NGD: 1979 Les Paul Silverburst

  • Thread starter Thread starter FourT6and2
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FourT6and2

FourT6and2

Well-known member
Picked up a 1979 Les Paul Custom Silverburst today. The guy I bought it from was cool. We have similar tastes in many things. If we had met a few years ago, we'd probably be in a band right now. Anyway, met up at a Guitar Center and played the guitar for a bit then jammed on the drums before we left. It's in pretty good shape...some minor scratches and such. I'll need to fix the electronics as the pots are scratchy and the soldering job is pretty bad. I'll also have to put on a new bridge as some of the string slots are FUBAR. I'm thinking about new pickups in the future...maybe Lindy Fralins or a Duncan JB in the bridge. I'll also need to ground the guitar, which means drilling a hole as well.

It sounds pretty good; has tons of balls and very clear sounding and dark! Me likey!

c6aa8b57ab0c24d6f11fe439fc8ce6e5.jpg
 
Beautiful dude! Seems in pretty great shape for a 1979 guitar!
 
That looks new! it sure looks like the ones Gibson just brought out!

you sure it's a real 79?

cool either way dude!
:thumbsup:
C
 
DiezelMonster":23onbots said:
That looks new! it sure looks like the ones Gibson just brought out!

you sure it's a real 79?

cool either way dude!
:thumbsup:
C
Click to expand...

You got me, it's a 2008 Custom Shop Reissue!

No, seriously, it's 1979. Check out the neck volute and tuners. Dead giveaway that's it's a '79

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Sweet, that thing looks NOS to me...

Congrats on the sweet LP....
 
god, that thing is absolutely gorgeous.
congrats man! :thumbsup:
 
Nice score! :yes:

I didn't know they even made silverburst back then, don't recall seeing many.

Very sweet indeed! Enjoy! :D
 
Gibson made the original Silverbursts from 79-83 until the lead paint issue arose then quit. What surprises me is the color of yours has not changed. The oxidizing of the lead caused them to crack and go greenish yellow (which Adam Jones made so popular). Mine is an 81 and green as baby shit....

Steve
 

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steve_k":1qv3x2q4 said:
Gibson made the original Silverbursts from 79-83 until the lead paint issue arose then quit. What surprises me is the color of yours has not changed. The oxidizing of the lead caused them to crack and go greenish yellow (which Adam Jones made so popular). Mine is an 81 and green as baby shit....

Steve
Click to expand...

Not entirely true.

They made them from '78 - '84. '78's were prototypes and made with factory second parts. Lead paint was not used. The paint oxidizing does not change the color of the guitar. It is the Nitro clear coat that fades over time and turns yellow/green. The paint below the clear coat should still be unchanged, for the most part.

Cheers to a fellow Silverburst owner, though! :D
More pics:

Here, you can see some wear and tear in the Nitro clear coat:

50e8a5a3e8f1c60da103853b50b7b266.jpg


Some indentations under the stoptail and dents in the top:

43e1a87bed9d1881f8c8ec98257f0a3e.jpg


Chips, crack, and fading paint in the headstock:

ae3ec68bd5c1a435984c87c1a4ee5baa.jpg


Silverburst_6_by_haftelm.jpg


Waves, lines, and such in clear coat (new ones don't have this...at least not as much):

Silverburst_7_by_haftelm.jpg


Here's just a nice shot of the headstock. Serial number is visable:

Silverburst_8_by_haftelm.jpg


Fretboard, inlays (chipped), fretwire, and binding:

Silverburst_9_by_haftelm.jpg


Binding has faded to a cream color. It is not white. Also, some more blemish stuff is seen:

Silverburst_10_by_haftelm.jpg


Made in USA, Bishes!

Silverburst_11_by_haftelm.jpg
 
swimrunner":18gmjg0h said:
Tone comparison with the SC?
Click to expand...

Very different guitars.

My PRS Singlecut, while being a dark sounding guitar, is somewhat "muddy." Meaning, it is a looser sounding guitar in the low-mids and lows...it is clear, but a bit thin sounding and better suited to clean, low-gain, mid-gain, and rock sounds. It's scale-length is better suited to smooth leads and it's a round-sounding instrument. It plays very well but because it is in between the sounds of a Fender and a Gibson, it is a bit...odd... I love it, but I needed a guitar like a Les Paul to fill in the gaps.

The Silverburst is a very dark sounding guitar. Yet, it is very clear and present. It has a strong mid-range focus and a tight bottom end. It can, at times, almost sound as though you are using a wah pedal when doing artificial harmonics and/or single-line riffs. I like it. It's basically an evil sounding guitar. It has cajones.

Neither guitar can do what the other one does.

Basically, the PRS sounds like it has its mids scooped out and the Les Paul sounds like it has its mids boosted. They are complete opposites.
 
Yo.

I also have the original 1979 Silverburst (not in as good a shape as yours).

Mine is missing the pickguard and pickup covers though... Any idea where to go about finding some that match (original preferred)?

Also, how'd you get yours so shiny?

Also, if you had to guess; how much are these babies worth?

Thanks,
-Jon
 
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