NGD - A Very Rough 2016 Les Paul Studio

[tdksa90]

I found this 2016 Les Paul Studio in a local shop for $500. I have no idea how it got this way. If it was a "relic" job, it's the worst I've ever seen.

Thankfully, it feels and sounds great!



Why some of the scratch marks are yellow is beyond me. Maybe it was in a fight with a TV yellow Les Paul?



Did the previous owner attempt to give the impression of being a bound guitar body from a distance?



Pickguard missing.



Truss road cover missing as well...



Back shot:



The scratches around the control plate don't make sense either.



Probably the worst angle:

[tdksa90]

This website was very helpful:
https://prosoundhq.com/gibson-les-paul- ... st-option/

I think this is supposed to be a Wine Red finish. The pickups should be 490R/ 498T, unless the previous owner changed them.

I think I got a deal for a great player, but I don't know how much more I want to sink into it. The wood is fucked. It would take someone more skilled than I to bring this back to its original look.... at which point I might as well have bought a clean one. So this might stay this way. I'm sure it will get used in my studio a lot.

[marqueemoon]

Yeah, looks like someone’s hamhanded relic/faux binding attempt.

$500 seems like a fair price if the playability and sound are there though.

[Larry Mal]

Yeah, no idea. Fake relics are always lame and this one it just bizarre.

Who gives a shit, though. I mean maybe buff it out a little but at the end of the day you have a Les Paul for $500 no matter what it looks like. My own Les Paul Studio is pretty rough but honestly, it sounds great.

Oh, and you'll read negative stuff about those 498/500 pickups but they sound great.

[tdksa90]

$500 seems like a fair price if the playability and sound are there though.

Playability and Sound are absolutely there. All my tools are at the studio, but a friend is coming over shortly to check it out and we might disassemble it and see if there are any other surprises. I'm curious to see if the pickups are the 490R/ 498T combo or something else.

My other Les Paul is a 1995 Korean Epiphone in red sparkle with SD Seth Lovers. I think the Gibson sounds better so far.



Also, the Gibson has to go in a bag with coffee grounds for a few days... definitely not from a smoke-free home.

[tdksa90]

Who gives a shit, though. I mean maybe buff it out a little but at the end of the day you have a Les Paul for $500 no matter what it looks like. My own Les Paul Studio is pretty rough but honestly, it sounds great.

Thanks Larry, that is my attitude as well! The more I play it, the more I love it.

Oh, and you'll read negative stuff about those 498/500 pickups but they sound great.

They do indeed sound great, if that's what in this guitar.

[Unicorn Warrior]

It looks like it can be rescued. A good sand and stripping job is in need

[MattK]

I’m trying to figure out why the relic marks are mostly “smiley faces”. Front and back.

[tdksa90]

I’m trying to figure out why the relic marks are mostly “smiley faces”. Front and back.

[tdksa90]

Confirmed that it has 490R/ 498T pickups







"LPSTU" and "WR" also confirms that it's a Wine Red Les Paul Studio.

[MattK]

A word of caution in case you were thinking of using a red stain to minimise the look of the relic’ing, it might make it hard to refinish later. If it were mine I would take off the hardware and scrape the front of the body back to wood with a cabinet scraper, give it a gentle sanding with some fine grit wet/dry (1200 and 2000) and then wipe a shellac or even a wipe on poly to seal the wood. Then you have lots of options down the track. On the back I would scrape just the damage spots back to flat, then tint some shellac and brush it on. Won’t be perfect but it won’t jump out every time you look at it.

[tdksa90]

I think this is the correct model and appointments...

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... e-hardware



I ordered a sufficiently used truss rod cover on eBay, and a new cream pickguard as well.

[tdksa90]

A word of caution in case you were thinking of using a red stain to minimise the look of the relic’ing, it might make it hard to refinish later. If it were mine I would take off the hardware and scrape the front of the body back to wood with a cabinet scraper, give it a gentle sanding with some fine grit wet/dry (1200 and 2000) and then wipe a shellac or even a wipe on poly to seal the wood. Then you have lots of options down the track. On the back I would scrape just the damage spots back to flat, then tint some shellac and brush it on. Won’t be perfect but it won’t jump out every time you look at it.

Thanks for the advice! Something to think about... at the moment, I'm inclined to leave it "as is."