Page 80 - Guitar Classics Magazine - The Les Paul Bible 2019

LOVE YOUR LES PAUL

SWAP YOUR TAILPIECE GO NYLON REMOVE YOUR THE PETER GREEN MOD
PICKUP COVERS

INSTALL
GET A NEW NO-LOAD
JACK PLATE TONE POTS TRY 50S-STYLE WIRING
REMOVE YOUR PICKUP COVERS plate will line up with the old one. tailpiece is screwed tight to the body, the
1This is one of the earliest modifications If you want to keep the original look, angle might be too sharp, increasing the
players performed on their humbucker- simply install the plastic plate on top chances of string breakage. One solution
equipped Gibsons. It was generally thought of the metal one. is to feed the strings through the tailpiece
at the time that removing the covers made from the pickup side and wrap them over
the pickups sound louder. In fact, players THE PETER GREEN MOD the top of the tailpiece. Proponents –
who removed their covers were probably 3During his time with Fleetwood Mac, among them Joe Bonamassa – claim that
just hearing a little more treble, because Peter Green’s Les Paul had a very distinctive you get the tonal benefits of tailpiece-to-
the capacitive effect of the covers caused sound in the middle position. There are two body contact coupled with more sustain
high-frequency roll-off. Loose covers ways you can replicate this. After removing and a slinkier playing feel, akin to swapping
can also be a cause of microphonic the cover of one pickup (we’d suggest the a set of 11s for a set of 10.5s.
feedback. Vintage nickel-silver covers neck), slacken off the baseplate, slide out
were very thin and kept treble loss to the magnet then flip it around (not over) TRY 50S-STYLE WIRING
a minimum, but later covers – especially to reverse the magnetic polarity relative 5If you own a soldering iron, this is one
thick brass ones – did the upper frequency to the coil. Tighten the baseplate up, of the simplest and cheapest mods around.
response no favours. refit your cover if you use one, and you’re They call it ‘50s wiring’ because it’s the way
done. Alternatively, you can flip the phase Gibson hooked things up until around 1962
GET A NEW JACK PLATE electronically by reversing the hot and and the only actual difference was that
2Every guitar design has its weak spots cold connections. the company connected the tone control
and the jack plate is the Les Paul’s – to the output (middle) tag of the volume
because the slim plastic plate is all too easy BECOME A TOP WRAPPER control rather than the input (outer) tag.
to snap. The solution to this dilemma is 4In addition to providing an anchor point This means you can turn down your volume
simple, however: fit a metal replacement. for the strings, the stop tailpiece ensures control without the sound muddying up
This is a cheap and reversible modification, that the strings have a suitable break- quite so much, and the volume and tone
but try to ensure the screw holes of the new angle over the saddles. However, when the controls also become more interactive.

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