You can hate me , I bought a Gibson to !

Rayk

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Yes I’m riding ClaytonS15’s coat tails on this header . Lol

I been looking hard at the old S100 but just wasn’t ready I guess to commit to the prices .

I also had wanted to get my old electric guitar I had in high school . Yes memories and yes I’m getting old ! Lmao 🤣

I always loved the guitar . I wasn’t a great player at the point then again I’m still not ! Hahaha . I guess I’ve always been a sucker for natural wood finished guitars .

anyway the guitar is 1979 Gibson The Paul . OMG Walnut bliss ! Lol

I found it by chance looking at acoustics at the you know where place and since I have checked the model out before it popped up .
The prices were high since I started looking at this guitar and most of them for sale were the Firebrand name . I wanted my Walnut The Paul not the Firebrand the Mahogany Paul . Lol which I’m sure is fine also .

call it destiny ? , fate ?, made in heaven ? Whatever. lol So who has this guitar for sale anyway ? Hmm let’s see , what !? No way ! Yes fate ? Destiny? Sorry got carried away .
The shop is 2 miles down the road ! Lol

So probably that fastest purchase to date . I Seen the listing last night called today went after work and picked it up and all the old memories came flooding back .

The weight and feel Oh my oh my . The playability the action was just as I remembered it , like butter . Lastly the price was very very very right and I said ring me up ! Lol joy !!!!

The case is old to said be the cases that came with the Aria pro or pro ll import Paul’s more of a fancy chipboard case though I don’t remember ever seeing this type before just the real cheap types . I had one of those Aria pro ll’s to ! Wish I had that back as well . Both the guitar and case are in very good condition . I got lucky on that as well . More Joy !

The pick ups were changed out long ago their DeMarzo’s but other then that as far as I’m told every thing is original pots switch’s tuners etc .

The ebony fingerboard is lovely and clean to a polish I love Ebony .

I’m a happy camper ! Lol

Funny thing is I bought a beautiful Epi pro Paul Koa yet never really got motivated to play it much . Then I got all crazy and bought that Sweet Ibanez shredders guitar which I couldn’t bond with now I come back to my high school guitar and everything feels right . Weird as it seems . Lol

here’s some pics
 

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Nuuska

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Congrats

Some brute force has met the tailpiece posts 💩. Other than that - like new 🐾
 

Rayk

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Congrats

Some brute force has met the tailpiece posts 💩. Other than that - like new 🐾
Haha I see what you mean I missed that . Lol

I’m not saying this is the reason but I do remember this happening on my old guitars all my fault for not listening the things before trying to raise or lower the bridge the wrong size screw driver would definitely put the same gouges on them .
For the tail pc and bridge hmm both could have been replaced there pretty shiny for 43 years old .

maybe they couldn’t get it tight enough or lose ? Doesn’t take much to damage the metal with the wrongs size flat head .
 

Rayk

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I knew the original pickups were black but didn’t remember the knobs were to so they have been changed also .

I’m thinking about putting black back in for both .
 

ClaytonS15

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Cool! I used to have an ES335S from that era. I think I sold that one to Richard on LTG.
 
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bobouz

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I knew the original pickups were black but didn’t remember the knobs were to so they have been changed also .
I’m thinking about putting black back in for both .
All black would probably look quite nice, but I really like the way the gold speed knobs work visually with those pickups. You could easily put black knobs on there to see what you think & go from there. Anyway, that just looks totally sweet, and what a great blast from your past - The stars were truly aligned!
 

HeyMikey

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Congrats Rayk. Love the walnut, and the body contours. Those must help make it more comfortable. My mid 70’s Ibanez LP had a similar case so at least the same era. I had put on those same golden speed dials as well. Have fun strumming down memory lane!
 

Rayk

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Thanks Guys , jammed to Rush after work yesterday . OMG was I bad . 😂 but it was fun . Moving around the neck felt better then some of my recent guitars .
I did get some drag on the back of the neck but some WD-40 fixes that . Lmao 🤣

the neck is nice just right more of a slim D shape so for me it’s fast then the more chunky C necks .

also I lowered the strap a good bit compared to the where the Epi Paul was positioned. The bodies are the same size just the Gib is a bit thinner .

definitely not letting this one go . Lol
 

Bernie

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I don't remember ever seeing a walnut Les Paul before...Has this model a special name ? Gibson acoustics are often called 'Studio' when they are walnut 'back & sided' (came close to getting a Studio L-00). The natural satin finish makes me think of a Les Paul Junior too...I like Gibsons as well, and this one is a nice one. Nothing wrong in getting a Gibson. After all they have inspired Guild more than one time...
 

The Guilds of Grot

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A friend of mine bought one of those new back in the late 70's because he couldn't afford a "real" Les Paul.

Here he is on the right playing it at a backyard party:

2096-1e2b1bf63aa81cf8393a64dc10bba20a.jpg
 

Rayk

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I don't remember ever seeing a walnut Les Paul before...Has this model a special name ? Gibson acoustics are often called 'Studio' when they are walnut 'back & sided' (came close to getting a Studio L-00). The natural satin finish makes me think of a Les Paul Junior too...I like Gibsons as well, and this one is a nice one. Nothing wrong in getting a Gibson. After all they have inspired Guild more than one time...
Hi Bernie . They go under the Name “The Paul “ by Gibson from 1978 -1982 then rebranded under the Firebrand name from 1981 - 1984 .


1982 -1984 change from Walnut to Mahogany bodies

the necks are one piece solid walnut the Mahogany Firebrand are a 3 pc mahogany neck . The firebrand also was called les Paul deluxe though began with the Firebrand “The Paul “

I kind of think these did evolve in the les Paul jr or standard models .

so I guess “ The Paul “ set the stage for the more affordable Paul line . Though just a guess .
 

Bernie

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Thanks Ray for all the details ; very interesting, I'll try to remember...Looks like good clues in trying to get more affordable Les Paul kind of guitars, that would not be less good than the standard line too - more like different I'd say (?). I have doubts about that 'the Firebrand also was called Les Paul Deluxe' though...I had a 70s Les Paul Deluxe and it had mini-humbuckers, instead of those which are on a standard Les Paul (larger ones), but was he same otherwise (it had white binding around the body and fretboard)...
 
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Rayk

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Thanks Ray for all the details ; very interesting, I'll try to remember...Looks like good clues in trying to get more affordable Les Paul kind of guitars, that would not be less good than the standard line too - more like different I'd say (?). I have doubts about that 'the Firebrand also was called Les Paul Deluxe' though...I had a 70s Les Paul Deluxe and it had mini-humbuckers, instead of those which are on a standard Les Paul (larger ones), but was he same otherwise (it had white binding around the body and fretboard)...
It’s a bit confusing to me . Lol The Paul’s I understand the firebrand seems more lacking in details or should I say models for sale are called something they may not be ?
So I see different bridges on the Firebrand then the more common Gibson style . So that’s one way to identify them if there original . Lol Firebrand is said to have the Gibson burned into the head stock . I see models claiming to be firebrand with firebrand truss rod cover and raised pick guard that has a gold painted Gibson logo like the original “The Paul’s “ ?

so I think there was Firebrand The Paul then Firebrand “The Paul deluxe “ but what they came with as far as hardware I’m not sure . Here’s all that wiki says about them .


“ The Paul Standard had a single sharp cutaway Les Paul-style walnut body, set walnut neck, 22-fret ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlays, walnut headstock with gold Gibson logo (1978-1981), three-per-side tuners, tune-o-matic bridge, stop tailpiece, two exposed humbucker pickups, four knobs (two volume, two tone), three-way pickup switch, chrome hardware, available in Natural Walnut finish, 24.75 in. scale, 1.6875 in. nut width, mfg. 1978-1982. It included such high end items as the Grover tuning keys and the Tune-O-Matic bridge.

The Paul Deluxe (Firebrand) is similar to The Paul Standard, except it has a mahogany body and three-piece mahogany neck, available in Antique Natural, Ebony (1985–86), Natural Mahogany, or Wine Red (1985–86) finish, mfg. 1980-86. A standard Gibson logo branded into the headstock in the deluxe model.”
 

Bernie

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Gibson has been making so many different models that it's hard to know them well...Most important here is to make a difference between The Paul - and its various iterations -, and Les Pauls...I think an important difference seems that Les Pauls have arched tops, whereas various The Paul do not I believe (you had made a mistake by calling a 'The Paul Deluxe' a 'Les Paul Deluxe', that's why I had mentioned it)...It's not all very clear for me yet 😊, but I'm learning...The Les Paul Deluxe I once had, had an arched top (although it wasn't hollow at all)...That's one reason why they are more expensive (along with bindings and big markers on the neck) I think... Thanks again Ray for all the details.🎸 Enjoy your guitar !!
 
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Rayk

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Gibson has been making so many different models that it's hard to know them well...Most important here is to make a difference between The Paul - and its various iterations -, and Les Pauls...I think an important difference seems that Les Pauls have arched tops, whereas various The Paul do not I believe (you had made a mistake by calling a 'The Paul Deluxe' a 'Les Paul Deluxe', that's why I had mentioned it)...It's not all very clear for me yet 😊, but I'm learning...The Les Paul Deluxe I once had, had an arched top (although it wasn't hollow at all)...That's one reason why they are more expensive (along with bindings and big markers on the neck) I think... Thanks again Ray for all the details.🎸 Enjoy your guitar !!
Yes oops on the les Paul part . Lol 😂
 

mad dog

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Hard to believe, but I did too. And of all things, a Les Paul. Never liked Les Pauls. Always too heavy, too muddy sounding, too expensive. But not this one.

A 2009 Gibson Studio Faded. All mahogany. Chambered body, mahogany cap. Mahogany neck, RW board. No neck binding. Trapezoid inlays. Burstbucker Pro (alnico V) pickups. It's light, less than 6 and 1/2 pounds. Strikingly beautiful, in a plain, rustic sort of way. Satin finish, thin, on a dark brown red stain. Sounds clear and twangy. No mud here. Powerful p/us. I'm so used to hating LPs, this is quite a stretch. But so far, a very cool guitar for not huge money.
 
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