59 Burst replica nearing the finish line...

[Scumback Speakers]

I've had a 59 Les Paul burst replica in the building stage for years and it's finally nearing completion. I sourced some 80 year old mahogany wood from Larry Wysocki for the body, and the top is an eastern flame maple. It's got the repro Historic Makeover inlays, Brazilian Rosewood fretboard. It's built with the long neck tenon, and hide glue was used to put it together.

I decided to go with an "unburst" lemon finish so it will just have hints of red/brown around the edges of the top (that's the next painting step this weekend).

The electronics in the guitar are two Gibson PAF pickups (real ones), .015/.033 Sprague Bumble Bees, with 500k CTS pots (old spec w/brass shaft, etc) and wired to 50's wiring specs. Finishing out the guitar will be a bone nut, no wire ABR-1 bridge, a lightweight aluminum stop bar tailpiece with the longer bushings and steel studs for the stop bar, as well as patent pending Grover machine heads from the 50's. The neck profile was duplicated from my 1959 Les Paul Junior.

Been a long time coming (and paying for this beast!), but I should have it in my hands early next month after the nitro cellulose lacquer has finished drying/curing. Some Iphone pics...I'll post more when it's about to be assembled/wired, and after it's done. I'm not divulging the builder's name, so please don't ask.

January 2013
[IMG768]http://www.scumbackspeakers.com/jimspics/replica-1.jpg[/img]

July 2013
[IMG768]http://www.scumbackspeakers.com/jimspics/replica-2.jpg[/img]
[IMG768]http://www.scumbackspeakers.com/jimspics/replica-3.jpg[/img]

[HeeBGB]

Holy F**k that's nice! Sound clips are needed.

[Bob S]

My Oh My Jim !
Stunning.
If you don't have a name picked out, I'd name it Viagra.
For obvious reasons.

[NickC]

Gorgeous already ..... looking forward to seeing her when she's done.

[Blackburn]

Holy Santa Claus shit!

Someone's bound to have a new favorite guitar pretty soon. That top is sooooo sexy. Hope we can get some more shots too. Sweet guitar, Jim. When finished, we need a demo of it using some of your PVC AlNiCos and a nice EL84 amp...

[martin manning]

That's looking mighty fine! All the right stuff in it too... Was the top bought already carved or did you shape it? Very complex geometry in those guitars as compared to slab-like Fenders.

[Scumback Speakers]

Gents, thanks for the kind words. No, I'm not building/carving it. I don't have those skills. I'll tell you this much, it's being built in the same shop that Slash's Derrig LP replica was built in the 80's with the same jigs/etc as Slash's.

If that tells you who's building it, great, but don't post that information online, please. This one is going to be era/build/logo/parts correct, but it will have my custom serial # on it so it can't be mistaken for a real Burst.

[Reeltarded]

I was good friend's with Kris. Congrats on the nice guitar. Beauty top on that one. Certain ones jump out at yah. Rawr!!

[Scumback Speakers]

I was good friend's with Kris. Congrats on the nice guitar. Beauty top on that one. Certain ones jump out at yah. Rawr!!

Thanks. I actually backed into this one. The original client couldn't wait for it to be built. After 28 months he asked me to buy him out, which I did. That was in 2009.

So this one has been going for seven years. Since then my business has increased dramatically and I now have to "schedule guitar playing time" around shipping, packing, building, and answering emails. Hell, even posting on forums has been cut way down due to how busy I am.

And frankly, if I'd known that it would take this freaking long I would have passed, but I finally cracked the whip on the builder and he responded.

Of course, I sent these pics to the guy I bought this from and he's...well...a little upset now.

Then again, 7 years? I'm glad it will be here in about a month. My fingers haven't gotten faster in my old age.

[JazzGuitarGimp]

Don't feel bad, Jim. A few months ago, I finally took delivery of an acoustic guitar that I ordered 17 years ago. I too, had to 'crack the whip', and I felt like a slimebag a$$hole for doing it.

[LeftyStrat]

Absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.

I used to own an old Junior, not sure of the year. It had a wonderful neck. I kick myself for letting it go.

[Scumback Speakers]

Don't feel bad, Jim. A few months ago, I finally took delivery of an acoustic guitar that I ordered 17 years ago. I too, had to 'crack the whip', and I felt like a slimebag a$$hole for doing it.

I don't know why you should, especially since you waited that long. I was told 3-4 years...needless to say seven is well beyond the "I'm good with it..." feeling.

After 17 years I would have just been homicidal. You're a better man than I am. And I have no idea why you feel like shit. I'll admit that I felt bad about doing the threatening posture. But the fact is if I hadn't I'd probably still be "waiting", and I referred this builder five other sales I know of directly.

Absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.

I used to own an old Junior, not sure of the year. It had a wonderful neck. I kick myself for letting it go.

When I bought my buddy Dave Venanzi's old 59 Jr after his widow put it up for sale, I felt bad buying it since she had to pay property taxes. But as she told me..."he would have wanted one of his friends in the South Bay to have it...".

But the neck on this one is so awesome, I used it for the profile of the replica I'm having built. Thanks so much Dave (up there jamming with all the greats that have passed, I'm sure)!

[M Fowler]

What a great looking guitar and that would be exactly what I would commission to have built for myself, dreaming of course.

[LeftyStrat]

Some day I'm going to have my 73 Strat copied. I have a letter from the president of CBS apologizing that it took nine months to deliver the guitar, and apparently they only made three left handed strats that year. They fucked up in a good way. My strat body is almost a quarter inch thicker than any strat I've measured. The neck is wider and flatter.

[crbowman]

Love it!!
That finish gives it a really cool kind of Paul Kossoff vibe.