It’s a great day when Ted posts a video, I love listening to you (Ted) and I’ve learned so much about guitars, their history, build information, so much more. I don’t do repairs, I just like the information. My wife says it’s my “Ted Talk” :)
I paused the video to look up the obituary for David Baxter, the previous owner of the goldtop. A real standup guy. That guitar deserved respect, and you gave it that.
I knew Bax and played and toured with him for a couple years. He was a fantastic guitarist and a beautiful person. I never saw him play this guitar, he was a tele guy when we played together, but I’m glad to see his axe brought back to great condition by such a thoughtful and respectful technician. Well done.
@@macster1878 Thanks for the info! Is the mini in the bridge position? I'm not what you'd call a hardcore Neil Young fan, nor do I have a great ear for tonal subtlety, but I do love his rockers, and that tone is really distinctive. I'll never own a Les Paul (I'm a bassist, and I've got my sweet Rickenbacker. 🙂), but I'm curious how much of that tone is down to the pickup. I've got an Epi reissue Casino, which I really like, and I wonder what a pickup like that would sound like instead of the cheapo P90 in the bridge. (The P90's not great.)
Oh man, this was a surprise that made me a bit misty to be honest. I knew Bax, and was lucky to have heard him play many times, great player and lovely human being. If that Gibson is going where I think it is, I know M.J. will treasure it. Wonderful to see you do the work on it. Thanks.
I think I have figured out why I like watching your repair work. The calm demeanor you have reminds the painter Bob Ross, this requires probably more skill than your excellent skills and craftsmanship. Stay Blessed.
There is something beautiful about a well worn and used tool. Every nick, scratch and ding is the result of hard work by a player that loved this instrument. To have been repaired that many times tells a story.
I used to have a '79 Goldtop Deluxe that looked remarkably like that one. I toured with it through the 1990s, and never had a headstock break, despite whacking the headstock into lighting gantries on small barroom stages on more than one occasion! Sounded great, but, like that one, it weighed a ton. These days I play a humbucker-equipped 7lb Strat. Much better on the shoulder.
I was always the purist about materials, but when my Strat needed an improved nut, I took a chance on Graph Tech's pre-slotted Tusq over the factory bone. Man, what a difference in playability and sound. Everything is consistent in tuning and even in volume.
Graph Tech makes quality stuff, but they sound a bit glassy for my personal taste. I think they work well on duller sounding guitars (like mahogany acoustics) but are too bright on other guitars. To each their own though!
With that pick guard that was cracked , I have a suggestion . Try using an old one that you don't want and get some denture cleaner like Polident . Put it in a container with water drop the guard in , and add the Polident and give it some time ( maybe a few hours to a day ) . I watch videos from 2 or 3 people who repair watches and they swear by Polident for cleaning old enameled watch dials . It generally takes a lot of the schmutz off the face and the little cracks that appear in almost every old enameled watch face pretty much disappear . What you see , like you said , is the stuff that collects in the crack . That's the black line and the cleaner gently takes it out . Not sure how it will work with the materials used for pick guards but for those watch faces the difference is amazing .
I've done this, too. The thing that really gets me is trying to accurately saw my pencil in half. Yeah, belt sander, right? I need to get one. I've got a ton of destroyed pencils around here...
Watching a Ted video on a Sunday is now as traditional as roast beef and yorkie puddings for me. 🤣 With broken a plastics, a good alternative to tow is nappy wipes, believe it or not. Really strong material, flexible, takes epoxy and comes in handy sheets at a reasonable price.
Just played a jazz sesh with an old timer who had a 1965 es355 and he had it modded with tiny toggle switches to split the coils and such right after he bought it new. He said back then people didn't fetishize these things like they do now and he kind of regrets it.
I can understand how he feels but if he still plays it and uses the switches they become part of the guitar’s history and is cool to me. Sort of like a classic sports car that was modded for racing back in the day and is still being raced today by the original owner.
Good thing you weren't around in the 1920s and 40s when "Only a Gibson is Good Enough" and other slogans were used. 🙄🤦That one was even printed on the headstock of every guitar Gibson made in the Banner line.
@@Matthew-tr6io Google Mark Agnesi play authentic. It was a promotional video Gibson put out and got slammed world wide for. They deleted the video but it's on RU-vid at The Music Lab.
My grandpa had Gibson's 1964 catalogue(in a binder roughly one inch thick). In it they still had Les Paul bursts that I assume are from 58,59&60. I don't think they were very popular until clapton played one with the bluesbreakers album in 66.
I bought a Les Paul in the late '70s, and have played it ever since. I've reworked the nut once and made the slots very much the same as you did here. I'm careful about how I string it and have never noticed any tuning problems. BTW I also polished the saddle slots the same as the nut slots.
Two things to say: 1) I love your videos and always look forward to them. Best Luthier I know of hands down. 2) Look at that guitar!!! Authentic relicing beats artificial relicing every single time.
It's a dream of mine to move to a country that values music culture and to set up a guitar shop. I know it doesn't make you rich, but i wish i could at least make a living from it, which seems impossible in my country. Your vids keep me going while i muster the courage to leave my 9-5 and commit to that dream. So thank you, Ted.
Your attention to nuances of construction are quite admirable. Sincerely hope your customers appreciate the lengths you go to for the sake of the instrument as well as playable. Keep on! We'll be here.
Man you did such a good job on that 335, I bet it's a lot of fun. You also have a great way of explaining technical aspects that most people wouldn't think about and it's such good brain enrichment. You're a good Dude and this is a good channel.
Aria made in Japan was usually made by Matsumoku! Their Matsumoto factory burned to the ground in around 1985, and Singer had very recently cancelled an extremely lucrative contract with Matsomuko to make sewing machine cabinets. I have a Matsumoku made Vantage AR550 ES335 copy that had a major flaw in the center block that made the neck really rubbery. I had to carve a piece of mahogany into a shape like a corner piece of sectional furniture with spruce on the bottom, glue that in and then glue some spruce on top. Then I had to glue in two maple wedges, wind some wire up squeezing the two together like a long jack to make them hike half of the neck tenon up and onto something solid It's a great ES335 copy with a thin 1960s Gibson slimline neck profile.
That's Interesting bit of information about them. I have a 1992 Orville by Gibson Les Paul that was built in the Fujigen factory. It seems that studying the history of these Japanese guitars can lead to a deep rabbit hole. Once you think you understand how things were done, you'll find exceptions.
That was a fantastic video - loved both guitars ! I'm glad to see you playing em clean and then playing with distortion or channel overload to break it up a bit for a distorted sound.
Every time I see a Les Paul with a broken or repaired headstock, I can't believe my luck. About a year after I got my very heavy Les Paul Standard, the strap came free of the front strap button when I was messing around with a vocal mic and not holding the guitar. It dropped and landed right on the headstock. It created a scratch on the back of the headstock and broke one of the tuners, but otherwise the guitar was undamaged. I had to buy six Kluson tuners to replace the one that broke since that's the only way they sold them at the time. I had no idea how lucky I was at the time and thank the gods that I learned my lesson the easy way. I've used strap locks on that guitar ever since.
Had an Orville Les Paul through my shop the other day. What a beautiful instrument. Reassuringly heavy and just felt like quality throughout. (Ted just mentioned the weight as I typed! 🙂)
As far as I know, the Japanese-made Gibsons were called "Orville" as the Gibson name had already been taken in Japan. They came in two series - "Orville" and "Orville by Gibson"; the latter having higher appointments such as US-made Gibson pickups. I've come across both an Orville and an Orville by Gibson Les Pauls. Both were great guitars.
Those fret ends are killing my OCD. I couldn't stand to have them raised off the edge of the fretboard like that. I had to hammer mine down flush so they don't catch anything. I spent multiple hours getting all of my bound guitars just right 🤣
I have 2 1981 Tokai ES335 copies. One is their highest end and the other is their 2nd highest. The ES-150 is the highest end one and it has a Cashew Nut Lacquer finish. A finish reserved for only the highest end guitars. The ES-100 is a Japanese brand of lacquer finish that is not like Gibsons. You very rarely see Tokais Lacquer check. I wish it did check but the guitar is so nice I am not too hurt by it. The golden years of Tokai Gibson copies are highly regarded by Collectors. They command pretty high prices compared to most Japanese copies.
I once owned a Gibson ES-335 an all black walnut 1978 I sold it. It didn't sound good and gigs with polarity issues I get the volume shock blues! 30 years later I learned Fender never tested Altec Lancing's speakers on the Fender's Twin Reverb. So I learned enough to nice modern, modest setup to play with as long as I can. I think this is educational. I've done my part to keeping our acoustical guitars have worked in music. I'm building a table saw sled #2. This will be better and texture ruff on top with a baby smooth bottom.
Good episode Ted… weird coincidence at one point I owned a ‘75 tobacco burst 335 AND a ‘74 gold top… except my tech at the time re-routed the GT for full-sized Humbuckers and threw in cpl DiMarzios. Then he regretted doing that but not me - I hated Minis b/c that’s what the country-western guys played. So they were totally uncool but Super-distortions…cool. I paid $800 for the 335 brand new in ‘75 and $350 for the gold top used in ‘78 - both in original Gibson HS cases. I was in HS in ‘75 and worked my ass off for that 335 at $2/hr. weekends nights and all summer.
I was an aircraft structure mechanic for 15 years. All I did was sheet metal fabrication ( making parts) In aviation you never leave a sharp edge on anything. Every corner is rounded. Now I’m a guitar tech/ luthier. I use all the same rules when fabbing parts on guitars. To make the resin smoother use peel ply. I also can make a valley for the fiber to sit in and then sand it smooth. Just like fiberglass
That gold top is a true honky tonk war horse. You can almost smell the beer, stale smoke, and sawdust on the floor. that's true genuine honest play wear. i have a Dakota Red January '65 Fender Mustang that has this level of play wear. It was gigged from Jacksonville FL all the way around the Gulf coast and down into Mexico, back and forth, for decades, and it looks like the guy might have had to clobber somebody with it at least once or twice. It looks like it has been through world war 3, but it plays like butter and sounds like God shouting from the mountain top. I like the Relics, if they're not over done, and they look convincing, but I bet everybody likes these way better. you have done a beautiful job on this one. Hats off CHEERS!
My less than virgin King 2B trombone got run over in the case by a vehicle bigger than a motor cycle at an outdoor gig. If it can be repaired to optimum playing condition it will remain as the go to instrument in the aresenal. I am sticking with Epiphones rather than. Gibson L-5s for stringed gigs. Advice well taken. Thanks for the good videos with correct nomenclature for tools.
Awesome job dealing with that nasty headstock crack on the gold top Ted! I wouldn’t have thought of sanding while the glue was still wet to help blend it as well as possible. I doubt much more could have been done short or repainting the area but leaving the evidence of the break(s) really adds to the character of the instrument in my opinion. Thanks for another great video experience!!
That was interesting, I don't think I've heard of 'Orville by Gibson' before but being British we got different stuff from you guys in North America (and Canadia). When I was young back around 1978 I got hold of a used black and gold Les Paul Custom which was branded 'Antoria' that was incredible to play and sounded great ! I only sold it after a serious accident which lead to restricted use of my hand and I couldn't play for many years but I was very sorry to see it go ! I'm told the Antoria brand was unique to Britain for some reason and the guitars were sold under the Ibanez name elsewhere. The guitar had a thick black lacquer finish which had crazed slightly and heavily gold plated pickups and hardware, it was very heavy and solidly built and came in a hard case ! I bought it for peanuts from a kid who got it for christmas but couldn't play it and I thought it was superb !
In terms of Japanese LP knockoffs, look for the Tokai Les Paul Reborn and Les Paul Old models from about 78-83ish. Back when I was on the MyLesPaul forum those were pretty much the consensus best of the bunch. Super hard to find, but supposedly superior in every way to the LPs of that time.
About roller bridges: You don't need one unless you have a whammy, as there is little chance there will be any string movement from it to the tail piece; Always stretch your strings when putting new ones on to take out any slack, and if you do get a Bigsby or similar which are not good for stable tuning (lots of string behind the bridge) then don't get one where the "Rollers" are on threads, because that's not a roller but a nut, and they don't always turn smoothly, and it will throw off your string spacing. Get true rollers where the roller rolls on a plain rod and sits in a space it can't go sideways but a hair. If the roller and rod are one piece, those too don't roll as smoothly. A tiny bit of oil is not at all a bad idea to use if you do have issues. Way back when, Hagstrom used true ball bearings at both the bridge, and the nut! They were wicked good, but people didn't like the high price, so only few were sold; Ball bearings (good bearings in general) are not cheep. Also, I agree, a worn out finish is a sign of a real player's loved instrument, and one with an immaculate finish, and a thick layer of polishes and waxes tells me it's a wall hanger, or status symbol! Don't worry too much about a scratch or dent, do what Frank Zappa suggested: "Shut Up and Play Your Guitar"!😜
Awesome work!!! Funny thing. I have a Gibson Flying V and an Epiphone Les Paul and both have taken scary dives, the V twice, off their stands and the V even hit the tip of the back of the headstock on a oakwood floor and managed to survive with just a dent. The Les Paul fell and left two ugly gashes right where a break would typically happen and it's still alive. So.... I put them in their case every time I stop playing them. I don't think I'm gonna risk another one. ;)
Aria guitars...my bud and I in the 70's who were into guitars called them Avis guitars....like the rental cars. An Aria Les Paul copy was about $249. At the time a Les Paul Standard was about $695. I bought a cherry sweet as hell les junior for $150. A Strat was around $450. Those were they days. I bought a black Les Paul Custom with 3 white original pickups for $375. It was probably around a 69-70. We were idiots. Broke idiots. Like they say, youth is wasted on the young . Huge amazing shout out to Pinkie Davis guitar store in Shelbyville, TN . You could put down $75 on a one cabinet 50 watt Marshall stack and promise to pay him $25 bucks a month on it and walk out the door with it. Myself and hundreds of Middle Tennessee musicians loved that man.
The audio of the guitars is so relatable to the mix that I hear when I’m practicing that I can REALLY imagine what those guitars would sound like in my hands. Really pleasant, compelling, comforting. Make a video of it and share those methodologies too. Cheers. :-)
I was working on a mandolin nut that was so tight in the slot it would pop out if I let go. That's when I noticed the fingerboard end and half the slot had a thick coat of finish. So, I shaved it all off with some x-acto blades and it fit perfect.
Those Orvilles are fantastic instruments. I've played a couple Les Pauls and a Thunderbird bass. Thanks BTW, filing the slot to be more consistent before fitting the nut is EXACTLY what I would have done. Also how I make a nut. Nice to have my methods validated 😁
People overthink calipers so much for woodworking. As long as it gives consistent and repeatable results, that's all that maters. Cheap ones can be just as good for this work as long as it's consistent. It doesn't matter if it's a little off compared to a true calibrated pair like Starrett or Mitutoyo. We are using them to get reference measurements in a self contained scenario, not using them to check highly critical machining tolerances of components that will be used as part of a bigger component. In that case there needs to accuracy because it's going to other people or factories to use and the dimensions need to be true. For us, it doesn't matter if the caliper reads that the nut is a few thousands wider than the true dimension, because we're going to be using the same pair of calipers we used to get the measurement to dimension the nut. The number is irrelevant at that point because it's being referenced by the same tool.
For pick guards, have you tried sonic cleaning before supergluing? That should take care of any gunk in the cracks and give you a clean surface to bond. And for some small cracks it can cause them to practically disappear.
