Need Help!

[Cav]

Just need to find the answers to a couple of questions and thought of no better people to ask then you all. The first thing is iam looking into buying the Gibson custom shop Jimmy Page Les Paul #1 and was wondering if you could point me in the direction of a good dealer to find one? A website would be great. Second question is was Pages number one the 58 or the 59 les Paul? I have read on the net conflicting storys and wanted to find out the truth. Also Gibson issued a 1995, a 1997 and i think a 2005 model of these guitars and i was wondering which has the best Page tone and are they all based off the number one? I thank you for any help in advance and will have more questions to follow.

Regards

Dave

[Skweez My Lemon]

Can't answer your first question sorry. Maybe ask someone at one Les Paul forums.

Page's #1 is more likely a 59 or 60 rather than a 58. The most solid evidence is the white PAF. He uncovered the bridge pickup in November 69 revealing it. No 58s ever got white PAFs and there's no evidence his was ever a replacement. There's a few early shots in May and June '69 where you can see what is called a "Series II" jack plate. Another feature of the 59 and 60 Les Pauls. Again though no evidence it was ever a replacement part. Gibson says its a '59 because of certain measurements they took of it.

The 2003 - 2006 (I think those are the correct dates) JP sigs are the ones that replicate #1. The ones from the 90s were just a JP influenced Les Paul if you will, not a replica of either 1 or 2.

Hope that helps

[Cav]

Thanks very much for the reply. That does help alot.

Regards

Cav

[Evster2012]

I put the Number One as a late 58. One of the first centerseams, as opposed to a sprayed over goldtop body, which is what they did at the time. The pickups and plates were changed out repeatedly over the years, so that's not a viable indicator. In fact (sorry I don't have the photo), you can see in pics from 71 where the jack plate was sideways and rescrewed in at an angle.

Furthermore, I can't place it as a 1960 as Gibson changed the paint chemistry and spray pattern and 1960 Les Pauls have a bit more cherry, and it aged better, so there's less fading.

HUW, wanna chime in? Sorry, but HUW is our resident LP officiando. I defer to him and his expertise!

Anyway, to the first poster, if you can afford a Page model, jump on it! I've played one, and the neck is amazing! However, the neck pickup is waaay lower in output than the bridge one. If you like the rich sound of a LP neck pickup, maybe it's not for you. May I recommend a 59 Custom Shop Reissue? C-shaped neck, and a bit bulky if you have small hands, but what a voice!!!! It positively sings!!!

[huw]

HUW, wanna chime in? Sorry, but HUW is our resident LP officiando. I defer to him and his expertise!

What an intro...

Ok - there are actually two things here:

Firsts, the OP asks if #1 is "the 58" or "the 59". This is because some magazines will say #1 is a 58 & #2 is a 59, where other magazines will say that #1 is a 59 & #2 is a 58.

The answer to that question is simple, & 100% reliable: #1 is "the 58", and #2 is a 59. #2s serial number is well known & makes it a 1959, without room for any doubt at all.

BUT, and here's the second thing, the question remains is "the 58" really a 58 at all?

While we can never be 100% sure, due to that pesky missing serial number, the best guess seems to be another 59. The spec varied slightly from year to year so there is a "58 spec", a "59 spec" & a "60 spec" (original sunburst LPs were only produced for those three years). However, changes did not occur on January 1st each year - this is a gradual process of evolution. So there are guitars built in early 1960 that are "59 spec". While Evster is dead on to say that #1 is the wrong colour for a "1960 spec" (they were more of a tangerine-burst) it could be an early '60, still built to 59 specs.

You get the idea?

Anyway, there is a lot to consider before making any kind of conclusion on this (eg double-white pickups, type II jack socket [before it broke, Ev ] etc), but if I can cut to the chase (in other words if I can skip going over every detail of the guitar just now ) opinion seems to have it down as a 59.

To add to that, Page always said 59, Joe Walsh (who sold it to him) always said 59, & Gibson (when they examined it to make the latest copies) said they measured it & it matched 59 specs.

Finally - to my best knowledge (& believe me I've looked) the idea that it is a 1958 model can be traced back to a single magazine article from 1982. Everyone else has reused that as a basis for their own pieces. And if anyone can produce a reference to it being a 58 from before that, I would really, really like to see it. (That's not sarcasm - I meant that.)

Edited April 24, 2008 by huw

[SteveAJones]

Cav -

I have private film footage of Jimmy's meeting with two representatives from the Gibson Guitars Custom Shop held in the basement of Tower House in Kensington on Nov 17, 03.

The purpose of this meeting was for Jimmy to have the guitar placed into their care for the purpose of producing the limited edition replicas. Jimmy candidly discusses its unique traits and features before wishing them well on the project. If you would be interested

in further details regarding what Jimmy said please send me a PM.

[huw]

Steve

Is that the same footage that Gibson released on the DVD that went with the signature guitars?