Contents

Contents
6
Foreword
8
Introduction
12
A classic ‘Standard’
14
Buying a Les Paul
n New Les Pauls
n Other Les Paul options
n Second-hand Les Pauls
20
Know your classic Goldtop ’53
26
Know your classic ‘Standard’
n The illustrious ‘House of Epiphone’
34
n Custom Shop Gibson Les Paul ‘Regular’
Quilt Top ’59 neck
n Gibson Les Paul ‘Standard’ ’60s neck
n Epiphone Les Paul ‘Standard’ Plus n Epiphone Les Paul ’56 Goldtop n USA-made Gibson LPB 7 Vintage Reissue
n USA-made Gibson Les Paul HD 6X Pro
n USA-made Gibson Les Paul Goldtop ‘Regular’
made in 1953
n USA-made Gibson Les Paul ‘Deluxe’
n Epiphone Special n Gibson Custom Shop Peter Frampton
‘Signature Model’
n USA-made ‘Robot’ Les Paul Gibson/Tronical
self-tuning guitar
n ‘Greeny’, Peter Green’s USA-made ’59 Gibson
Les Paul ‘Regular’
16
17
18
32
Setting up and tuning
n Tune-O-Matic adjustment
n The Paul Bigsby vibrato
n Pickup selection
n Tuning
46
100 Specific case studies
36
42
44
45
n Safety first
n Tools and working facilities
n Essential gig bag accessories
n It’s worth doing a little maintenance
n Stageside repairs
n Three-monthly checks
n Earthing and RF induction issues
n Lacquer repair and fret dressing
n A Les Paul neck repair
n Les Paul bridge and stop tail variants
n Replacing tuners
n Pickup replacement
n Pickup height settings
n Volume controls
n Nut adjustment
n Rewiring options
n Truss rod adjustment
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gibson les paul manual
48
50
53
54
58
60
66
70
74
78
79
80
83
84
88
92
98
130
134
138
142
144
148
150 Key Les Paul players and their guitars
n Les Paul
n Freddie King
n Mike Bloomfield
n Eric Clapton
n Peter Green
n Gary Moore
n Mick Taylor
n Jimmy Page
n Mark Knopfler
Repairs, maintenance & adjustments
104
108
112
116
120
124
166 Appendices
172 Glossary
174 Useful contacts
174 Acknowledgements
176 Index
152
154
155
156
158
160
161
162
164
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gibson les paul manual