How about some pancakes?

[Guest]

Re: How about some pancakes?

I think he was being sarcastic :laugh2:.

Oh, didn't realise that. But I wasn't being agressive/smart posterior/etc. (or at least that wasn't my intention).

 

[Guest]

Re: How about some pancakes?

just like this, cause everyone ought to be more like sonic youth.

slade

Why do you hate me?

 

[Rich_S]

Re: How about some pancakes?

I think he was being sarcastic :laugh2:.

Yes - I forgot to turn on [jest] before I typed my answer.

I have owned three Les Pauls over the years, all with volutes. I personally think thing it's an entirely worthwhile feature - it strengthens a fragile area of the guitar, it doesn't get in the way of playing, and no one but you can see it.

A practical feature that has no place on a Les Paul.

Dang. forgot the [jest] again.

 

[D-EJ915]

Re: How about some pancakes?

just like this, cause everyone ought to be more like sonic youth.

slade

Hahahaha....gives new meaning to "bridge pickup"

 

[TimmyPage]

Re: How about some pancakes?

Hahahaha....gives new meaning to "bridge pickup"

The first 5 times I glanced over that picture I didn't get it, and now I ask.. wtf?

What kind of tone could that possibly get you?

..Is it just me or do the whammys on Jags look really funny (I've always thought Jags were cool but I've never seen one with the whammy screwed in)

 

[D-EJ915]

Re: How about some pancakes?

Yeah the actually mechanism is underneath the plate on those, I can't tell you the specifics as I've never played one but they're different than the other designs.


As for that single...yeah pretty much useless.

 

[danglybanger]

Re: How about some pancakes?

Not useless for sonic youth

You can strum behind the bridge and make all sorts of cool noises, or just get the ambient sympathetic droning of the strings.

Yeah, the spring is under the plate, I'll post a pic of what it looks like under a jag trem later...

Slade

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: How about some pancakes?

Yes - I forgot to turn on [jest] before I typed my answer.

I have owned three Les Pauls over the years, all with volutes. I personally think thing it's an entirely worthwhile feature - it strengthens a fragile area of the guitar, it doesn't get in the way of playing, and no one but you can see it.

A practical feature that has no place on a Les Paul.

Dang. forgot the [jest] again.

I'll go all "anal vintage homo" here...

The volute is only 1/3 the equation with the Norlin headstocks. In 1969 Norlin instituted a lot of changes in Gibson and Les Pauls in particular. First, the size of the headstock. I think the big 70s style paddle is gaudy. It's about as graceful and elegant as a lime green leisure suit with white stitching.

Secondly, the pitch of the headstock was reduced from 17 degrees to 14. (or was it 14 to 12- I forget) Practically, it reduces stress on the area around the nut, so it's ostensibly stronger there. But it also reduces the amount of downward thrust onto the nut. For whatever that's worth...

Then there's the volute.

I'm not in the repair business, but I've seen about as many headstock casualties from both voluted and non-voluted Gibsons... There are those that say the stress that's relieved directly behind the nut is transferred higher onto the headstock, and if you look at the breaks, that's where you see them.

 

[Robbiedbee]

Re: How about some pancakes?

Aside from the big hole (not that I'm chastizing, no worries ), that Les Paul looks like it has aged beautifully, and has seen some good times over the years.

 

[oldschool]

Re: How about some pancakes?

I'll go all "anal vintage homo" here...

The volute is only 1/3 the equation with the Norlin headstocks. In 1969 Norlin instituted a lot of changes in Gibson and Les Pauls in particular. First, the size of the headstock. I think the big 70s style paddle is gaudy. It's about as graceful and elegant as a lime green leisure suit with white stitching.

Secondly, the pitch of the headstock was reduced from 17 degrees to 14. (or was it 14 to 12- I forget) Practically, it reduces stress on the area around the nut, so it's ostensibly stronger there. But it also reduces the amount of downward thrust onto the nut. For whatever that's worth...

Then there's the volute.

I'm not in the repair business, but I've seen about as many headstock casualties from both voluted and non-voluted Gibsons... There are those that say the stress that's relieved directly behind the nut is transferred higher onto the headstock, and if you look at the breaks, that's where you see them.

In most cases I don't give a damn about how one looks as much as it plays. Now that's not to say I don't take care of my guitars. Also I like thin necks and my 75 has one of the thinnest necks on an lp I've ever played.

I think in most cases the only time somebody really cares about the paddle and the volute is if they grew up playing pauls without them first and then saw the change. Otherwise people who aren't old enough to remember the originals weren't prejudiced against them until the lp aficianados told them they sucked or until the RIs appeared.

If you look at the picture, my neck break happened right at the nut and splintered back up the neck towards the body. Luckily it wasn't a clean break. A splintered break allows you to put the pieces back together and gave it stability again.

To me, on the 75, the fact there is less angle on the headstock provides less tension and allows me to play with heavier strings while still being able to bend like hell.

 

[oldschool]

Re: How about some pancakes?

Aside from the big hole (not that I'm chastizing, no worries ), that Les Paul looks like it has aged beautifully, and has seen some good times over the years.

Thanks. She's not much to look at asthetically but she's my baby. And the fact I have so many memories with her keeps me from selling her. I trust Dan's going to get her looking right again. I know it won't be perfect but hell she's not perfect anywhere else either.

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: How about some pancakes?

I think in most cases the only time somebody really cares about the paddle and the volute is if they grew up playing pauls without them first and then saw the change. Otherwise people who aren't old enough to remember the originals weren't prejudiced against them until the lp aficianados told them they sucked or until the RIs appeared.

I don't know... there's a pretty big difference. I "grew up" playing Norlin guitars because they were cheap. I had a bunch of old Juniors and Specials because they were cheap. I do care about what my guitar looks like. I'll fully admit Jimmy Page was a big reason I really wanted to get a Les Paul. The headstock on a Norlin LP Standard or Deluxe doesn't look like Jimmy Page's. It doesn't take an afficianado to notice that. Just as someone wouldn't have a hard time realizing their CBS era Strat looked nothing like Clapton's.

 

[oldschool]

Re: How about some pancakes?

I don't know... there's a pretty big difference. I "grew up" playing Norlin guitars because they were cheap. I had a bunch of old Juniors and Specials because they were cheap. I do care about what my guitar looks like. I'll fully admit Jimmy Page was a big reason I really wanted to get a Les Paul. The headstock on a Norlin LP Standard or Deluxe doesn't look like Jimmy Page's. It doesn't take an afficianado to notice that. Just as someone wouldn't have a hard time realizing their CBS era Strat looked nothing like Clapton's.

There is no difference in the playability of my 60RI and my 75 pancake except my 75 has a thinner neck and I can do more acrobatics on it. Yes, the sound is different. Is one better than the other? I don't think so. It's just different.

When I spoke of aficianados I was talking about vintage owners (whether they purchased them during the original issue or as reissues) who seem to have their nose stuck in the air almost claiming anything less is not worth having which is total bs. They get into all the details from the capacitors to the silkscreening of headstocks and that's fine but spare me the ego of owning one.

We are all influenced by our guitar gods somewhat but I never let that interfere with my musical ear in determining whether a guitar was a player or not. I've played antiques that I thought were dead and I've played cheap off-brands that simply amazed me.

It's a shame that people who have the antiques for the most part can't play them for fear of a scratch. I play all of mine. If I had an antique lp I would play it too. In fact I have a 57 strat I play all the time but I don't think it's the best playing strat I've ever picked up. Guitars can be considered art but to me the whole intent from the beginning was to play them. To play them is to love them more.