Les Paul's "The Log"

[sahhas]

for some reason i had been thinking of this guitar. now that Les has passed on, i was wondering if anyone knew the last time it was ever played. or had was it playable in the later part of the 20th century. i know Les usually played his LP Recording guitar live...just curious if anyone knew stories about his original guitar still in use....i guess you could say this is the guitar that got us all tinkering on our own guitars/building our own guitars....

 

[backeast]

I believe this guitar is at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

 

[bob-i]

In the DVD Chasing Sound it was on a shelf in his house, between some old tape decks.

 

[sahhas]

i need to rewatch chasing sound--it's in my storage unit, since we are selling our house....the extras in those little clips were just killer. i wished he would have gotten his old guitars out and played them, to hear what they sound like now!

 

[bob-i]

i need to rewatch chasing sound--it's in my storage unit, since we are selling our house....the extras in those little clips were just killer. i wished he would have gotten his old guitars out and played them, to hear what they sound like now!

That wouldn've been awesome, but Les was not really comfortable with his playing anymore. His arthritis was so bad he only had 2 fingers on his left hand that would move, and only his thumb on his right hand. When I saw him after a gig I asked how he managed with only 2 fingers, he said "hell, Django did it"

 

[straycat113]

Kind of strange as it is way more 335 design than a Les Paul. Mostly everyone who knows the history of electrics knows the Les Paul design was totally Ted McCarty's and the only input Les made was color choice and the Trapeze Tail piece. But looking hard at the log I really wonder if the design was an inspiration for the 335.

 

[Dawg76]

I believe this guitar is at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

It was when I was there in September 2004.

 

[Scott L]

There is more than one " Log " the original one is on display at the Mahwah NJ Museum's " Les Paul in Mahwah " exhibition. Note the red Pickups

It is now owned by the Les Paul Foundation, and along with the original 8-Track are on loan to the Museum.

Museum info: http://www.mahwahmuseum.org/page.cfm?page=178

 

[bob-i]

Kind of strange as it is way more 335 design than a Les Paul. Mostly everyone who knows the history of electrics knows the Les Paul design was totally Ted McCarty's and the only input Les made was color choice and the Trapeze Tail piece. But looking hard at the log I really wonder if the design was an inspiration for the 335.

Actually les hated the trapeze tailpiece. He told the story in chasing sound. He was hiking when they needed his final approval on the guitar, when he saw the tailpiece he said it was all wrong, you couldn't even palm mute. He pulled out a hunting knife ad whittled away the wood under the bridge and restrung it with the strings over the bridge. They had already built the first run so they let them go, but the next run had the neck angle changed so the strings could go over the bridge.