Page 77 - Guitar Classics Magazine - The Les Paul Bible 2019

VINTAGE BENCH TEST

and defined, with powerchords having a piano-like
richness. Note-to-note separation is truly exceptional,
yet the transient attack has a slight softness that could
be attributable to the weaker early 50s magnets and
there’s never even a hint of harshness.
Maybe it’s due to the wider pickup spacing, but
the tonal contrast between the two pickups is
marked. The bridge does a sweet kerrang and roar,
but it also has a wiry twang on the low strings and a
subtle bite in the treble. There is a hint of cocked wah
in the upper mids from both pickups and although
there is some quackiness, it provides character
without being too prominent.
The neck pickup is far smoother and jazzier than
the bridge. Single notes have a full and rounded
quality that translates to a distinctly vocal ‘ooh’ as
you play further up the neck. The almost uncanny
cleanup capability is there with both pickups from
10 to one, and the control pots have a smooth and
noise-free response – with the exception of the
slightly scratchy neck tone.
The in-between position produces a sublime
rockabilly-meets-Chet type of tone with the sort of
hi-fi clarity that compares to a DeArmond-loaded
Gretsch. Roll back the bridge volume a tad and
with a hint of overdrive, the tone takes on a horn-like
quality that would be superb for jump-blues soloing
and brassy stabs. IF WE WERE TO CHOOSE THREE
The action is perhaps a tad higher than it could
be, but it’s such an easy guitar to play you soon stop WORDS TO DESCRIBE THIS GUITAR’S
noticing. It’s a mystery why anybody considered it
necessary to change the tuners, because even with TONE, WE’D GO WITH ‘CLEAR’,
vigorous Bigsby activity, the tuning remains stable.
Had 1952 Les Pauls been fitted with a different ‘VERSATILE’ AND ‘BIG’. FRESH TONES
bridge, the neck angle would have worked and had
it been used with a steeper neck angle, the tailpiece AND TEXTURES KEEP EMERGING
would have been fine.
Since it’s such a tough job to re-set a Les Paul
neck, it makes sense to change the bridge and
various options are now available that can turn a ABOVE The guitar has its
’52 into a fully playable instrument with low action original Kluson tuners back,
and improved intonation. The Glaser, Crazy Pig but Schallers were itted at
and Mojoaxe tailpieces will all attach to an original some point
trapeze and the mods are fully reversible. So the neck
LEFT The original switch ring
angle is a non-issue – yet 1952 models remain the is gone, but you can make out
most affordable of 1950s Les Pauls. the outline of where it was

DECISIONS, DECISIONS
If we were to choose three words to describe this
guitar’s tone, we’d go with ‘clear’, ‘versatile’ and
‘big’. This is the type of guitar that never gets dull
or boring, because fresh tones and textures keep
emerging and the neck is such a delight, you simply
don’t want to put it down.
It would be hard decision indeed to choose
between a ’52 and the ’54, but on balance, there’s
some indefinable magic in the earlier guitar’s pickups
that just edges it.

THE LES PAUL BIBLE 77