Upgrades to my GM Les Paul Std....What Else?

[Jeff_H]

Re: Upgrades to my GM Les Paul Std....What Else?

How did the Callaham stuff change things?

I haven't been able to play it yet with the new Callaham bridge, because the saddles are not cut. My hope is that it will add some extra clarity to the tone and give tighter bass, without making the overall tone too bright. I bought an extra set of saddles direct from Callaham, as a $30 insurance policy. If I don't like the way the bridge and tailpiece sound, I can put the new uncut saddles back in and return the bridge and tailpiece for the $250 they cost me.

I'll report back once I have made the permanent change.

“GM” ?

Oh Gary Moore?

Yes, Gary Moore Les Paul Standard. I never imagined that this would be the Les Paul I would buy. I had my mind set on a traditional or an older early 2000's standard. But when I saw the top on this guitar and the great one piece back, I was intrigued. After talking with the prior owner about it in depth, I decided to take a leap of faith and wound up with a guitar that is not only pretty, but one that has a very nice natural tone.

[esandes]

Re: Upgrades to my GM Les Paul Std....What Else?

I'm actually surprised how light and flimsy Gibson's tailpieces are. That must translate something less than desirable into the tone. Or should I even question the wizards at Gibson. You sure are.

[Jeff_H]

Re: Upgrades to my GM Les Paul Std....What Else?

I'm actually surprised how light and flimsy Gibson's tailpieces are. That must translate something less than desirable into the tone. Or should I even question the wizards at Gibson. You sure are.

Well, I think over the years Gibson has proven they cut costs in a number of ways. There are also arguments that on the real 50's bursts they chose the hardware metal for cost reasons alone and not to enhance tone. The original bursts supposedly had aluminum tailpieces and Zamak bridges, a cast material. The one thing I question, maybe because I'm ignorant, is the affordability of aluminum in the 50's. It had just been adapted to airplanes during WW II I believe, so I thought it was still a relatively scarce commodity; but I could be completely wrong.

As for replacing your Gibson hardware... it's a purely personal choice. Some people swear by lightweight aluminum stop tails as the vintage correct material. I did for years because that was what I learned here and on the net. It was the wisdom of the time. Why did I choose the more expensive Callaham steel hardware? Because I like his strat products so much and his reasoning for using steel makes sense to me. It may be complete hooey, who knows.

The fact is that a good majority of people leave the stock hardware on their Gibson's the entire time they own them, and are perfectly happy loving the tone of their guitar. Only you can decide where to spend your money and you can only tell if a hardware upgrade is worth it if you try it. Hell, I'm taking a complete set of TonePros hardware off my guitar. For some people that's the ultimate upgrade.

I'm probably closer to the nutty side of the spectrum honestly. I just like to put "my stamp" on my guitars so I feel a more personal connection to them. It feeds and satisfies my OCD as much as anything.

With all that said, and in my opinion only, I think there are better hardware choices than the stock Gibson parts. At least a quality ABR-1 to replace the Nashville bridge and a quality stop tail. Aluminum or steel, that's up to you.

[jeremy]

Re: Upgrades to my GM Les Paul Std....What Else?

i havent used a callaham lp bridge but if i needed a replacement, id probably go that way too. i have their strat and tele bridges and they are top notch