It was fun checking out this “mystery” guitar. I’m happy that it turned out to be a “best case scenario” for the consignee! www.troglysguitarshow.com www.reverb.com/item/47023980?_aid=growsumo&gs_partner=Trogly
My buddy Doug Aldrich picked up a '68 Gold Top w/P-90s last year and as many GT's he owns, he's fell in love with. Still wish Henry didn't pull the Doug Aldrich Black Hornet model project. Talking to Doug's wife about that, yep my thoughts are true, Henry Jerk-No Wits was a jerk about the project like he was with Neal Schon
Literally like a college course on Gibson guitars that just never ends. Semester after semester we get videos that only get better and much more informative. Can't agree more, my fave channel to.... I actually used his internet service recently to confirm a 1964 Gibson SG Special was what I thought it was. Austin was correct and it was completely original. Austin suggested listing it for $4800 and to expect top sell it for $4000... It sold in 10 minutes for $4700...
Dude dont do it in about 24 months that black fake rubber will turn to dust!! And it happens fast! China is incredible at making crap last just long enough! Don't thke my word for it , ask anybody who has done the same kind of stuff you just did. You think you have found a super cheap method for something and it will bite you in the butt, your guitar deserves better!!!
@@terryrobertson111 not sure why your saying that, I been watching him for a few years and his knowledge and advice is improving, As far as the guitar I personally don’t care if it’s a true collector, I play the F*** out of guitars, I’d prefer one I’m not afraid to breath on.
@@terryrobertson111 he's not the number one expert, and I don't think he's claiming to be, but he's definitely a reliable source if you know how to research other than listening to just him.
Thanks for the review Austin The Seymour Duncan Antiquities are solid pickups no matter what style. For a player instrument it looks and sounds pretty great. Gotta love a Gold Top and P90s.
Whenever I’m too fed up with the “real world” or people, bad weather, bad fake news, climate manipulation, warfare, widespread crime…I come here and just remember what’s really important…GUITARS!!!🙌🏽👏🎶❤
@@HenritheHorse I agree the color does look off, however through the years each guitar's finish will age differently depending on how much sunlight it had been in as well as environmental conditions. My personal favorite are the older Goldtops that have aged and taken on a gold/caramel color.
Great and fun video to watch before I head off into work this morning, thanks Trogly! Having an older vintage guitar like this it's like having an old vintage classic car from around the same era. It's going to be hard to find it with its original paint but this looks like a pretty nice refinish. Still a great-looking guitar and sounds nice. It was coo and interesting watching you decipher everything and showing the clues for what types of pickups and the neck joint and headstock repair Etc well done!
2:10 i’m kind of a nut when it comes to the headstocks of Gibson’s because it’s my favorite when the headstock is perfectly sharp and proportional at the top and a lot of Gibsons have it and a lot don’t. My father has a 1990s SG that has the same thing. This Les Paul in this video is a perfect example of a nice headstock in my opinion.
@@sethgross3904 Maybe it's your speakers/ equipment, .... or maybe you just don't like distortion, and that's OK, because Les Paul himself would have agreed with you, without a doubt.
I have an actual 68 gold top standard- I bought it in' 70 from a local player. He'd broken and rplaced the jack plate (non- Gibson). The orginal bridge bowed about 6 years later and I made the mistake of replacing it with a Stars bridge but that has held up. Also, the case- rectangular box with gold/yellow velour lining, lost it's orinal handle, and the clasps have worn and only one works. The later, more contoured cases made much better sense.
23:19 My guess is it runs through the broken piece and the rest of the headstock, probably because they had a hard time creating tension with a vice without it slipping so it helped prevent that and reinforce the repair. Not speaking from experience just a guess.
$3,200 would be a top evaluation, I might add. With a guitar that has virtually all new parts, I would recommend selling the case separately to someone who owns a stock LP, and using a later case for this rebuilt player-grade guitar.
@@terryrobertson111 Nope, that's a 69. Open tops on the "b" and "o" in the logo, no volute, and no "Made in USA" stamp which are 69 specs and the transitional neck tenon was never used past the late 60s.
@@revgregory No dot in the "i" on the Gibson logo says it's not a '69. Also, headstock veneer has been replaced it seems. Looks like it was replaced by a cheap chinese replacement veneer. no MOP glow to it at all. Probably done when the guitar was refinished. As for the Made in the USA stamp, I've seen a few Gibsons from the 70's that left the factory without it. Gibson quality control it seems. My '74 Deluxe barely has the Made in USA impressed into the headstock, it's so faint. Also, my '74 barely has a volute. Almost non-existant. Again, Gibson consistency and quality control. Only way to tell for sure is to measure the headstock width. Late 60's headstocks were still kind of narrow. Early 70's were a little wider and by the late 70's they were huge.
@@terryrobertson111 100% '73-'75 and definitely a complete refinish. I agree that the headstock overlay looks replaced also. 891xxx serial number of this guitar dates it pretty definitively outside of 1969 also and puts it in the early-mid 70s.
I'm pretty ignorant about vintage guitars but I can tell everything about my Gibsons (the oldest is a '93) just from the serial numbers. It even tells me the week it was finished and where. I'm guessing that wasn't the case back in the '70s?
As an example of how confusing vintage and older Gibson serial numbers can be, Trogly has a 1977 LP Deluxe for sale that has an 8 digit serial number. Right now I'm holding in my hand my original warranty card from my old 1977 LP Deluxe, the example I owned only had a 6 digit serial number! Even the modern Custom Shop Les Paul R9 Re-Issues can be confusing as the serial number does not specify which Decade they were built! That is when era specific build specifications and potentiometer mfg. dates become seriously important.
It certainly has all the changes a player would make. I would love to own this it’s beautiful and less than a modern day custom shop. I’d take vintage any day. Antiquities can be superior to actual Gibson pickups too although it’s verboten to say that. Duncan P90s are my favourite pickups of all time.
What a beautiful guitar. I honestly loved this video, Trogly! I hope you make this into a series. Super interesting stuff. If I had the $, that Goldtop would be mine! I wish I never sold my P90 Goldtop…
I have a late 69 goldtop. I would have to say that I think the decal on yours was replaced. 69 LP are known to not have a dotted “i” in the Gibson logo. Also 69’s came with black knobs.
@@terryrobertson111 Wow! Sorry to hear that. Btw, love your show. I’ve started my own channel and wondering if you’d give advice from time to time if I need help?
Now that... that is my kinda LP. 69 is my birth year. I've got a Strat from '69 but always wanted a Gibson from that year too. I love me a Goldie, plus the P90 pups make it a win-win. I can always hear the difference when someone who's used to playing humbuckers switches to P90's. The little blighters are much more responsive to your pick attack & also revealing your mistakes lol.
Looks like somebody wanted their dads old guitar "refreshed" and some shop took em for a ride. put new gear in, then sold the vintage stuff afterwards.
You're becoming quite the guitar slinger as well as having a great RUclips channel! Something tells me those are screws in the headstock covered with crazy glue and baking soda.
I like the sound balance between the pickups and the quality of wiring. That is a working man’s guitar and you can make a lot of good music. I wish I had it, I have looked for a guitar like that. It is real and has” haints” in it The spirit of the Gibson from the greats who played them. Towards the end of your playing demo I got chill bumps.
Well, I was there in the '60s and '70s and the gold top always seemed to sparkle to me. This one you said has a "lemony" paint job. I don't recall them showing yellow. It was a great guitar to play and you could get a kind of hollow-scream out of it. I'm a Fender man all the way but this was a fun guitar to play. I was 18 in '69 and I had my draft number.
Don't think it's a '69. I have a '69 LP GoldTop. It originally had P90's and was swapped out for '63 humbuckers (I knew the original owner before he had the work done). It isn't a sandwich (pancake body) guitar and has no volute. This is likely early '70, but it's hard to tell during transition years.
Funny he "wouldn't care" about this guitar's headstock repair when I've seen him backing off from better looking headstock repairs than this guitar when guitar hunting.
More than likely he has a different set of criteria as a purchase to resell would be very different from buying a person instrument as a player. He must be doing something right because his entire income s from buying and selling guitars with his RUclips gig to enhance his instruments visibility. I've always enjoyed guitars and have been buying and working on them since 1974, even with all the knowledge I've gained through all these years I could never make a living brokering them as I reliably buy high and sell low........
I can’t believe that people don’t like the bigger headstocks. I get that they’re not traditional, but they’re so damn cool. I like the big 70s headstocks on fenders too though.
I swear every time I hear trogly start talking about the different parts of the guitar and then move onto the tone demos it puts me to sleep like a baby...in a good way. Just knocks me out every time
Just had one of my goofy brainwaves. Trogly, could you potentially do a review of 2 guitars together, one being a run-of-the-mill 70s Telecaster and a standard Les Paul or SG of the same era? The coolest thing would be if you could examine both and draw any parallels between CBS (Fender) and Norlin (Gibson), as far as shortcomings of that timeframe when each company was owned by the respective conglamorate. Various details from different retrospectives have convinced me there are similarities.
It has been said that the threaded bridge mounting posts of the ABR-1 transmit more efficiently the string vibrations into the guitar's body. This is thought to be the case because the threaded posts of the ABR-1 are sunk much deeper into the guitar's top and body as compared to the Nashville Bridge's threaded inserts. The ABR-1 posts are sunk all the way through the maple top into the mahogany body where as the threaded posts of the Nashville bridge are shallow by comparison and are only sunk into the maple top of the guitar. Also, the metal used in the ABR-1 bridges is thought to be superior in quality and density as compared to the cheaper modern Nashville bridge. I have converted several Gibson Nashville bridges to the ABR-1 and have personally noticed a noticeable improvement of the guitar's tone and volume when strummed acoustically. Many people consider the true ABR-1 bridge with a vintage installation using the threaded rods deep into the guitar's body to be superior. It should be noted why Gibson switch to the Nashville bridge. The Nashville bridge with its threaded inserts eases the manufacturing process by speeding up the time needed to install it. Also, the Nashville bridge is less expensive being it is made from a cheaper blend of cast metal. The Nashville bridge offers more adjustment range for setting intonation, thus it's installation position on the guitar leaves more wiggle room (tolerance) from a manufacturing time/cost standpoint.
It would be great to see more mystery Gibsons. People could send you their frankenstein guitars and you figure out what the started life off as. Great video.
Actually there were plates down in the bottom of the pickup route and the P90s floated through machine screws to go through the two holes in the middle ove the p 90s and floated on Springs mounted via the machine screws to those plates underneath
I purchased new, a 1968 LP Deluxe direct from the factory, thinking it would come with P90's but instead, it came with full-size humbuckers with black rings. Unfortunately, I sold it a few years later to buy an LP Custom (fretless wonder). Unfortunately, a few years later, I sold .... And it never ended. 😀
I'm honestly surprised anyone would pay over a few hundred bucks for a guitar in that condition. Like I would think that would destroy all value. All replaced parts, refinish, cracks, headstock repair, gouges, resin...like I really don't understand why anyone would want to buy that.
Today’s the first time that I’ve used earbuds to watch your show and I never knew you had X-Files type music playing in the background during your “black light” segment 😂
Growing up in that era, we as players using these guitars as tools had to remove a lot of the stock components because the replacements were so much better. Or so we thought.....
I've seen much worse that still surprisingly don't affect the guitar's tuning stability. One of my friends has a 1980s Tokai Les Paul with a headstock break that looks like it was repaired by a couple of Kindergartners! Shockingly the guitar plays and sound fantastic, as such the ugly repair has remained unchanged since the 1990s for fear that messing with it or trying to fix it better may somehow effect or degrade the guitar's great playing and sounding condition.
My 76 Deluxe has two anchors for each pickup. They have bushings set into the top similar to the tailpiece. I have a Wine Red which supposedly only 14 were ship in 76.
My mid 70s Deluxe is beat to hell due to actually using it for years. I acquired it in the early 80s and don't care about the finish or value of it. It has a big fat 50s neck carve and a previous owner routed out the bridge pup for a full sized humbucker; a common practice of that era. I installed Dunlop straplocks on mine to prevent a broken headstock. Define "overspray". You tossed the word around so much it made no sense. Flat case would make me run away; you can get a nice SKB or Gator on Amazon for cheap to make it look real.
Yup. I'll remember these pups when I get my first LP style goldtop. It will not be a Gibson. I'm not huge into them as I am tooooo poor. Hahah. But I've heard and seen some extremely convincing epiphones and LTDs thankfully. Sounds good man. You have been playing a bit lately. Hahah.
It’s a good looking guitar. But I don’t understand how an obvious husk rebuild with a broken neck. There is no way that anything on that guitar is original. Is still worth anything over two grand? Yes, the husk is a “69”. But it’s got a broken neck! I’d have to send it up to canaderp 🇨🇦. To have Todd woodford put a couple splines in the neck and do a total once over on it! Then, it still ain’t got not one original part on it! I’m sorry and not trying to hurt any feelings! But it even sounds like a 12-$1500 dollar guitar. I’ll give ya an A+ on the sales pitch trogley. But to ask upwards of four grand for a broken les Paul is just begging for a lawsuit! Sorry! Just one guy’s opinion
Two years ago, I'd have agreed with you, but things have gone crazy since early 2020, including for husks over 50 years old. When nice collectors ones are going for over $20k, there aren't many player grade ones from the late 60's out there that are still _actually_ playable, so supply and demand drives the price up. Would I pay around $4k for a refinished husk with neck damage and all parts replaced? No, but that doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't.
I'd like to know, what exactly would the basis for said lawsuit be? As another commenter has already pointed out, someone thought it was worth $4K and didn't have to spend much time thinking on it, since the guitar sold in less than an hour of being posted.
@@procrastinator6902 would ya? Would ya like to know? The lawsuit is a fuckin joke! Bottom line! It’s still an old piece of shit with a broken neck! For four grand?? Congratulations to whoever bought it. I’m sure that your new broken neck guitar will make you a better player
Didn't we see something like this go through a tornado? I think once guitars like these are created it takes on a life of it's own, and it's difficult for it not to stick around and be a successful instrument for decades to come. look what some of them go through, and look what they can still do.
That's a tried and true repair there to put that dowel pin there. Who ever worked on that guitar knew what they were doing. Of course it drops the value but it's in no way of a don't buy.
I just did a serial number lookup on this one, the stats are as follows year: 2009 / 2019 plant: nashville, tn model:1958 Les Paul / Explorer / Firebird / Flying V / Futura Reissue Year: 2089 Plant: Nashville, TN Model: 1965 Firebird V & VII Year: 1058 Year: 1966 - 1969 So based on that, and the information provided, I'm going to guess that this was a '69 Les Paul
Maybe after the head stock broke all the parts were taken off and sold, reused else where or lost. Then somebody got the husk and had it repaired and rebuilt.
I don't know why but I've never heard a Seymour Duncan pickup sound good yet. They always sound second rate and cheap to me. Thats all this guitar is lacking now is a good sound, which is what an instrument is for anyway.
I've been replacing pickups in all my guitars since 1977, always chasing that tone. 4 years ago I purchased a vintage Marshall Plexi and like magic I've found that switching back to the factory original pickups in my Fender and Gibson guitars sounds best. Seriously, I ended up repurchasing almost a dozen Fender and Gibson pickups for all my guitars and couldn't be happier. What the Seymour Duncan pickups have going for them is a pretty good consistency, back in the '70s and '80s pickups consistency was all over the place from the aftermarket companies. At least that is the way I remember it!
@@hkguitar1984 I agree nothing sounds like the magic of a Gibson pickup - I'm partial to the mini's and t-tops, but yeah, love your playing of rain song 😁👍
Very good review. However, the crown inlays are not pearloid acrylic like current Gibsons, but pearloid celluloid, used by Gibson up the the 2000's. Also, a Pro Deluxe us easy to spot, it's fitted with an ebony fretboard. Keep up the good work!
Your playing just keeps getting better and better!!!!! Love your show....Ive only said this once before and that was to my 6th grade math teacher, you are a GREAT TEACHER!!!! Now, Ive said it twice......:-)
I thought the logo looked like a repro too, it doesn't look like mother-of-pearl. Also, did the 69-era LPs have the high-silkscreened gold script and that "Les Paul" engraved truss rod cover?
@@fredmerrill4002 He says right in the video that the trussrod cover is a modern replacement.... he even showed the packaging with the original black two ply cover.
The dotted i in Gibson and the high Les Paul Model silk screen are both normal for a late 69 deluxe. Plus Trogly is an experienced Norlin era collector.
Thanks David, sorry I must've missed when he said that. I didn't think it was a fake overall, just possibly a replacement logo veneer. I actually like this one a lot, the gold looks much nicer than the one on my 70s Tribute, even if the hue isn't exactly right.
@@davidtiekstra1731 The high silk screen is expected on a 69 along with no dot on the i which sometimes shows up into early 1970. I've been watching Austins' channel for the past decade and he does fine videos while learning on the job.
Watching was well worth my time, and I learned a lot. Terrific review. Also, thanks for using some era-appropriate licks to showcase the SD pickups - very helpful.
Nice but unfortunately John Norum left to play with dokken in 1986. The great unknown guitarist to fill in was Kee Marcello who played the live tours and recorded 2 albums (out of this world and prisoners in paradise) till Europe took a break in 1992.
It was fun checking out this “mystery” guitar. I’m happy that it turned out to be a “best case scenario” for the consignee!
www.troglysguitarshow.com
www.reverb.com/item/47023980?_aid=growsumo&gs_partner=Trogly
Ik freakin love it, ik also very very curious about the 295, as a big Scotty Moore fan....
Can you please document that one as Well??
It's not on your shop. did this sell already?
@@TooBarFoo Yep sold already ... Click the reverb link in his comment and you'll see
What kind of amp did you play through?
My buddy Doug Aldrich picked up a '68 Gold Top w/P-90s last year and as many GT's he owns, he's fell in love with. Still wish Henry didn't pull the Doug Aldrich Black Hornet model project. Talking to Doug's wife about that, yep my thoughts are true, Henry Jerk-No Wits was a jerk about the project like he was with Neal Schon
my favorite guitar channel
Hell yeah
Ditto
Literally like a college course on Gibson guitars that just never ends. Semester after semester we get videos that only get better and much more informative. Can't agree more, my fave channel to.... I actually used his internet service recently to confirm a 1964 Gibson SG Special was what I thought it was. Austin was correct and it was completely original. Austin suggested listing it for $4800 and to expect top sell it for $4000... It sold in 10 minutes for $4700...
I for one would be suspect of a vintage guitar case that DIDN’T smell like smoke!
That smoke tells stories of clubs and gigs and life.
I can see the truth in that. It could also be some form of decoy.
Maybe it could've stayed at home, but even then, avoiding smoke in the 50s-80s sounds impossible.
@@ericbgordon1575 for a guitar that worked over, that thing has been over the mountain in one way or another.
That's true enough, @@Daddy53751. I think my décoy comment might have been meant in jest.
@@ericbgordon1575 😹 you wrote “decoy”
I buy black Dollar Store flip flops to cut up for foam under my P90s. A little double-sided tape and good to go 👍
Great idea I bet that foam last for ever. I'm going to definitely use this idea on my new build I'm starting next weekend.
or an old mousepad
Dude dont do it in about 24 months that black fake rubber will turn to dust!! And it happens fast! China is incredible at making crap last just long enough! Don't thke my word for it , ask anybody who has done the same kind of stuff you just did. You think you have found a super cheap method for something and it will bite you in the butt, your guitar deserves better!!!
Can't tell you how much I enjoy the forensics of documenting an unknown guitar!
You are becoming quite the Gibson detective Trogly!
He's a fraud
@@terryrobertson111 not sure why your saying that, I been watching him for a few years and his knowledge and advice is improving,
As far as the guitar I personally don’t care if it’s a true collector, I play the F*** out of guitars, I’d prefer one I’m not afraid to breath on.
@@terryrobertson111 he's not the number one expert, and I don't think he's claiming to be, but he's definitely a reliable source if you know how to research other than listening to just him.
Thanks for the review Austin
The Seymour Duncan Antiquities are solid pickups no matter what style.
For a player instrument it looks and sounds pretty great.
Gotta love a Gold Top and P90s.
I hear you brother. A Goldie with P90's, what's not to love? All the best from (not so) sunny Blighty.
Whenever I’m too fed up with the “real world” or people, bad weather, bad fake news, climate manipulation, warfare, widespread crime…I come here and just remember what’s really important…GUITARS!!!🙌🏽👏🎶❤
What is climate manipulation
@@fallenmango8420 looks like someone is withholding some info from us 🧐
Trog,
Not to put any pressure on you,
If you don’t lay hands on the Violin Tele,
The enemy wins.
the strad telecaster, the stradocaster if you will
The gold paint was inside the holes that were drilled later for the P90s, so it has to be refinished
And the colour looks off.
@@HenritheHorse I agree the color does look off, however through the years each guitar's finish will age differently depending on how much sunlight it had been in as well as environmental conditions.
My personal favorite are the older Goldtops that have aged and taken on a gold/caramel color.
@@hkguitar1984 sunlight, and cigarette smoke, that can yellow the clear coat pretty significantly.
I agree.
@@hkguitar1984 I like the greenish goldtops!
4:37 everything from that era, from guitars and garages to chairs and children had a slight cigarette smell to them. They were good for your health.
Great and fun video to watch before I head off into work this morning, thanks Trogly! Having an older vintage guitar like this it's like having an old vintage classic car from around the same era. It's going to be hard to find it with its original paint but this looks like a pretty nice refinish. Still a great-looking guitar and sounds nice. It was coo and interesting watching you decipher everything and showing the clues for what types of pickups and the neck joint and headstock repair Etc well done!
More of these please! It’s great to see what one can do with a vintage husk and a lot of time
Great job sir, very interesting video. Mysteries are always fun!
2:10 i’m kind of a nut when it comes to the headstocks of Gibson’s because it’s my favorite when the headstock is perfectly sharp and proportional at the top and a lot of Gibsons have it and a lot don’t. My father has a 1990s SG that has the same thing. This Les Paul in this video is a perfect example of a nice headstock in my opinion.
I went to purchase the guitar.
And it's already been sold in less than an hour.
Wow, that was quick.
This guitar would have been a great purchase, who would have thought it would sell so quickly!
I'm not surprised, it sounded _awesome,_ especially with distortion.
@@pulaski1 unlikely. his distorted demos always sound like shrill garbage.
@@sethgross3904 Maybe it's your speakers/ equipment, .... or maybe you just don't like distortion, and that's OK, because Les Paul himself would have agreed with you, without a doubt.
@@pulaski1 must be a preference thing. I can’t even think of what those tones are similar to. I’m guessing user error.
I have an actual 68 gold top standard- I bought it in' 70 from a local player. He'd broken and rplaced the jack plate (non- Gibson). The orginal bridge bowed about 6 years later and I made the mistake of replacing it with a Stars bridge but that has held up. Also, the case- rectangular box with gold/yellow velour lining, lost it's orinal handle, and the clasps have worn and only one works. The later, more contoured cases made much better sense.
23:19 My guess is it runs through the broken piece and the rest of the headstock, probably because they had a hard time creating tension with a vice without it slipping so it helped prevent that and reinforce the repair. Not speaking from experience just a guess.
$3,200 would be a top evaluation, I might add. With a guitar that has
virtually all new parts, I would recommend selling the case separately
to someone who owns a stock LP, and using a later case for this rebuilt
player-grade guitar.
This guitar is a 74 not a 69. I posted twice about it and Fraudly keeps deleting the post.
@@terryrobertson111 how do you know?
@@terryrobertson111 Nope, that's a 69. Open tops on the "b" and "o" in the logo, no volute, and no "Made in USA" stamp which are 69 specs and the transitional neck tenon was never used past the late 60s.
@@revgregory No dot in the "i" on the Gibson logo says it's not a '69. Also, headstock veneer has been replaced it seems. Looks like it was replaced by a cheap chinese replacement veneer. no MOP glow to it at all. Probably done when the guitar was refinished. As for the Made in the USA stamp, I've seen a few Gibsons from the 70's that left the factory without it. Gibson quality control it seems. My '74 Deluxe barely has the Made in USA impressed into the headstock, it's so faint. Also, my '74 barely has a volute. Almost non-existant. Again, Gibson consistency and quality control. Only way to tell for sure is to measure the headstock width. Late 60's headstocks were still kind of narrow. Early 70's were a little wider and by the late 70's they were huge.
@@terryrobertson111 100% '73-'75 and definitely a complete refinish. I agree that the headstock overlay looks replaced also. 891xxx serial number of this guitar dates it pretty definitively outside of 1969 also and puts it in the early-mid 70s.
That is not 50's wiring. Cap starts from the pickup leg on the pot hence not 50's wiring.
I'm pretty ignorant about vintage guitars but I can tell everything about my Gibsons (the oldest is a '93) just from the serial numbers. It even tells me the week it was finished and where. I'm guessing that wasn't the case back in the '70s?
1977 was the first year of the serial number that makes the most sense and is still used today
As an example of how confusing vintage and older Gibson serial numbers can be, Trogly has a 1977 LP Deluxe for sale that has an 8 digit serial number.
Right now I'm holding in my hand my original warranty card from my old 1977 LP Deluxe, the example I owned only had a 6 digit serial number!
Even the modern Custom Shop Les Paul R9 Re-Issues can be confusing as the serial number does not specify which Decade they were built! That is when era specific build specifications and potentiometer mfg. dates become seriously important.
Yeah there was literally an R8 on Norms channel they couldn't tell was a 2003 or 2013
It certainly has all the changes a player would make. I would love to own this it’s beautiful and less than a modern day custom shop. I’d take vintage any day. Antiquities can be superior to actual Gibson pickups too although it’s verboten to say that. Duncan P90s are my favourite pickups of all time.
What a beautiful guitar. I honestly loved this video, Trogly! I hope you make this into a series. Super interesting stuff. If I had the $, that Goldtop would be mine! I wish I never sold my P90 Goldtop…
I have a late 69 goldtop. I would have to say that I think the decal on yours was replaced. 69 LP are known to not have a dotted “i” in the Gibson logo. Also 69’s came with black knobs.
you're right. that's because it's a 74 not a 69.
@@terryrobertson111 ahhh, that explains it. Did you mention that in the video? How much did it sell for?
@@analogblues9606 I've posted twice on his page stating several facts as to why it's a '74 and not a '69 but he keeps deleting my posts,.
@@terryrobertson111 Wow! Sorry to hear. Btw, love your show!
@@terryrobertson111 Wow! Sorry to hear that. Btw, love your show. I’ve started my own channel and wondering if you’d give advice from time to time if I need help?
Thank you Detective Trogly !
Can you take a look at the Larry Carlton Sire guitars? Are they worth the money? Been looking at their Les Paul copy.
Now that... that is my kinda LP. 69 is my birth year. I've got a Strat from '69 but always wanted a Gibson from that year too. I love me a Goldie, plus the P90 pups make it a win-win. I can always hear the difference when someone who's used to playing humbuckers switches to P90's. The little blighters are much more responsive to your pick attack & also revealing your mistakes lol.
I'm wondering if after the head stock was broken, the guitar was stripped to a husk at that point.
Looks like somebody wanted their dads old guitar "refreshed" and some shop took em for a ride. put new gear in, then sold the vintage stuff afterwards.
I love how when you get a greenish yellow gold top against the green screen it becomes a coppertop. Which is also a good look 👀
You're becoming quite the guitar slinger as well as having a great RUclips channel! Something tells me those are screws in the headstock covered with crazy glue and baking soda.
These “detective” vids are my favorite!!!!
I like the sound balance between the pickups and the quality of wiring. That is a working man’s guitar and you can make a lot of good music. I wish I had it, I have looked for a guitar like that. It is real and has” haints” in it The spirit of the Gibson from the greats who played them. Towards the end of your playing demo I got chill bumps.
Well, I was there in the '60s and '70s and the gold top always seemed to sparkle to me. This one you said has a "lemony" paint job. I don't recall them showing yellow. It was a great guitar to play and you could get a kind of hollow-scream out of it. I'm a Fender man all the way but this was a fun guitar to play. I was 18 in '69 and I had my draft number.
Mine is showing lots-o-green...a true Goldtop.
@@alwaysopen7970 yea I’m surprised trogly didn’t comment on that. Most of the player level vintage gold tops I see have some green on them.
What's the riff starting at 30:49?
Don't think it's a '69. I have a '69 LP GoldTop. It originally had P90's and was swapped out for '63 humbuckers (I knew the original owner before he had the work done). It isn't a sandwich (pancake body) guitar and has no volute. This is likely early '70, but it's hard to tell during transition years.
Yes. Pancakes didn't come in until the 70's. I bought one in '75. All the 68 and 69's I have ever seen were not pancake.
Funny he "wouldn't care" about this guitar's headstock repair when I've seen him backing off from better looking headstock repairs than this guitar when guitar hunting.
Were those guitars he backed off of collector pieces or players guitars?
More than likely he has a different set of criteria as a purchase to resell would be very different from buying a person instrument as a player.
He must be doing something right because his entire income s from buying and selling guitars with his RUclips gig to enhance his instruments visibility.
I've always enjoyed guitars and have been buying and working on them since 1974, even with all the knowledge I've gained through all these years I could never make a living brokering them as I reliably buy high and sell low........
I have a '69 Goldtop with P90s and mine and most others I've seen have the dot over the 'i' in Gibson missing. I think the Deluxes restored the dot?
I can’t believe that people don’t like the bigger headstocks. I get that they’re not traditional, but they’re so damn cool. I like the big 70s headstocks on fenders too though.
Large headstock with a volute - all day long!
I swear every time I hear trogly start talking about the different parts of the guitar and then move onto the tone demos it puts me to sleep like a baby...in a good way. Just knocks me out every time
lol..me too!
Just had one of my goofy brainwaves. Trogly, could you potentially do a review of 2 guitars together, one being a run-of-the-mill 70s Telecaster and a standard Les Paul or SG of the same era? The coolest thing would be if you could examine both and draw any parallels between CBS (Fender) and Norlin (Gibson), as far as shortcomings of that timeframe when each company was owned by the respective conglamorate. Various details from different retrospectives have convinced me there are similarities.
THANK YOU, @Eddie Yarrow Eisman!
8:21 What exactly are the ABR-1 benefits?
It has been said that the threaded bridge mounting posts of the ABR-1 transmit more efficiently the string vibrations into the guitar's body. This is thought to be the case because the threaded posts of the ABR-1 are sunk much deeper into the guitar's top and body as compared to the Nashville Bridge's threaded inserts. The ABR-1 posts are sunk all the way through the maple top into the mahogany body where as the threaded posts of the Nashville bridge are shallow by comparison and are only sunk into the maple top of the guitar.
Also, the metal used in the ABR-1 bridges is thought to be superior in quality and density as compared to the cheaper modern Nashville bridge.
I have converted several Gibson Nashville bridges to the ABR-1 and have personally noticed a noticeable improvement of the guitar's tone and volume when strummed acoustically. Many people consider the true ABR-1 bridge with a vintage installation using the threaded rods deep into the guitar's body to be superior.
It should be noted why Gibson switch to the Nashville bridge. The Nashville bridge with its threaded inserts eases the manufacturing process by speeding up the time needed to install it. Also, the Nashville bridge is less expensive being it is made from a cheaper blend of cast metal. The Nashville bridge offers more adjustment range for setting intonation, thus it's installation position on the guitar leaves more wiggle room (tolerance) from a manufacturing time/cost standpoint.
im not finding it on the website? I was really hoping it was a 1970 because my birthdate is jan 4th of 70 . Great show as always Austin. God Bless
It would be great to see more mystery Gibsons. People could send you their frankenstein guitars and you figure out what the started life off as. Great video.
Really love this one!
Great sounding!
Actually there were plates down in the bottom of the pickup route and the P90s floated through machine screws to go through the two holes in the middle ove the p 90s and floated on Springs mounted via the machine screws to those plates underneath
I purchased new, a 1968 LP Deluxe direct from the factory, thinking it would come with P90's but instead, it came with full-size humbuckers with black rings. Unfortunately, I sold it a few years later to buy an LP Custom (fretless wonder). Unfortunately, a few years later, I sold .... And it never ended. 😀
I'm honestly surprised anyone would pay over a few hundred bucks for a guitar in that condition. Like I would think that would destroy all value. All replaced parts, refinish, cracks, headstock repair, gouges, resin...like I really don't understand why anyone would want to buy that.
Today’s the first time that I’ve used earbuds to watch your show and I never knew you had X-Files type music playing in the background during your “black light” segment 😂
LOL
Growing up in that era, we as players using these guitars as tools had to remove a lot of the stock components because the replacements were so much better. Or so we thought.....
Love how the reflector knobs glow. I have those on my 60’s standard. My special has those black knobs whatever they’re called b
Great review Trogly! That guitar sounds great! Please review a Schecter USA PT - they are so good they will make you re-think Gibson and Fender!
What a disaster headstock repair!
I've seen much worse that still surprisingly don't affect the guitar's tuning stability.
One of my friends has a 1980s Tokai Les Paul with a headstock break that looks like it was repaired by a couple of Kindergartners! Shockingly the guitar plays and sound fantastic, as such the ugly repair has remained unchanged since the 1990s for fear that messing with it or trying to fix it better may somehow effect or degrade the guitar's great playing and sounding condition.
@@hkguitar1984 I’m sure it still plays fine, but it looks absolutely terrible. If it were mine, I would have that repair repaired.
It's hard to judge a repair without seeing the mess you had to repair.
Trogly add some Neil Young riffs sometime
30:12 that part of the jam gave me "Sure Know Something" vibes
Hell yeah a new video, and a vintage Les Paul my favorite
Trogly's in the HOUSE!!!
@@c.f.875 And yet... here you are! Hahahahahhaha
Ilooks like the neck binding dont complete the fret end . I think it's a chibson
My 76 Deluxe has two anchors for each pickup. They have bushings set into the top similar to the tailpiece. I have a Wine Red which supposedly only 14 were ship in 76.
27:32 "It blends well with the middle pickup too." What? You meant the middle position?
My mid 70s Deluxe is beat to hell due to actually using it for years. I acquired it in the early 80s and don't care about the finish or value of it. It has a big fat 50s neck carve and a previous owner routed out the bridge pup for a full sized humbucker; a common practice of that era. I installed Dunlop straplocks on mine to prevent a broken headstock.
Define "overspray". You tossed the word around so much it made no sense.
Flat case would make me run away; you can get a nice SKB or Gator on Amazon for cheap to make it look real.
Love the older Les Paul guitars, thank you
What a sweet player. That's the nicest playing demo I've ever seen you do. You might want to keep it.
Yup. I'll remember these pups when I get my first LP style goldtop. It will not be a Gibson. I'm not huge into them as I am tooooo poor. Hahah. But I've heard and seen some extremely convincing epiphones and LTDs thankfully. Sounds good man. You have been playing a bit lately. Hahah.
so its a 1969 les paul. apart from the pickups, tuners, plastics, electrics, hardware and paintjob.
I didn’t even know Gibson made a square Les Paul case
It’s a good looking guitar. But I don’t understand how an obvious husk rebuild with a broken neck. There is no way that anything on that guitar is original. Is still worth anything over two grand? Yes, the husk is a “69”. But it’s got a broken neck! I’d have to send it up to canaderp 🇨🇦. To have Todd woodford put a couple splines in the neck and do a total once over on it! Then, it still ain’t got not one original part on it! I’m sorry and not trying to hurt any feelings! But it even sounds like a 12-$1500 dollar guitar. I’ll give ya an A+ on the sales pitch trogley. But to ask upwards of four grand for a broken les Paul is just begging for a lawsuit! Sorry! Just one guy’s opinion
Two years ago, I'd have agreed with you, but things have gone crazy since early 2020, including for husks over 50 years old. When nice collectors ones are going for over $20k, there aren't many player grade ones from the late 60's out there that are still _actually_ playable, so supply and demand drives the price up.
Would I pay around $4k for a refinished husk with neck damage and all parts replaced? No, but that doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't.
Yeah, it sold in less than an hour so.... lol
I'd like to know, what exactly would the basis for said lawsuit be? As another commenter has already pointed out, someone thought it was worth $4K and didn't have to spend much time thinking on it, since the guitar sold in less than an hour of being posted.
@@procrastinator6902 would ya? Would ya like to know? The lawsuit is a fuckin joke! Bottom line! It’s still an old piece of shit with a broken neck! For four grand?? Congratulations to whoever bought it. I’m sure that your new broken neck guitar will make you a better player
@@timothycormier3494 The new owner is going to be pissed if he tries to resell it later.
Imagine receiving a free vintage Gibson!
I love these Videos, you can tell that puppy was a work horse for more then one cat.
The stories it could tell. Thanks 😎
Didn't we see something like this go through a tornado? I think once guitars like these are created it takes on a life of it's own, and it's difficult for it not to stick around and be a successful instrument for decades to come. look what some of them go through, and look what they can still do.
Like people
I thought 69 lp Gibson logo didn't have the dot above the i?
I got news for ya... That's exactly how you string a guitar back then AND today!
That's a tried and true repair there to put that dowel pin there. Who ever worked on that guitar knew what they were doing. Of course it drops the value but it's in no way of a don't buy.
Why do you find the saddles on the bridge 3 are backwards ??
I just did a serial number lookup on this one, the stats are as follows
year: 2009 / 2019
plant: nashville, tn
model:1958 Les Paul / Explorer / Firebird / Flying V / Futura Reissue
Year: 2089
Plant: Nashville, TN
Model: 1965 Firebird V & VII
Year: 1058
Year: 1966 - 1969
So based on that, and the information provided, I'm going to guess that this was a '69 Les Paul
Maybe after the head stock broke all the parts were taken off and sold, reused else where or lost. Then somebody got the husk and had it repaired and rebuilt.
My 70s Ibanez LP had that bridge. The brass saddles were supposed to help with sustain. Anyways I’d rock the hell out of that guitar 😏
Austin, have a question….does the guitar’s tonality change between bone nuts & nylon nuts?
I don't know why but I've never heard a Seymour Duncan pickup sound good yet. They always sound second rate and cheap to me. Thats all this guitar is lacking now is a good sound, which is what an instrument is for anyway.
I've been replacing pickups in all my guitars since 1977, always chasing that tone.
4 years ago I purchased a vintage Marshall Plexi and like magic I've found that switching back to the factory original pickups in my Fender and Gibson guitars sounds best. Seriously, I ended up repurchasing almost a dozen Fender and Gibson pickups for all my guitars and couldn't be happier.
What the Seymour Duncan pickups have going for them is a pretty good consistency, back in the '70s and '80s pickups consistency was all over the place from the aftermarket companies. At least that is the way I remember it!
@@hkguitar1984 I agree nothing sounds like the magic of a Gibson pickup - I'm partial to the mini's and t-tops, but yeah, love your playing of rain song 😁👍
Totally agree! I hate Seymour Duncan pickups! They need to put some Tone Specifics in there 😊
If the headstock ain't broken, it ain't a real Gibson!
Very good review. However, the crown inlays are not pearloid acrylic like current Gibsons, but pearloid celluloid, used by Gibson up the the 2000's. Also, a Pro Deluxe us easy to spot, it's fitted with an ebony fretboard. Keep up the good work!
Our guitar player had a '69 GoldTop ,had P90's in it. Ended up in a pawnshop!!
I’m not sure this is a ‘69 Trog. The dot above the i on the headstock logo would place it post ‘72
Nice guitar. When you were demonstrating the sound, it looks more like a copper color than a gold.
Your playing just keeps getting better and better!!!!! Love your show....Ive only said this once before and that was to my 6th grade math teacher, you are a GREAT TEACHER!!!! Now, Ive said it twice......:-)
Would of come with Gibson deluxe tuners not kluson deluxe
Your videos rock, dude. Please don't stop doing these..
I have a red 70's deluxe... epiphone reissue 😁
Dotted i in Gibson is not a 69. Logo and neck joint look non-Gibson. Is it a fake? Have it checked by a Norlin experienced collector maybe?
I thought the logo looked like a repro too, it doesn't look like mother-of-pearl. Also, did the 69-era LPs have the high-silkscreened gold script and that "Les Paul" engraved truss rod cover?
@@fredmerrill4002 He says right in the video that the trussrod cover is a modern replacement.... he even showed the packaging with the original black two ply cover.
The dotted i in Gibson and the high Les Paul Model silk screen are both normal for a late 69 deluxe. Plus Trogly is an experienced Norlin era collector.
Thanks David, sorry I must've missed when he said that. I didn't think it was a fake overall, just possibly a replacement logo veneer. I actually like this one a lot, the gold looks much nicer than the one on my 70s Tribute, even if the hue isn't exactly right.
@@davidtiekstra1731 The high silk screen is expected on a 69 along with no dot on the i which sometimes shows up into early 1970. I've been watching Austins' channel for the past decade and he does fine videos while learning on the job.
Great video. I'm not really a Gibson guy, but I learn a ton from your videos! 👍
You can get rid of the smoky smell by putting an Ozium can in the case. It releases ozone and will neatralize the odor.
What about the frets? RE fretted? I saw newer Gibson Les Pauls where the binding didn’t cover the end of the frets. Is this normal for that year??
Watching was well worth my time, and I learned a lot. Terrific review. Also, thanks for using some era-appropriate licks to showcase the SD pickups - very helpful.
Late to this one but that bridge is a replacement new stock Kluson. I have 2 with the same markings.
Nice detective work!
Congrats to the new owner!! Its an absolutely stunning example.
I wouldn’t have a problem with owning that guitar.
I'm guessing it's a good refret, u roll the edge of the binding to give the appearance of nibs. Still a very cool guitar.
Nice but unfortunately John Norum left to play with dokken in 1986.
The great unknown guitarist to fill in was Kee Marcello who played the live tours and recorded 2 albums (out of this world and prisoners in paradise) till Europe took a break in 1992.
Excellent video, I love watching this channel… keep up the good work☘️