a small selection Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) vintage and NOS capacitors and conduct some blind tests. During testing they are identified only by number and we make notes during the testing process. Our time spent with the Duggie Lock Les Paul was illuminating from a tonal perspective. Things start getting a bit muffled around 4. Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) is a nice-sounding capacitor that measures bang on 0. Even so, the guitar retains brightness and with the tone rolled back to half way, note Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) is better than the Hyrel. However, the dynamics feel a bit compressed and with a slight loss of sparkle combined with some graininess in the upper mids, we find that this capacitor obliges you to play harder to sound good. Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) so, the guitar sounds clear and feels like it has a slightly higher output. There is a quacky wah quality, but the Q is Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) pronounced than with the Hyrel. We also find the wah effect changes with playing dynamics — becoming Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) apparent as you play harder. With the tone fully up the guitar is chimey and smooth, and when rolled back low string definition is retained because the very lowest frequencies are attenuated along with the treble. As expected, the value has drifted upwards — to 0. Reading 0. Even so, we do have a favourite: the 0. The centre frequency even appears to change slightly depending on the volume and tone settings. So, the tone acts as both a treble roll-off and a rudimentary parametric equalizer — depending on how the controls are set. If you listen carefully you can hear this with regular k pots and 0. The five capacitors — a mix of vintage and NOS models — that we put to the test. This is the big one, and if you get the right type of pickups in your Les Paul it can have a very profound effect. At the very least your P or PAF replicas will need to have suitable alnico magnets, steel parts with low carbon content, plain enamel magnet wire and no wax potting. In the case of PAF replicas, the coils will be slightly mismatched. If you can get those bases covered, you may wish to research the tones associated with different grades of alnico and decide whether you want early-style Ps with A3 or late 50s-style with A5. Also research the range of DC resistance readings of vintage pickups and consider how that will impact tone. An old pro-audio old adage says the best microphone in the world is the one you have. What it means is that so long as a mic is of a certain standard, great results can be achieved by applying technique and ingenuity. If the sound is too bright, you move the mic to somewhere where the sound is a Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) darker. If you need more treble you can do the opposite, and you can balance the low frequency content by altering the proximity of the mic to the instrument being recorded. So how does this relate to pickups? Our test set of original Gibson P pickups. Although the scope for adjustment is physically restricted, adjusting pickups is very much akin to placing microphones. This is particularly true with microphonic vintage-style pickups like PAFs and Ps, because they are extremely sensitive to height settings. The only tools needed are your ears and a screwdriver. With the pickups set low relative to the strings, you get a darker and more mellow tone but it may lack bite, aggression and output. Moving the pickup closer to the string will increase output Gibson Les Paul Guitar (Foiled Journal) make the tone brighter. We take our time getting the bridge just right, always shooting for an even string-to-string balance from bass to treble. You may notice that low strings lose definition if the neck pickup is set too low. We were perfectly happy with this procedure until the Duggie Lock Burst came along and opened our eyes to other possibilities. We soon noticed the bridge pickup was set far lower than usual, but the pole screws were jacked high above the covers to compensate. The bridge sounded almost like a P, combining a thick midrange roar with tremendous clarity and soft treble. All the action happens in the midrange and once you get the hang of balancing pickup and pole screw heights, you can shift the midrange tonal characteristic and almost re-voice a pickup to your taste. By taking the more traditional approach to the neck pickup, you can swing it so the neck is just as bright, or even brighter than the bridge. A fantastic tonal contrast can be achieved, and the middle setting will also now have an audible phasiness with slightly hollow mids for a great third tonal option. Attention turns to Ps and we count ourselves lucky to have a genuine set to test in our Greco. Cutting to the chase, the Greco conversion with vintage Ps installed sounds virtually indistinguishable from the bona fide Gibson Goldtop. This mirrors our findings when we installed a set of vintage PAFs in a Greco in the past. The set-up procedures we discussed in relation to PAFs also apply to Ps, however adjusting height can be tricky. Some use foam rubber for its springiness, but we prefer wood shims. There is another set-up trick you can try to alter P voicing. Years ago a prominent pickup builder explained to us how the two magnets in Ps are arranged to repel rather than attract. Over the decades, this can actually cause the magnets to move apart, and this changes the shape of the magnetic field.