Les Paul Special guitar/info Wanted

[Skoolboy Jim]

I found this post from a while back. "

"Get a Les paul special single cut with p-100's, in a pinch they make great weights to use for fishing. Then get your favorite P-90's installed. The years with the white binding along the neck and NO contour on the back are the best. They made them like this in the early 90's I sold mine and it was a great player, but I put Lollars in it and it was too polite. It had polite grind. I didn't feel like continuing the search so I sold the guitar. It was a cool guitar."


Anyone have a Special that is similar to that specified above???

 

[GAD]

The guitar they're describing is a 90s Les Paul special. They sell for around $1000-1500 on Ebay. I'm on the hunt for one now.

 

[jgyn]

I have one, and like it alot. I'm even happy with the stock p-100 pickups...

 

[michael patrick]

Like this one?

 

[televox]

The ones with the belly contour and without the binding from around the late 90's and early 2000's are great guitars too, don't let internet spin put you off and I'd go as far to say that the later p100's are very good pickups, no they're not p90's but they do their own thing very well.

 

[snacker]

I have a '97 lp special w/ p100s and I love it! - nice mean sounding guitar and I actually really dig the p100s

 

[sliberty]

Special's shouldn't have a TOM though - its just so wrong.

 

[teleman1]

So I am looking at the quote and start to think the guy who said that knows whats happening and is witty to boot. Then I see the Lollar comment. The quote is from me,( I am reasonably sure).

With all due respect, P-100's suck, no disrespect to other TGP's. I have a close friend that likes them too. If you are going for Noiseless, P-100's fall off the mark in tone. GO to You tube and listen to SMARK play the new Kinmans. No noise and tone that rivals some of the best P-90's,

By the way, if no one buys the p100's from you, they make a great refrigerator magnet; stylish too!

 

[jimmyj]

Mine's a '95. It has Duncan Vintage soapbars. It sounds excellent.

 

[boost]

I have a '93. That and my tele are my #1's. I love that LP. I bought it used and someone had sanded the gloss off of the body (it is a sunburst but sort of like and Ice-T burst or something, I never actaully found out what it's called). I don't know how much that helped the tone (if any) but the guitar does sound good.

I replaced the P100 that was in the bridge ( a stock Gibson P-90 was and still remains in the neck) with a Hot Duncan. I replaced the pots with 300 ohm CTS and changed the caps out. I also replaced the stop tail with an alunminum one with Tone Pros studs. All of this helped the guitar sound even better, but it was good to begin with. Except for that P100.

I gave the P100 to a buddy as he had a LP Special that he hated the buzz on. I told him he could have it for free if it worked for him. If it didn't he could still have it as I did not want it back. He yelled at me later for giving him such and awful pickup! Maybe I had a bad one, but by far the WORST pickup I have ever had in my possesion. Seriously.

I would not use the P100 for fishing as in the OP. Fish will avoid it as even they know it sucks!

 

[okie]

Here' my '95 special, I dumped the P100's for Lollar P90's. These are killer guitars.

 

[treeofpain]

I've played several from this era, and they are consistently good guitars. Worth $1500, well, maybe...When they were 700-800 a few years back, they were a steal.

I am not a fan of the P100's. They sound dull and generic to my ears, and if you are buying a P90 guitar, you want that open snarl. The P100's don't have it.

 

[teleman1]

P-100's probably have a purpose, but it isn't sounding like a P-90. Again folks, if you want humless, listen to Smark on Youtube. Pretty impressive. Smark is also a TGP'r.

 

[GuitarsFromMars]

Here' my '95 special, I dumped the P100's for Lollar P90's. These are killer guitars.

I have a 1992 that looks just like this, but has Gibson R4/6 LP Special P90's in it. A marvelous tonal alternative to the Historic LP. Also came with the Protector case.

 

[GAD]

Here' my '95 special, I dumped the P100's for Lollar P90's. These are killer guitars.

THAT... is what I need. NEED I say! I need that..

 

[mbargav]

Nothing to add on the LP Special, but I used to have an ES-135 with P100s, and they're damn fine PUPs.

 

[Skoolboy Jim]

All nice guitars, no doubt, but I am looking for the wrap around bridge. I have read they do impart a certain tone and I am playing slide so slight intonation inaccuracies don't bother me. It seems like the large majority of the Specials have the tune-o-matic bridges.

 

[GAD]

I think you might have to go custom shop to get a wraparound.

 

[RJLII]

Here's a nice alternative, a Heritage H-137 with period correct chubby neck, Lollar Dog Ears, Pigtail bridge, and Sperzel tuners. Mine's TV Yellow but they produce them in Cherry Red and Sunburst too. Typically they are very affordable when compared to the Gibson versions. Made in the old Gibson factory in Kalamazoo by some of the same folks that made the originals.

 

[AL30]

The '90's single cuts have P100's the double cuts came with P90's I think. I have a '90 single cut in red like Okie's. Real nice guitars. I've seen a few for under a grand lately. The early and mid (?) '90's had a bound neck, dot inlays and came with a hardshell case. They changed a few things a little later.

As for the P100's... to my ears they are THAT bad. I made sure I played it for a while first... yep, they sounded terrible to me. Good P90's are cheap and plentiful.

AL