Incoming: NGLPD

I don't actually think it looks especially 'girly', though, and I do applaud these new finishes in LP models. I hope they continue in this direction- there are enough sunburst LPs out there if you want them.
 
I don't actually think it looks especially 'girly', though, and I do applaud these new finishes in LP models. I hope they continue in this direction- there are enough sunburst LPs out there if you want them.

I agree. Its like buying a full size pickup truck and lifting it because it wasn't "manly" enough.

Nothing about it girly, just a classy retro look.
 
The word “retro” makes no sense as you used it. It certainly does not have a classic, from-the-past look...outside of it simply being a guitar design from the’50s. It looks like a guitar that is using an old template, and trying to stand out as “modern” (and losing attractiveness because of it, would argue).

It is not being modified “because” the guitar itself is not “manly” enough. It’s not about my desire not to be associated with “girly” things. I have plenty of light toned guitars, but cream on metallic green simply does not look as good as it could to me...and those clear knobs are just plain ugly. It’s being modified because it’s cosmetically too light for me, and it looks like it’s struggling to try to stand out as contemporary (i.e. the opposite of “retro”). The result is gaudy (i.e. the opposite of “classy”) to me. “Stereotypically girly” was an offhand and tongue-in-cheek description of the way it looks to me, not my inner psychological reasoning for going to dark plastics.

It’s a lot more like buying a full size pickup truck that’s metallic pink with cream pinstripes, and painting over the pinstripes with black to give it a darker and more contrasty look. Lifting a pickup is basically a complete rebuild of the underside. That isn’t happening here. It’s exterior cosmetic trim changes.

I am not bothered by different cosmetic opinions about the thing...but I definitely am bothered by mosquitoes.

FWIW, these are $500 guitars, retail price, and not rare. Any kid with a summer job can get one...especially you, with your I refuse to pay any more than 20 percent off rule! I say have at it.
 
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Cool color. That’ll look sweet with black appointments and open coil pickups. I’d leave the pick guard off.
 
Imagine these with black batwing guards and witch hats with thumb cutters. Yummy!

Would also look great with a half guard...but that always looks slightly odd with a stop tailpiece.
 

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Yeah, the red one would look killer with the black appointments. I'd like to see the blue one with a set of P90's.
 
Excellent purchase.

The local neighborhood music store just put out a LP Muse and a green Muse SG.
Looked at it and though about the olive green that Fender used a few years ago - a really understated / noble color .... Agree with changing the pickup rings and knobs, as the original items make the guitar seem incomplete. I had to pick it up and gave it a try. The neck was closer to a taper style rather than the thicker vintage style necks and it was very comfortable. The LP was equally as nice.
Both this and the LP Muse seem like really nice guitars for the price.

Also, I've got a PAF Master set in one of my SG's and really like them in this guitar.

Have to agree with you, the bridge has snap and stringiness while the neck has a rounder character. Once you do the change, would you please post your observations concerning the PAF Master bridge in the neck.

Thanks.
 

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^ Will do.

I might end up putting each pickup in its intended spot in the end. The output difference might be too extreme. We shall see what happens. But like I said, I have swapped bridge and neck pickups on modern balanced sets before, and liked what I got.

I had a hard time choosing between the four pickups made in the PAF Master and PAF '59 sets. In the end, I mostly ignored output and DCR, and let the e.q. numbers be my deciding factor. I chose the neck pickup that had the highest mids in relation to the treble. I like a neck pickup that has a mid bump ("mountain" shaped e.q.) – not a bright top end. And I like bridge pickups to be cutting and bright, with lots of treble and high mid, and not a ton of low end. I chose the bridge pickup that gave me the highest treble rating while having the same bass rating as the neck pickup. Since the guitar does not have an onboard bass control, I want the bass setting on the amp to apply equally well to both pickups.

DiMarzio makes choosing quite easy, though. They give you all this, with a minimum of mouse clicks – not to mention easily being able to order different bobbin colors, baseplates, bobbin materials, lead types, and hardware colors through Sweetwater without shop floor custom fees. Duncan should take note, and emulate.

PAF '59 Neck:

Output 202
Bass 5.0
Mid 5.5
Treble 5.5
DCR 8.2K
Degaussed A5

PAF '59 Bridge:

Output 215
Bass 5.5
Mid 5.5
Treble 5.0
DCR 8.5K
Degaussed A5

PAF Master Neck:

Output 193
Bass 4.5
Mid 5.5
Treble 5.5
DCR 7.36K with differently "tuned" coils
A5

PAF Master Bridge:

Output 278
Bass 5.0
Mid 6.0
Treble 5.0
DCR 7.69K
A4
 
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Nice guitar man! I'm a huge fan of what Epiphone's got going on with this "Muse" line. I wish they had more of the same Epi Muse color options for the Gibson Les Paul Modern. Oh well... guess I'll have to snag an epi
 
Imagine these with black batwing guards and witch hats with thumb cutters. Yummy!

Would also look great with a half guard...but that always looks slightly odd with a stop tailpiece.

I think with finishes like this, it would be a shame to cover them up with pickguards.
 
Beautiful. And light. Plus, blackback and a belly cut. Great guitar!

Looking forward to another pic of it with the black rings & knobs and a set of zebras.
 
Parts for the mods started arriving today.

Found this for a few bucks used, shipping included. Right typeface and right color lettering for what I want (white, not gold), and better quality stamping than the brand new three dollar ones that I could find.

An original black Epi jack plate and a handful of genuine Epi jacks are on the way from China. Epi jacks and plates have the excellent no-twist feature, which appears to be proprietary, hence the tracking down of OEM parts for that part of the project. Plus, it means that I don’t have to fill and drill for the slightly differently sized Gibson jack plate.

I might want to sell off the stock wiring as a complete, unaltered set (except for the pickup and switch wires being pulled), which is why I bothered to buy new jacks.
 

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