cliffenstein
Active member
Some years ago I owned an LC-500 and loved it. I sold all my gear at one point and have sorely missed it ever since. I honestly never thought I'd have a chance to get another one. Then I happened upon an LC-550, which is the exact same guitar but with gold hardware instead of chrome. The Wilkes Barre, PA Music-Go-Round had it for sale for just $400. Being that I knew what it was, I grabbed it quick...real quick.
I brought it home and changed a bunch of stock parts to mirror Ronnie Younkins' from Kix 1971 LPC (his guitar has been my favorite Les Paul since I was a kid).
1. Replaced all gold hardware with chrome (down to the screws).
2. Replaced the stock Aria Pro Alnico V pickups with an old Gibson 490R/498T set.
3. Put on strap locks.
4. Replaced the plastic input jack plate with a nickel one.
5. Replaced pickup rings and poker chip (black to cream).
6. Replaced the knobs (black speed knobs to gold top hat with silver inserts).
I then dropped it off with Doug at DWard Guitars to get the rosewood fretboard ebonized (dye it black and then seal in the color with oil), cut the nut so that 11's don't bind, and a setup.
This guitar is flat out awesome. It was made in 1977 (with the "made for export" headstock design) to almost exact 1974 LPC specs (differences are lack of open book cut in the headstock, double arrowhead inlay instead of split diamond, wide binding at the cutaway instead of thin binding, maple neck instead of mahogany, and poly finish instead of nitro).
.8" at the 1st fret
.96" at the 12th fret
1 11/16" bone nut
Maple neck
Mahogany pancake body w/solid Maple cap
Long tenon
ABR-1 bridge
Weight: 9 lbs
PICS:
I brought it home and changed a bunch of stock parts to mirror Ronnie Younkins' from Kix 1971 LPC (his guitar has been my favorite Les Paul since I was a kid).
1. Replaced all gold hardware with chrome (down to the screws).
2. Replaced the stock Aria Pro Alnico V pickups with an old Gibson 490R/498T set.
3. Put on strap locks.
4. Replaced the plastic input jack plate with a nickel one.
5. Replaced pickup rings and poker chip (black to cream).
6. Replaced the knobs (black speed knobs to gold top hat with silver inserts).
I then dropped it off with Doug at DWard Guitars to get the rosewood fretboard ebonized (dye it black and then seal in the color with oil), cut the nut so that 11's don't bind, and a setup.
This guitar is flat out awesome. It was made in 1977 (with the "made for export" headstock design) to almost exact 1974 LPC specs (differences are lack of open book cut in the headstock, double arrowhead inlay instead of split diamond, wide binding at the cutaway instead of thin binding, maple neck instead of mahogany, and poly finish instead of nitro).
.8" at the 1st fret
.96" at the 12th fret
1 11/16" bone nut
Maple neck
Mahogany pancake body w/solid Maple cap
Long tenon
ABR-1 bridge
Weight: 9 lbs
PICS:
Last edited:
