50's Holy Grails and Heritage

[les paulverizer]

The world has stoopidly gone "vintage crazy" all right, but we all agree that those Holy Grail '50's Les Paul were among the creamiest soundin' guitars EVER made , but the chances of comin' across one are rarer than a Britney Spears's true artistic statement (well, maybe that's close to impossible......!)

Has anyone ever played one? I mean a 50's Les Paul, not Britney.....

After all the exactly same people that built those iconicly famous J. Page, E. Clapton, P. Green, J. Walsh, guitars are building Heritage axes,......with the same hands!

I personally had an heavily customized 54, like Jeff Beck's "Blow by Blow"' guitar, the absolute best guitar I ever owned...untill I bought my H150; it was a Revelation ;D

Anyone here ever a chance to own, play, compare.....? (Britney, get outta here!!! One day she'll be "vintage" too ;D ;D ;D)

[tulk1]

I did get to play a '52 Gold Top once. About 5 years ago or so. It was really hard to tell it had ever been Gold, as it was mostly just checkered paint. I was handling it like it was a $50k instrument when the owner says, hey, just play it like it's a guitar! So I did. Sounded .... okay. Nothing really special, other than it's ...... heritage!!  8)

[Kazwell]

Good post topic Les paulverizer.

 

Gotta be careful when you say "50s" Les Paul. The guitar went through many incarnations for the first half dozen or so years until we get to the "Holy Grail" period that I consider to be starting around 57.

 

Reason I say this is although true, I played a 52 Les Paul in a music store about 25 years ago, however, due to the fact that it was such an early incarnation of the model, from what I recall, it was no revelation. Would love to play a real late fifties 58 or 59 LP. Played a 59 LP VOS Historic at Eddies, and thought the neck was ridiculously fat.

Evidently the necks varied in size back then. I imagine the quality wasn't all that consistent so even if I do get a chance to play a real one, the question I would have is "Is this supposed to be one of the good ones?"

[yoslate]

I've played (but never owned) probably a dozen '58-59's.  Most were owned by George Gruhn, or my late friend Sam Moss, also a noted authority.  He was most knowledgeable and acquired only eminently playable Pauls.  Some were garden variety in appearance, one had been in a house fire and was refin'd, two or three were spectacular, one of which is now informally referred to as "The Mossburst," definitive tiger flame and honey color, in every way spectacular without being over the top.  They all sounded great!  I did own a '52 which was in pretty rough shape, but it played wonderfully and had the best sounding P-90's ever!  I've been very lucky in Les Paul experience.  Sam later went on to become a Heritage dealer, a huge fan and proponent of the 150!  I owe my awareness of and affinity for Heritage guitars to him.  He was a great player and a greater friend!