OK, first Gibson--what and when??

[Paul G.]

1969--I got a 1961 Les Paul Custom. SG shape, 3 PAFs, gold everywhere with
sideways vibrola. The middle pickup got in my way--thus sale and purchase
of:

1970--I got a 1963 SG Special. Arctic white, 2 P90s, Maestro vibrola. Took off
the vibrola and put Grovers on it. This was my only guitar for a while, and my
main guitar even after a 1971 SG Standard came my way (in '72).

It's funny, in those days we didn't think twice about touring in a couple of
rusty old trucks, with no backup equipment at all.

P.

[auger]

Still playing it! Just a Norlins era Paul, but it's got tone to spare, for me anyway.
Had a '76 Marauder that was very nice also, got stolen.
http://hometown.aol.ca/AUGERMANALIVE/Picture+this/lespaul.jpg

[Bob Mc]

It was all I could afford, it was a Gibson and it sorta looked like an LP. As a kid, I didn't get those pickups at all.
I should play one now and find out what they really sound like.

[Aaron Schiff]

My first Gibson was a '58 LP Jr. that I bought in a pawn shop because I hated the necks on Fenders and couldn't afford the really cool solid body of '65, an SG. A few months later I had the big bucks and sprang for a Dove. I put a DeArmond sound hole pickup in the Dove and played rhythm in a band with that, but the LP Jr was my sweet toned introduction to the world of amplified playing. Unfortunately I was embarassed by only having one pickup, so a few years later I gave it to a friend and never saw it again.

[auger]

Those pickups in the Marauder were very tonefull as I recall, but looked strange to say the least, with those see through plastic covers.
I also remember the way Gibson spliced the neck around the second or third fret instead of using one piece of maple, I'm not sure why they did but the neck on mine was great, very stable, and fast to play on.

Man, wouldn't you love to have that '58 Junior now eh? I'd really like to get one or even a later double cut.

[Bob Mc]

At the time my tone consisted of cranking the master on my Quad Reverb to ten, kicking in a Small Stone
and sucking.
Those were Lawrence designed weren't they?

[Mik]

Found it in a consignment shop in '92 paid $250 for it with original case, not a bad deal. The one with the tuna & stop bridge. Black, maple body and neck, ebony f/b. It had been modded with Dimarizios (unfortunately missing the original Bill Lawrence pick ups) and had 2 mystery mini toggles on the guard. Not a bad looking or playing or sounding guitar, in good shape no neck cracks but the frets were so low and wide. Varitone selector didn't seem wired up right, but at least 3 or 4 positions sounded good.

My other guitar (my first electric) was a Tele and after I bought a new Strat in 95 I llost interest in the L6S-the Strat got the Gibson's playing time.

In 97 I traded the Gibson and the Tele in on a new '52RI Tele, and I haven't really ever missed the Gibson.

I'm sure my new LP Jr is gonna have a longer history with me than that L6S.

[auger]

I do know that he designed for Gibson in that era but I'm not sure if he did those or not. It was very easy to get a bluesy or jazzy sound out of them as I recall, and I too was into the overdrive then very much so, and sucking mightily myself! Hehe

Like Mik and his Strat I found that I was playing my Les Paul instead of the Marauder, so I sold it to a friend thinking I could always buy it back, but it got stolen from our rehearsal spot with a bunch of other equipment. Still had the purple velvet lined Gibson case with it, a real shame to see that go to some thief.

[Wally]

The white SG Jr. was my first GIbson....actually my first owned guitar. I rented a red Jr. for 2 months before getting the new white one. In May of '67, I traded the SG in on a new '66 ES-345 TDC, which I still own. My latest Gibson is a '92 Custom Shohp Jimmy Wallace Les Paul with a '60's neck.

[Eric Karonen]

1st was a 1974 L6-S, all black with a tremelo tail, bought in 1989 for about what Mik paid for his. I still use it once in a blue moon, just to dust it off.

2nd was an EB bass. Amazing bottom end.

3rd was a 355. Spent a mint, but haven't regretted it. Whatta guitar.

[Brad]

1968...I'm scrounging around in my gramas basement. Old house with a full size ( kinda scary ) basement full of stuff that she has stored for years. Also home of my uncles high school and college treasures. Lo and behold, I stumble upon a brown faux gator type case with a small gibson logo. I open it up and there is a lime mahogany 57 Les Paul Special. Of course at that time, I did not know a special from a custom, but I did know what a Les Paul was! My grama said by all means I could use it as my uncle would probably never play it again. I'll never forget how excited I was! The first thing I did was send the serial # and a description of the guitar to Gibson. They kindly wrote back and told me it was 1957 Les Paul Special and that it sold for $195.00 brand new. I played that baby till 1980 when I traded it straight across for a brand new ( the now John Scofield model ) Ibanez AS200. At one point, my uncle asked for the Les Paul
( along with the blackface princeton that came with it ) back as his daughter wanted to start learning guitar. He graciously accepted my offer to take a 335 style Lyle guitar ( complete with cats eye holes where the f holes are ) guitar I no longer touched when I go the Paul. I did have to give the Princeton back though. Two months later, the Lyle burnt up in a house fire they had. Great guitar. Played like a dream and the P90's ( while very noisy ) sounded awesome.

[WasBurst]

was a 68 SG Custom, walnut. Great guitar, real skinny neck, killer rock tone. I sold it somewhere around 76-77 after I managed to put a tiny crack in the neck while I was on the road. Some guy in Thunder Bay just "Had to have it" so I left town with his 68 Strat and $800, plus he knew about the crack! The real beauty of this story is that when I got home I took the Strat apart and the neck date was my birthday :shock: . I'm still kickin' my own ass for selling it a few years later.
J.R.

[gibson guy]

Late '70's, and a small guitar shop is going out of business in my neighbourhood. I'd been hanging out there for some time, jammin' with the guys in the basement, that sort of thing. One guy collects Gibsons, but has to sell a few due to financial constraints. He had two he offered me. One was a perfect '63 ES 330 TDC with original case for $450Cdn. The other, a perfect Byrdland for $750. The best I could muster was the $450, so I got the 330. What a guitar. Cherry with the dog ear p-90's. A few years later I sold it to buy furniture! What a maroon. I got $750 for it. Now I could get double that. In the 80's my ex bought me a '59 Les Paul for my birthday, and when we split a few years later, she sold it and kept the money! Ah, the good old days....

[Paul in Colorado]

My first "real" guitar was a mid '60's Jazzmaster that I got when the Strat I wanted (maple neck '50's sunburst) was sold before I could get it. I wanted either an SG or a Les Paul. At the local music store, I discovered a brand new '68 Les Paul Gold Top. I traded the Jazzmaster and financed the balance and came home with this wonderful guitar.
A few years later, I foolishly traded it for a NOS mid-'60's Epiphone Riviera. I still own the Epi, and love it dearly, but I've missed the Les Paul. The reason I sold it was because it had "too much sustain" for the country rock music I was playing at the time. Live and learn.
Fast forward to the mid '90's, when I found a mid '70's LP Deluxe Gold Top. I was going to mod it to make it close to the long gone '68. Instead, in a complicated trade, I wound up with a 1918 Gibson "A" mandolin and a mid '60's Tele that had been refinished and modded that a friend wanted. Once the dust settled and everyone was paid, I found a sweet LP Heritage '80 Standard that I owned until last week. The proceeds of that guitar and a Dobro went to a Historic '56 Quilt Top that's currently between New Hampshire and Colorado.

I've come full circle. From a P-90 Les Paul into a Twin Reverb with JBL's, to a P-90 Les Paul into a Twin Reverb with JBL's. I guess I had it right the first time!

[Geo]

My 1st was an early SG Special with P90s in '68.
It was used of course. I can't remember what year
it was made. It was an early one though.

[Tele295]

1968 ES-330, purchased for $200 in 1988

[G-Man54]

When I was 6 years old I found an old violin and a Gibson acoustic in the closet of the room that used to be my mothers before she was married to my dad. My mother's recall has quickly faded with time as to the particulars of this guitar, but I believe it belonged to my Grandfather's brother, who passed away before I was born (in 1954). I know absolutely nothing about the man but given the fact that my Grandad's brothers would were all born in the late 1800's I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I took lessons for about a year, and my parents suggested I take a 'break for the summer' and the guitar went to the attic where it remained for the better part of the next 12 years... in late '72, inspired by repeated listenings to Mick Taylor of the Stones, and Joni Mitchell, I dug the guitar out and it's been with me thru thick and thin ever since. It's a mid/late thirties L-00 sunburst and plays remarkably well for what was probably a $25 dollar guitar in it's day. Wish I'd been able to grab one of the L-00 reissues about 5 years back, but no such luck. I don't play it a whole lot since it's got a few cracks in the side that could stand to be properly cleated and glued... but I keep it humidified and take it out periodically to impress myself with my good fortune. It's been with me for 44 of its 68 years and I hope to be strumming it in Colorado if/when I make it out there for the big 5-0 this summer...

[Gearjoneser]

In 90, my first Les Paul was a black Std. It was an 86.
Before that, it was pretty much 80's type guitars like Charvels, frankenstrats, and Kramers. I broke outta that in 90, when I was 20. After owning nothing but Les Pauls, Fenders, and PRS McCarties since then, I'd started to miss Floyd guitars. I bought a G&L Invader, and really love that guitar. It feels like a shred type guitar, but the quality is equal to Anderson or Suhr, so it's a joy to play. The Pauls are still king, tho.

[Alucard]

My first Gibson was an early model SG...had the engraved chrome tail piece and a tremelo bar. I was just a kid and didn't know what I had at the time. I ended up selling it when the main volume pot broke. Man I wish I had that one back...
The one I have now, you can see somewhat in my avatar pic. It's a Gibson Invader. Looks kind of like a LP Jr. and has been hot rodded. Someone along the way added pinstriping and a dimarzio pup in the bridge position. The dimarzio screams, but nothing beats the warm tone of the original pup in the neck position for bluesy solos!

[Joe-Bob]

In 1977, I bought a '74 Les Paul Custom tobacco sunburst for $350. After I crashed my mom's Mercedes Benz a few months later, my Dad made me sell it, and give him the money - $450. :cry: :cry:

[MMaker]

In 1962, after suffering a couple of years with a Kay electric with generous 3/4" clearence at the 12th fret, I was allowed to spend $165 of my "College Money" from Grandma, for a J-45!
Played it exclusively for about 14 years, before getting a cheap Univox LP copy after the service.

[Oster]

My first was a red Melody Maker. I thought that it would be a 'tide me over' type guitar but I never really needed to replace it.

[agent2x4]

My first Gibson solid body was a 60's SG, bought used in 93-94...it was horrible! Never stayed in tune, even with several different techs poring over it. It made me foolishly scared of Gibson SG's in general for quite a while. Oh well...I was new at this back then....

[Oster]

agent2X4:

Did you hang on to that SG or did it go? In hindsight, was the guitar at fault or are you saying that you now understand its idiosyncracies more but didn't then.

I ask this because I find that 'tuning issues' with a guitar tend to be the bane of beginners. Speaking from experience, I used to blame certain good guitars of mine for:
A - Going out of tune all the time.
B - Constant broken strings.
...when it was in fact my own clumsy newbie approach at fault.

I can see this tendency especially with Gibsons which, when you look at the classic designs, weren't really made for 6 note bends or divebombing vibrato.

What year was the SG and if you replaced it, what Gibson are you playing now?

[Core]

My first ever Gibson was a 1976 natural finished L-9S Ripper. I bought it in 1981 after seeing "The Last Waltz" movie (by The Band) for about the fiftieth time. I really liked the bass. It was stolen in 1989. Shame.

First six string was my 1968 SG Standard - bought the same year as the Ripper. Neck heavy, club like neck, worn out frets, rotten pots... but when you played it, you couldn't stop. Kept it for 20 years, selling it in 2001 to a guitar-maker friend of mine, who did a magnificent job or restoring it.

Here's my old Ripper:
http://www.coreguitars.co.uk/gib%20ripper500.jpg

and my first SG...
http://www.coreguitars.co.uk/gib%20sg%20std%2068.jpg

[agent2x4]

I don't remeber the year of it any more...I'd guess at 64-65. I think it was just a clunker...sometimes you just get a bad one. If it happened today, I'd probably make a wall hanger out of it rather than trade it.

I have an 03 SG now...and I love it. The G string acts kind of funny on it though, especially in open chords close to the nut...sometimes it's sharp...sometimes seems flat. It goes in tomorrow to see what's up with that. I'm thinking maybe the nut slot might be cut wrong or something.

[MMaker]

Yeah, I had a bad SG too. Early '70's maybe.
Slide switches, terrible mini-humbucker size fingerrest lookin' (like big Melody Maker) pu's.
VERY flexible neck.
A real bottom feeder.
I've been shy of SG's since, though something draws me to the SG LP Jr types.
Never had another, though.

To be fair, I had a ES-235 (I think) with the same pickups, and a back access panel, slide switches etc (Like an ES 335, except REALLY poor), that was also a loser.
Norlin had some rough spots, though I once had a spectacular '72 ES-355 that I sometimes miss. :cry:

[thebluescat]

My first is a 1997 Les Paul Standard. I bought it at the beggining of this week and its being shipped to me as we speak. Cant wait till it gets here.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y78/noor_noor/LesPaul.jpg

Cat

[Joe-Bob]

My first was a "74 LP Custom in tobacco Sunburst. Wish I still had that one.

[thunderbyrd]

my 1st gibson was a walnut "The Paul" i bought in 83. i never could work up much love for it. i consider the 1st "real" guitar i ever owned to be the american standard strat i bought in '96. but that was the old days, i own a wonderful LP goldtop and a sweet sweet SRV strat these days. :D

when i first started trying to play back in early 70's, i could never afford good stuff, i had to try to learn on oddball no-name substandard junkers with missing tuning pegs, half-inch action, etc, etc. so when i started playing again in 95, i made up my mind that even if i never became a great player, i would at least own great guitars!

[RDS]

2003 Les Paul Studio Plus AA flametop, purchased July 2006.:biggrin:

[cvansickle]

This is mine, a 1979 Silverburst Custom. Bought it new in 1980. To this day, it is still my number 1.

http://home.comcast.net/~cvansickle/Custom05.jpg

[Gibson-Talk]

In 1999 I decided to buy a Les Paul. I went to the Dallas Guitar Show with $2,500 in cash and I was going to leave with a LP.

Trouble was, all the good LPs were $8,000 and even the new LPs were $2,500 at the least. I didn't want a Studio... just because I wanted my first LP to be the "right" one. I searched and searched and didn't really find anything.

I did stop by a stand with a few PRS McCartys and those felt so nice. At the end of the show it came down to a golden Used McCarty for $1,400 or a Wine colored LP, (I think it was a Std) brand new for $2,200. I took the McCarty.

But I should have known better. It never felt right. I wasn't right. A year later I sold it for $1,200 at the Austin guitar show.

After a number of years of study I decided that I wanted the oldest LP I could afford. I like old guitars, not new ones. I sold 2 or 3 fenders and saved and started looking at Heritage 80's. 20+ years old. Pretty cool. Well liked. And available.

I searched via the Internet because I lived in a remote place, and I finally found, after 4 months of searching, my '81 Gibson Les Paul, Heritage Award.

It's a great Gibson. A real Gibson. And, probably going up in value right this very minute.

[S. Rock]

I first became acquanted with a Gibson Les Paul around 1968. it belonged to my cousin that was a few years older than me. so, the quest started. fast forward to 1985. I was in Ruston, Louisiana. at the time there was a local advertisement type of newspaper that came out every week. it had a variety of items for sale. well, one week out of boredom, I was looking at all of the ads. there it was. I went to look at the guitar. the case was in great shape. inside of the case was a 1973 Les Paul Deluxe for $350.00. that was my first Gibson guitar. and yes, I still have it.

[mikeinorlando]

I got mine a couple of years back, It's a 90 Studio lite with tone for days. I bought it off flea bay for 600 bucks, thinking it was a steal. Well the joke was on me, as the guitar was so oxidized, the pickup screws wouldnt turn. After a ton more mony, replacing everything on the guitar, I have a bona fide keeper. I put burstbuckers pro's in it and sperzel tuners...new hardware throughout, and for about 1100.00 dollars, I ended up with this creampuff. This thing has sustain for days and the ebony neck plays well. I know I could have bought a new one with the money I spent, but in the end, Im happy I fixed this one...it's got mojo if nothing else....the finish is checking nicely and I would consider it a light relic, naturally reliced here she is....

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff192/pedrorox2003/1991%20Gibson%20Les%20Paul%20Studio%20Cherryburst/c9d5ffe5.jpg

[anfontan]

The first Gibson I bought was called an SG-200. It has 2 single coil pickups that were mounted in big chrome pickup rings, the neck pickup was angled like a Tele's bridge pickup while the bridge pickup wasn't. The pickups were selected with 2 slider switches, I bought it from a friend from high school when I was about 18. Ah-ha I found a picture of one thats been refinished, mine was a dark brown color..

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l161/Anfontan/SG-200_3.jpg

[zontar]

My first (and only) Gibson is an early 70's Les Paul Custom that I bought back when Jackson Were all the rage, at the start of the so called "Super Strat" era. Everyone seemed to wanted the flashy guitars.

I wasn't specifically looking for a guitar, but I did have some money saved up. I had wanted a real Les Paul for a number of years, having had a Les Paul copy for my first electric. I especially felt drawn to Customs.

A friend told me a local music store was having a "Dutch" auction. On Wednesday everything was 20% off, Thursday 30%, Friday 40% and Saturday 50% off. They were open late Thursdays--so I checked it out on Thursday to see what they may have that I'd like on the Saturday for half price. In the corner of their electric guitar room I saw a used Les Paul Custom. I had to try it out--and it clicked with me right away. I was very tempted to buy it that night--but the extra 20% off was a big incentive. On Friday I almost went there after to work to see if I could get there before closing, but the extra 10% was still worth it.

On Saturday I slept in. I frantically got up & rushed to the store. Making my way to the electric guitar room I saw it was packed. I was hoping the Les Paul was still there. It was! Everybody was too busy gawking at the Jacksons, but not me. I grabbed the Les Paul, strummed a chord, and most of the people there looked at me--and some were kicking themselves for not grabbing the Les Paul--which was a great price. It was less than half of most of the Jacksons. One of them actually spoke out loud about regretting not grabbing it first.

It was mine, it was meant to be.

The previous owner had changed the pickups & the bridge was worn out, but it was such a great price it was no big deal to replace those part. I also replaced the Grovers, which weren't original either. The guitar doesn't have a lot of vintage value, but it's still a great guitar.

[Bluesman345]

My first Gibson was an ES-125 (single P90), back in '72/'73. I then got an SG (possible a Jr. or Special - only 2 knobs) that had been modded with 2 Gibson-engraved humbuckers, Schaller tuners, a Bigsby, a master volume, and a phase switch. It was stolen, so I bought a Les Paul Deluxe (added phase switch and master volume). The LP was stolen, along with a Peavey Classic amp. In '78 I bought a red ES-335TD, which I kept for about 18 years. I sold it to a major music store and walked out with a new MIJ '62 Reissue Strat + $800 in my pocket. My heart still aches when I think of that guitar. BTW, I never paid over $550 for a Gibson! Now I play Epi's and I still get the old Gibson vibe! I am very happy with my gear and hope that I'll never get rid of it :-D

[indianation66]

My first guitar was a Gibson guitar...a 1984 Gibson Les Paul Studio Standard, made from
'83 to '87 or so...may be off a year. I had to sell it during leans times several years ago. Luckily, those times are behind me now, and it soon a Standard will grace my home once again. However, the "click" must be there...

Addendum: I've learned over the years how much I don't like gold hardware. My Les Paul had the gold, but the next one won't. It was a painful loss, but the last I heard it made it from Dallas to somewhere around the Milwaukee area...how time, sound and strings travel.

...wisdom

[JohnnyCrash]

I started learning on a borrowed black '80s Les Paul Custom. Then went to Bass.

The first Gibson I owned was in 2001, a brand new black '57 reissue Les Paul Custom. Full circle, but much better than the black beauty I learned on. Before that, I had been playing Telecasters exclusively.

[tazzboy]

2000 Les Paul Classic that I bought in 2001 it was ok, but I didn't care much for the ceramic pickups I evently trade it and amp I had (Peavey Ranger 212) for Gibson ES 335 RI that I didn't care for after while and then I traded that in for Couple of Stratocaster and later I aquired a thrid strat and saw the 82 Les Paul Standard last year and trade a 3 stratocaster for the 82 Les Paul Standard that I have.

[KennyF]

My first Les Paul was an '85 LP Custom in Ferrari Red, just like the one in the picture below.

I wish I still had it.

http://www.kennyf.com/images/85LPC.jpg

[kevin134]

My first and only Gibson to date is my 1949 Gibson BR-9 lapsteel bought back in maybe January of '08. unfortunately original p-90 is missing replaced with a unknown pup that screams pretty well through a '69 vox ac 30 a local shop has so not completely disappointed(I'm just learning how to play so could not tell you how it sounds through my Goblin amp). Also, original tuners are gone(probably disentegrated), replaced with some other type...just found original style Klusons at a local shop, might buy those and put them on. Not sure I'll ever be able to afford another real Gibson(only paid $375 for the BR-9), though I just saw a "The Paul" for $400 locally, anyone wanna buy a mim Tele for $325?... Last thing, not sure the case is original as I have not seen any other BR-9's with the same case, the shop with the ac-30 told me they think its a Gibson case but did not think it was a BR-9 case and yes, couple of the medicine bottles in the case are real not the reissues....found them in the inlaws garage filled with screws..LOL


http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/6/l_eb74ee5b98a640669b16acde22273ad8.jpg

[dsharman]

My first Gibby was a Melody Maker that I bought around 1970. I was used, so was probably a mid 60's guitar. The story on how that one got away is not a happy one. In 1972 I bought the Gold Top Deluxe that I still have and still gig with.