Preamble
The 2014 Gibson LPJ 120th Anniversary Les Paul featured in this post was bought used in 2017. I emailed Gibson Support along with the relevant details and pictures, and they replied in less than 24 hours; verifying the authenticity of the LPJ. Thank you Gibson Support :). Besides a ton of cool features, including the nicely worn Cherry (Satin) finish; what really got me hooked was its fat chunky neck. Let's take a look at some stock specs now, based on information from Gibson and my own observations.
Stock Specs
Body: Maple Top/Mahogany Back
Neck: Maple/'50s Rounded Profile
Fretboard: Rosewood/24.75" Scale/12" Radius/Trapezoid Inlays/22 Frets
Nut: White TekToid
Tuners: Nickel-plated Vintage-style/Pearloid Buttons
Bridge/Tailpiece: Chrome-plated Tune-o-matic/Stop Bar
Pickups: 1961 Alnico V Zebra Coil (Neck/Bridge)
Electronics: PCB "Quick Connect" Board/CTS 500K Pots/Switchcraft Toggle Switch
Noteworthy Features: Black "Supreme Grip" Speed Knobs/Custom "120th Anniversary" Inlay
Heartbreaking Revelations
The LPJ was awfully noisy, so I guessed there might be a bad ground connection somewhere. Well, time to open her up. What I saw inside broke my heart. The pickups, toggle switch and output jack were all "quick-connect," and plugged into corresponding sockets on a PCB board. The pots had "Gibson" stamped on them, but were soldered directly to the board via three "upside down" tabs. Not your run-of-the-mill CTS pots, for sure.
The output jack was stamped "Made in China," and uncannily similar to the Neutrik/Rean NYS229s I install in guitars whose owners don't want to fork out the dough for a Switchcraft #11. Now I know why Gibson specifies the output jack as simply being "1/4" mono." Seriously? A made-in-China component in a genuine made-in-the-US-of-A Gibson?
Worst of all, I finally discovered a possible reason behind the grounding issue -- the bridge ground wire was not soldered to the board. It was just stuck into a quick-release socket. Compounding this was the fact that none of the cavities were shielded. Way to go, Gibson!
That did it. I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did not rewire the guitar to "traditional" Les Paul specs. Kindly note that I am in no way implying that there was anything wrong with the stock electronics. I'm sure there are many players out there who don't give a rat's ass about Gibson's cost-cutting measures; or obsess over the fact that their Les Paul's innards now more closely resemble a computer than ever.
Well, me being me; the stock electronics were eventually removed (very carefully) for safekeeping. And soon after, as luck would have it, someone bought the whole lot off me; and had me install them in his Chibson :)
Upgrades
The first thing I did was to order a pair of Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59s (Vintage Blues Set). Yeah, I'm that sort of guy. Other upgrades included a Switchcraft toggle switch, Gavitt braided shielded push-back cloth wire, CTS 500K long shaft pots, Russian caps (0.015uF-Neck/0.022uf-Bridge); and Switchcraft #11 output jack. Pickup/toggle switch/control cavities were shielded with conductive carbon paint; and the backs of the control cavity/toggle switch covers with self-adhesive copper foil.
Corrosion had already set in on the stock tune-o-matic bridge, and it was extremely difficult to adjust the saddles. In fact, the B string saddle was totally frozen. I replaced the bridge with a Kluson KLP-1200N. The shinier nickel plating didn't quite match the matte satin finish on the stop bar; but it worked out okay. Oh yes, I almost forgot; the stock "LPJ" truss rod cover was replaced with a Gibson PRTR-010 (blank).
YouTube Video
Kechik is a young journeyman who has honed his skills at numerous stages, clubs and pubs throughout Malaya. Here's a brief YouTube VIDEO of Kechik making this 2014 Gibson LPJ cry and sing. Enjoy :)
The 2014 Gibson LPJ 120th Anniversary Les Paul featured in this post was bought used in 2017. I emailed Gibson Support along with the relevant details and pictures, and they replied in less than 24 hours; verifying the authenticity of the LPJ. Thank you Gibson Support :). Besides a ton of cool features, including the nicely worn Cherry (Satin) finish; what really got me hooked was its fat chunky neck. Let's take a look at some stock specs now, based on information from Gibson and my own observations.
Stock Specs
Body: Maple Top/Mahogany Back
Neck: Maple/'50s Rounded Profile
Fretboard: Rosewood/24.75" Scale/12" Radius/Trapezoid Inlays/22 Frets
Nut: White TekToid
Tuners: Nickel-plated Vintage-style/Pearloid Buttons
Bridge/Tailpiece: Chrome-plated Tune-o-matic/Stop Bar
Pickups: 1961 Alnico V Zebra Coil (Neck/Bridge)
Electronics: PCB "Quick Connect" Board/CTS 500K Pots/Switchcraft Toggle Switch
Noteworthy Features: Black "Supreme Grip" Speed Knobs/Custom "120th Anniversary" Inlay
Heartbreaking Revelations
The LPJ was awfully noisy, so I guessed there might be a bad ground connection somewhere. Well, time to open her up. What I saw inside broke my heart. The pickups, toggle switch and output jack were all "quick-connect," and plugged into corresponding sockets on a PCB board. The pots had "Gibson" stamped on them, but were soldered directly to the board via three "upside down" tabs. Not your run-of-the-mill CTS pots, for sure.
The output jack was stamped "Made in China," and uncannily similar to the Neutrik/Rean NYS229s I install in guitars whose owners don't want to fork out the dough for a Switchcraft #11. Now I know why Gibson specifies the output jack as simply being "1/4" mono." Seriously? A made-in-China component in a genuine made-in-the-US-of-A Gibson?
Worst of all, I finally discovered a possible reason behind the grounding issue -- the bridge ground wire was not soldered to the board. It was just stuck into a quick-release socket. Compounding this was the fact that none of the cavities were shielded. Way to go, Gibson!
That did it. I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did not rewire the guitar to "traditional" Les Paul specs. Kindly note that I am in no way implying that there was anything wrong with the stock electronics. I'm sure there are many players out there who don't give a rat's ass about Gibson's cost-cutting measures; or obsess over the fact that their Les Paul's innards now more closely resemble a computer than ever.
Well, me being me; the stock electronics were eventually removed (very carefully) for safekeeping. And soon after, as luck would have it, someone bought the whole lot off me; and had me install them in his Chibson :)
Upgrades
The first thing I did was to order a pair of Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59s (Vintage Blues Set). Yeah, I'm that sort of guy. Other upgrades included a Switchcraft toggle switch, Gavitt braided shielded push-back cloth wire, CTS 500K long shaft pots, Russian caps (0.015uF-Neck/0.022uf-Bridge); and Switchcraft #11 output jack. Pickup/toggle switch/control cavities were shielded with conductive carbon paint; and the backs of the control cavity/toggle switch covers with self-adhesive copper foil.
Corrosion had already set in on the stock tune-o-matic bridge, and it was extremely difficult to adjust the saddles. In fact, the B string saddle was totally frozen. I replaced the bridge with a Kluson KLP-1200N. The shinier nickel plating didn't quite match the matte satin finish on the stop bar; but it worked out okay. Oh yes, I almost forgot; the stock "LPJ" truss rod cover was replaced with a Gibson PRTR-010 (blank).
YouTube Video
Kechik is a young journeyman who has honed his skills at numerous stages, clubs and pubs throughout Malaya. Here's a brief YouTube VIDEO of Kechik making this 2014 Gibson LPJ cry and sing. Enjoy :)
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