NGD: 1985 Norlin Les Paul Custom (Update!!!!!!)

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glpg80

glpg80

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I’ve been saving up for a long time on this one. I found this one a few months ago and it’s a perfect compliment. I love the tobacco burst as it screams deep southern rock.

I plan to have Stephen at Truly Strings who worked on my 76, also do the same work to this one: Stainless jumbo frets, bone nut, replace the 12th fret marker with a better piece of mother of pearl, and some replacement nickel hardware (someone marred the screws with a screwdriver).

Maple neck and all - she’s a killer guitar. The pickups are stock but the cover has been removed on the bridge. I plan to remove the neck pickup cover to match the bridge. I do have all of the original hardware.
She’s a monster :rock:

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Here’s the results from my luthier for replacing the 12th fret inlay with a better cut of mother of pearl:

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Isn’t this the second LPC you’ve bought recently? I’m so jealous. Nice score man. I have a tremendous soft spot for Norlins.
 
Very nice. Curious your thoughts on comparisons to the 76 when you get it all fixed up.
 
Mr. Willy said:
Isn’t this the second LPC you’ve bought recently? I’m so jealous. Nice score man. I have a tremendous soft spot for Norlins.
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Yessir! Second Norlin this year and thank you very much!! I’m selling off gear I don’t play and KISS.

These wood combinations were the missing piece to my own tone search and I swore I’d search for another good one. The high mids compliment Marshall’s very well, where I find rosewood/mahogany is a combination targeting more low mids and lows.

It’s been refretted already but to replace the defunct inlay, the frets need to be removed anyway, so SS jescar’s are going back on.
 
That's KILLER !!! I'm liking the uncovered bridge / covered neck pup look. Very Jimmy Page, but in a creamy 😉 way.
 
Nice! I have a few LP's but a LPC is on the bucket list. Jescar SS jumbo's are on one and the other will be getting them early next year. Hard to go back to the medium jumbo nickels after playing the SS.
 
NaturalBornBoy said:
Why do people shit on Norlins??
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Because of the way they’re constructed. Most of the bodies are pieced together pancake style with about 1” thick (give or take) pieces of wood on top of each other. Not a good guitar construction method. They’re kinda considered dogs because of that. But that’s why it’s easy to mod them. You wouldn’t do that with a 50’s or early 60’s Les Paul, or most wouldn’t.
 
Mr. Willy said:
Because of the way they’re constructed. Most of the bodies are pieced together pancake style with about 1” thick (give or take) pieces of wood on top of each other. Not a good guitar construction method. They’re kinda considered dogs because of that. But that’s why it’s easy to mod them. You wouldn’t do that with a 50’s or early 60’s Les Paul, or most wouldn’t.
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Sorry but this is slightly misleading information. My 76 has two distinct pieces of wood and a single glue line just like my traditional. Maybe some were made in your manner of speaking, but they get a bad wrap because of dwindling quality especially in the earlier years when Norlin took over and accountants pushed products, not luthiers. This can be seen on my 76 with the logo being made from two pieces of mother of pearl instead of a single fresh piece - little details like that.

However, these are the only years you can get maple neck gibsons with ebony boards. You have to know what years to look for and what to watch out for as well.

These are not dogs and are highly collectible. Each of mine have cost north of $4,000 and that was before I spent the effort to fix or have fixed some of the quality imperfections like the fret wire used, inlays, paint finish, etc.

They’re downright tonally the best sounding gibsons I’ve ever put my hands on and still cheaper than a new custom you can purchase today. I highly suggest anyone looking for one to message me first so that I can share what I know to prevent or reduce your chance of getting the real dogs that do exist during this era because they are out there - cost cutting methods be damned. Norlin was a concrete company overseas that owned a guitar company - they only cared about the bottom line early on. You just have to know what to look for if you want to strike gold.
 
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Racerxrated said:
Congrats!!! You're on FIRE!!!! Norlin LPs are seriously underrated.
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Thanks dude and yes I am done for a long time on Norlin LPCs LOL

For metal and southern rock they really have an aggressive voicing that stands out. You’re not grabbing a Norlin with the intention of playing jazz or fusion that’s for sure :rock:
 
glpg80 said:
Sorry but this is wrong information. My 76 has two distinct pieces of wood and a single glue line just like my traditional. Maybe some were made in your manner of speaking, but they get a bad wrap because of dwindling quality especially in the earlier years when Norlin took over and accountants pushed products, not luthiers. This can be seen on my 76 with the logo being made from two pieces of mother of pearl instead of a single fresh piece - little details like that.

However, these are the only years you can get maple neck gibsons with ebony boards. You have to know what years to look for and what to watch out for as well.

These are not dogs and are highly collectible. Each of mine have cost north of $4,000 and that was before I spent the effort to fix or have fixed some of the quality imperfections like the fret wire used, inlays, paint finish, etc.

They’re downright tonally the best sounding gibsons I’ve ever put my hands on and still cheaper than a new custom you can purchase today. I highly suggest anyone looking for one to message me first so that I can share what I know to prevent or reduce your chance of getting the real dogs that do exist during this era because they are out there - cost cutting methods be damned. Norlin was a concrete company overseas that owned a guitar company - they only cared about the bottom line early on. You just have to know what to look for if you want to strike gold.
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I have an '81 wine red standard with a FIVE piece top, all the maple necks are three pieces of maple, plus the ebony or rosewood plus the holly veneer on the headstock so that's five pieces as well. I believe one of Slash's guitars had a three piece top, but none of that makes them pancake construction, THAT'S the low point.
 
I'd keep the cover on the neck PU, it looks really great as is.
 
I'm glad you like your Norlin glpg80 I'm sure there are some good ones out there. I owned a 1983 pearl white Gibson Les Paul custom with an ebony board and gold hardware it probably weighed 10 or 11 pounds and it would NOT stay in tune for shit but it did have the Gibson prototype tremelo from the factory that was pretty much a Khaler ripoff trem, I even hardtailed the trem and it still would not stay in tune. It was a beautiful guitar and looked just like Randy Rhoad's LP it just was not a player by any means so I sold it in the 90's for a little more than I paid and said good riddens to it. The guy I sold it to took it to a guitar show and said he was offered big bucks because of the Gibson prototype tremelo bridge on it since Gibson never went into production with them.

The guitar probably still doesn't stay in tune today but I'm sure it's beautiful to look at...:LOL:

I do think the maple necks are the way to go for a LP rather than the mahogany... break if you look at it wrong headstock.:2thumbsup:
 
Mr. Willy said:
Because of the way they’re constructed. Most of the bodies are pieced together pancake style with about 1” thick (give or take) pieces of wood on top of each other. Not a good guitar construction method. They’re kinda considered dogs because of that. But that’s why it’s easy to mod them. You wouldn’t do that with a 50’s or early 60’s Les Paul, or most wouldn’t.
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I read the exact same description of the pancake construction method years ago. The late 80's Norlin years were considered the dog years by many. I am sure there are some good ones but I guess everyone has a dog now and then including Marshall and Fender.

Wish I had kept my 1983 and sold it for 4000-5000 dollars but to own a guitar that would not stay in tune was just silly to me....:LOL:
 
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