# saving a '57 Special Les Paul



## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Some of you might remember, way, way back in March I scored a '57 Special project guitar. Broken headstock, ugly refinish.

I had it shipped to Greg at BCR Music in PA, he's known as one of the best for headstock repairs. But, as with most really good luthiers, you have to wait your turn.

My turn just came. It's now on the bench.

He's going to fix the headstock, put it together to make sure there aren't any other problems, then turn it over to his paint guy. I am hoping for TV yellow, but, Greg warned me one of the previous refins was black, I might be stuck choosing a solid color for it.

Here's the pics of the break - I'll update the repair pics as he sends them.

View attachment 1417


View attachment 1418


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## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

Nasty break. No doubt some punk rocker wailing away. Please keep us posted.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

wow... that is one nasty break.


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## chimo (Mar 29, 2006)

Actually although ugly, that's a very good break - There's lots of surface area to glue. It'll be great when she's done.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

He will likely be adding a couple of splines for support too. If you want to see an example of his work, he's got a series of pics on his Facebook page of a 52GT repair.

BCR Music & Sound - Shopping/Retail - Lemoyne, PA | Facebook


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## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

This Greg person really seems to know what he is doing. I checked out his FB and website. I think your Special is in great hands.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

here we go:


3. Headstock glued












4. Head showing the fit


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

5. Gonna be tough












6. Routing for splines by hand


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

7. Splines roughed in












8. Splines glued


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

9. Carving the splines with grandad's chisel












10. ready for paint


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Greg assembled and tested to ensure it's rock solid. Now it's off to his painter.


I'm pretty well decided on TV yellow. If, as Greg suspects, it won't strip down clean enough for a transparent TV Yellow, we'll use an opaque.


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2012)

Nice! Keep the pictures coming! This is a great story to follow.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Yes indeed, I really like the details on the fix and pics are extra nice. He is quite a crafstman. Keep us posted.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Thanks guys. The next step is paint color, he's going to show me a couple of options to choose from. I sent him a couple of pix I swiped off the net of refinned Specials with opaque paint jobs. I don't want bright yellow, I don't want it to look like a Tele finish either.


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2012)

I kind of liked the blue colour that was on the neck. But I'm weird like that. A gold top special might look pretty slick too.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

did you notice how thick that blue paint was? yikes.

I was toying with this, this is my oddball old '55 Special - pic is from '68 or '69. I was thinner and had more hair too. The reason I'm staying away from it, in the '70s Gibson did sunburst Specials. I don't want a '57 to look like a '74, if you know what I mean.

View attachment 1491


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## Bruiser74 (Jan 29, 2010)

BCG Greg does some great repairs. He also has a long-running "Ask BCR Greg" thread 
on MLP (Luthiers Forum) that is a real wealth of info.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

I haven't updated this in quite a while.

Here's the pic of it stripped: no bad surprises, no bondo, hidden repairs, etc. The finisher got it clean enough to go to TV Yellow, which is what I really wanted. It'd been painted black at one time, we weren't sure if it'd come off clean. I did want the transparent look of a proper TV finish.

View attachment 2249


base coat

View attachment 2250


TV Yellow. The color isn't exactly what we see in the pic, crappy lighting and a cell phone for a camera. But Greg had his painter match an original '56 or '57 Special he had in his shop.

View attachment 2251


Man, waiting is very hard. Another month or so, it'll be approaching one year from when I bought it. 

It should be exactly what I want though.


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## Todd68 (Mar 7, 2008)

Cool! keep the pics coming.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

They say patience is a virtue, which it is but a year is a long time. He has done a very good job, though.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Yes, it's about 6 months longer than I'd hoped, lol.

Here's some of the original hardware I have waiting down there: the absolutely most important thing to me was original P90s.
View attachment 2252


I bought an original TRC and some 50s thumbcutters. I still had the original studs from my old '55 Special (it's good to never throw anything away). Strap pins from my old '60 Melody Maker.
I bought a compensated wraptail bridge that Mojoaxe is now making. Repro switch ring and nut, and jackplate from GM.
I had a good old pair of BumbleBees in the drawer.

We're waiting on the lacquer to cure, I'm not sure if he's repaired the face of the headstock yet. It's not going to be pristine, I want to save the original script.

I'm going to have Greg assemble it, scrape the board a hair to get a little more fret life, set it all up.

Oh, and I happen to have a Reissue Lifton case sitting here I can use.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Great thread !! Thanks for all the information and pics.

The guitar looks wonderful in TV yellow.

Cheers

Dave


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Thanks man. Yeah, TV Yellow is just 'right'.


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## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

Your luthier is doing a great job. It's tough to be patient. I commissioned a custom Mando with Adi Top in Feb.,2011. It should be ready in 6 months. It's killing me but I know the wait (just like yours) shall be worth it. I can't wait to see your Gibby finished.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Holy crap, now I don't feel so bad. Thanks!


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

This. Is. A. Great. Thread.


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## bluesguitar1972 (Jul 16, 2011)

Diablo said:


> This. Is. A. Great. Thread.


+1
Awesome!


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## TheRumRunner (Sep 29, 2011)

Proof that old dogs should never be put out to pasture.

DW


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

TheRumRunner said:


> Proof that old dogs should never be put out to pasture.


me, the guitar, or both?


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Man..i would LOVE to get my hands on a project like that..


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I wouldn't expect the headstock to be fixable :O

A custom built guitar can take 2 years from a known luthier, I'd say a year isn't a bad wait *L*


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## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

I can't wait to see this thing in its final incarnation. Thanks for saving something that most people would throw in the trash heap.


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

So cool. Great thread. Where are you getting it repaired?
Local guy?


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Budda said:


> I wouldn't expect the headstock to be fixable :O
> 
> A custom built guitar can take 2 years from a known luthier, I'd say a year isn't a bad wait *L*


With today's glues, a break will be stronger after the repair than it was before it was broken. This means you can basically repair anything if you wish to spend the time on it.


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

Hey Don. I've been lurking but haven't checked in ('till now). Congrats on the project. I have a very soft spot for TV yellow and I'm really happy for you that's achievable here. In addition to all of the compliments to BCR, Greg is also an outstanding guitarist in his own right. But you already knew that. Can't wait to see the final product.

Marvin


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

bzrkrage said:


> So cool. Great thread. Where are you getting it repaired?
> Local guy?


BCR Music in PA.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Swervin55 said:


> Hey Don. I've been lurking but haven't checked in ('till now). Congrats on the project. I have a very soft spot for TV yellow and I'm really happy for you that's achievable here. In addition to all of the compliments to BCR, Greg is also an outstanding guitarist in his own right. But you already knew that. Can't wait to see the final product.
> 
> Marvin


Hi, I can't wait either lol. They do really nice work down there, so I expect it to be very nice when done. I'll post updates when I get the next one, probably a couple more weeks.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

dwagar said:


> Some of you might remember, way, way back in March I scored a '57 Special project guitar. Broken headstock, ugly refinish.
> 
> I had it shipped to Greg at BCR Music in PA, he's known as one of the best for headstock repairs. But, as with most really good luthiers, you have to wait your turn.
> 
> ...



So it's bene refinished black AND the blue in the past? Man someone really wanted to punish that poor guitar.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Consider it's been through 2 refins but the original frets are still in pretty good shape. 

There are some divots in the fretboard in the first frets, so most of its work was open chords I guess. I wish I knew the story behind it.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

You don't need to quote specific numbers, but after the repairs and what you purchased it for, will this guitar be a profitable venture when complete if you sold it? I am just curious what the value of a guitar that old is after so much restoration work. A very interesting project. I know it might be not a case of profit, and more a project, I am just interested.


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## Cartcanuck (Oct 30, 2012)

Wow. I'm impressed and shocked. 

As a newbee to the guitar world, I'm impressed at the efforts going in to restoring this beauty of a guitar. 

I"m shocked that this is a neck repair and not a replacement. Seeing a break like that I would immediately have though of replacing as much of the neck/headstock as possible. I would never have thought that something like that could be repaired properly and good enough to be a well playing instrument. This thread has been an education to me! 

I can't wait to see the finished product and use this thread as evidence when I bring home a less than perfect guitar to wifey and say "it can be fixed.....see!!"


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

torndownunit said:


> You don't need to quote specific numbers, but after the repairs and what you purchased it for, will this guitar be a profitable venture when complete if you sold it? I am just curious what the value of a guitar that old is after so much restoration work. A very interesting project. I know it might be not a case of profit, and more a project, I am just interested.


Could I sell it for more than I have in it? I don't know. Serious drawbacks to a vintage guitar are all here, headstock repair, refin, not all original parts. 

But that's not my intent. I've wanted another old Special for many years, but couldn't justify the cost (with clean examples going for $12-15K; refins and 'issue' Specials going for $7-8K). I plan on playing this puppy as my #1 from now on. 

Real numbers, Ill probably have close to $3500 in it when it's done, as I mentioned in my parts post I have used some repro parts, I'm not willing to pay stupid money for a switch ring or a tip or backplates. Same with the wiring harness. I'll use vintage caps, but I'm fine with new pots. 

I sacrificed my '74 LP Custom for this one. I wasn't willing to sacrifice my R9 to move into a more expensive Special.

In my mind, a reissue wasn't going to fit the bill. And I want it as a player. My kids can worry about the value when I'm on the wrong side of the grass.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Cartcanuck said:


> Wow. I'm impressed and shocked.
> 
> As a newbee to the guitar world, I'm impressed at the efforts going in to restoring this beauty of a guitar.
> 
> ...


Lord no, I wouldn't replace the neck. I'm a firm believer in old wood and not breaking the glue joint unless there's no choice. 

This break looked worse than it really was, and Greg splined it to ensure its rock solid. If the headstock was missing, he could make a replacement headstock for it. Luckily, that wasn't the case here.

[Just in case anyone isn't aware of the term 'old wood', it refers to Honduran Mahogany from old growth forests]


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I've heard that a neck repair is like a broken bone, that area will actually be stronger than before after the fix.

There's a '59 MelodyMaker FS locally for two grand.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

I don't know the market for MM's anymore, that sounds high to me. I'd have thought closer to $1500 for a 2 pickup single cut (but I may be out of touch). You could check with Singlecut on the My Les Paul Forum, he has a ton of MM's and sells them regularly. He'd know the market.

I've heard that too, especially a splined neck repair is stronger than stock. When Greg strung it up to check it before sending it for stripping and finishing, he said 'it's loud as hell acoustically'. I wonder if the neck repair has anything to do with that, or if it would have been there prior. No way to tell. But acoustic volume and tone is one of my quick tests for a good solid body guitar.


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

Everyone sweats a headstock repair but never stops to consider the plethora of manufacturers today (some quite reputable) using spliced headstocks as their manufacturing design.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

That's a really good point. Spliced headstocks are really common now.

One thing I forgot to mention, as I'll be carting this guitar around in a Reissue Lifton case, unless someone looks really close, they would think I was playing a Reissue Special. ie, I won't be as concerned that it'd get stolen on me.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

dwagar said:


> Could I sell it for more than I have in it? I don't know. Serious drawbacks to a vintage guitar are all here, headstock repair, refin, not all original parts.
> 
> But that's not my intent. I've wanted another old Special for many years, but couldn't justify the cost (with clean examples going for $12-15K; refins and 'issue' Specials going for $7-8K). I plan on playing this puppy as my #1 from now on.
> 
> ...


I figured it was probably a labour of love, I was just curious.


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## J-75 (Jul 29, 2010)

Anyone know what the origin of the name "TV Yellow" is? What does "TV" stand for?


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

J-75 said:


> Anyone know what the origin of the name "TV Yellow" is? What does "TV" stand for?


It was a yellow colour that showed up as white on TV back in the days of black and white TV.

White actually caused over exposure and drove the cameramen and producers nuts.

Edit: checking my facts after posting, I came across this article that goes in to much more detail. http://www.reranch.com/tv_yellow.htm


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## ElectricMojo (May 19, 2011)

Wow.
Greg is a magician.


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## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

J-75 said:


> Anyone know what the origin of the name "TV Yellow" is? What does "TV" stand for?


Since dodgechargerfan answered your first question, I will answer your second. "TV" stands for TeleVision.


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## J-75 (Jul 29, 2010)

dcole said:


> Since dodgechargerfan answered your first question, I will answer your second. "TV" stands for TeleVision.


So then, TV Jones pickups is short for...  (oh dear, I'm so confused!)


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

J-75 said:


> So then, TV Jones pickups is short for.


Not related.
It stands for Thomas V. Jones
The guy who makes the pickups.


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## chimo (Mar 29, 2006)

The V is there because he didn't want to be confused with the singer of the same name... Actually true....


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Looks great! I love Specials & Juniors more than regular Les Pauls, especially in TV Yellow.

I'm sure it will be worth the wait.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

hardasmum said:


> Looks great! I love Specials & Juniors more than regular Les Pauls, especially in TV Yellow.
> 
> I'm sure it will be worth the wait.


me too, I guess because of my early days playing a Special. A vintage Special was more important to me than say a vintage Gold Top. I'm fine with my R9, I have no GAS for a 50s Goldtop.
And yeah, TV Yellow is such a classic color.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Greg's paint guy is finished. Now it goes back to Greg for the front of the headstock, a couple weeks of curing, then assembly.

Damn I like this color.

View attachment 2308


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Wow, looks fantastic!


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Natural grain; it beats paint 99% of the time. Good choice!


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## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

Now that is looking good.
Is your Luthier located in Canada?


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## ElectricMojo (May 19, 2011)

Wow.
Looks amazing.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Steadfastly said:


> Natural grain; it beats paint 99% of the time. Good choice!


I agree, really nice to see grain, a proper TV finish.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Intrepid said:


> Now that is looking good.
> Is your Luthier located in Canada?


No, it's BCR Music in PA.


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## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

dwagar said:


> No, it's BCR Music in PA.


Is your fretboard Braz? Any problems cross border shipping?


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Sure, they were all Braz back then. IIRC every Gibson made before 1965 was. No problems coming across the border with a vintage guitar.


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## theruley (Oct 24, 2011)

That is so very cool! I love seeing an old guitar brought back to life like this.


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## Mike Potvin (Apr 30, 2009)

dwagar said:


> View attachment 2308


Greg's paint guy knows TV Yellow! It's one of my favourites, and there are so many bad examples of it because it's not the easiest thing to do.

Mike


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Looks beautiful.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Mike Potvin said:


> Greg's paint guy knows TV Yellow! It's one of my favourites, and there are so many bad examples of it because it's not the easiest thing to do.
> 
> Mike


Yes, I think he did a great job with the color. Greg had him check a '56 he had in the shop, told him to match that color, so it would look like a 50 year old TV finish. Except for aging, I'll let that happen naturally.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

A little info from Shane at HEL Guitars in PA - he's the one that refinished it.

Greg showed me a picture of what he wanted... I got the guitar prepped to match the tv color that was in the original pickup cavities under the blue candy... (And with BCR / HEL jobs, we always go the extra mile and tape off the cavities before aging, thus, what you see in the cavities is what a TV yellow looked like when it was sprayed back in the day!!)

Then came the hard part... The aging... I sprayed some scrap with that color, grainfilled it just like a guitar, and then a series of different swatches of aging funk and took it into Greg, he picked the one he thought best and then i duplicated that on the guitar....

When i took it into greg... He had a beaten down beautifully aged example above the bench,,,,, We got it damn close! If this baby had checking on it.... Im bettin only the astute would know it was a refin!!

And no... That recipe is not for sale!!!


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

time for an update.

Greg finished the front of the headstock. It was a bit tricky, as it was trashed pretty good, and I wanted to keep the original Les Paul Special script.

View attachment 2425


then he did the 'first' assembly:

View attachment 2426


Man o man.

He wants to knock a bit of the sheen off it, let it bake in his window for a few days, then final assembly and ready to come home. Almost a year to the day.

The burner is, he tried to call me this afternoon so I could hear it for the first time, I wasn't here and missed it.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Looks incredible!


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Amazing! It looks fantastic.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

GAS. That is all.


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

Budda said:


> GAS. That is all.


Ditto. What he said +1.

Looks great BTW.


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## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

hardasmum said:


> Amazing! It looks fantastic.


+100000000. Looks great.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

wow, what a thread!!


nicely done, when do you get it? you must be going nuts now that you can see pics of the finished gtr


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

I assume I'll finally have it in hand in the next week or so. It's been hard being patient for a year.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Wow, looks fantastic!

Your patience will be well rewarded, by the looks of that.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

The work done on it is just amazing. Congrats.


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## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

Geez thats nice. Looks like a keeper!


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## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

Just found this thread.
WOW fantastic stuff dwagar !!! 
Man you made the right choices there....and sent it to the right people.
Congrats !!!


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Like I said on that other forum-
Cool...

Good to see.

It's sad when a guitar isn't working, and happy when it's restored.


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

you made the facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.456485584422701.1073741825.176454402425822&type=1


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

ezcomes said:


> you made the facebook page!
> https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.456485584422701.1073741825.176454402425822&type=1


Greg has 3 or 4 sets showing major repairs on there, now including mine. 

By the end of the week, all going well, it should be finished. He is going to do a quick video sound clip for me. I'll post it on here when I get it.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

View attachment 2432


Greg is also going to straighten the bent tuner for me.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

wow.

you can barely tell there are splines in there.


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## Toogy (Apr 16, 2009)

Wow! Amazing restoration! Love it! I want one! lol


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

Fantastic Don. Congrats.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

blam said:


> wow.
> 
> you can barely tell there are splines in there.


Even if you're looking for them they aren't obvious...


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

So this thread answers an age old question. "You can make a silk purse out of a sows ear"


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Guitar101 said:


> So this thread answers an age old question. "You can make a silk purse out of a sows ear"


you can when the planets align for you. Find the right guitar at the right price, take a bit of a risk, and know who to send it to.

When that guitar came up for sale on the My Les Paul Forum, I was in touch with the guy within about 1/2 hour of his posting it. At the same time I phoned Greg at BCR to look at the pics, give me an idea of what he could do and roughly what it'd cost, and what he thought I should pay for it. Within about an hour of the guy posting the ad I'd bought it. I scooped a lot of other guys that wanted it.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

and we're done. Here's a video Greg did:
http://s635.photobucket.com/user/BCRStuff/media/Video/57TVSpecial_zpsbf215b86.mp4.html

It'll ship tomorrow, I'll have it first of the week.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Thanks for the video....FANTASTIC repair and guitar !

ENJOY !...Try to get some sleep, if possible, and show up at work, at least occasionally, next week. LOL

Cheers

Dave


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

That looks & sounds fantastic! 
HN (Old, broken, repaired, better than ever!)GD!:woot:


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## krall (Apr 19, 2009)

Awesome job!


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

greco said:


> Thanks for the video....FANTASTIC repair and guitar !
> 
> ENJOY !...Try to get some sleep, if possible, and show up at work, at least occasionally, next week. LOL
> 
> ...


my problem is going to be, my office is in the basement. In the room next to my music room. LOL


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I see the problem. Send it to me to give it a good once-over, and you can be productive


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Budda said:


> I see the problem. Send it to me to give it a good once-over, and you can be productive


Budda....people are lining up to play this guitar and I have saved you a spot in the line. 
You are at Spruce Meadows...be extra careful where you step!

Cheers

Dave


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Congrats Don - great results! Greg Platzer of BCR Music and Jay Kolanda of NTL Guitars are THE masters of those kind of massive headstock repairs - the only two I'd trust with such work. I've had the good fortune to do business with both of them after meeting them through the Hamer Fan Club.

BTW, I've heard them both say repairs using those "biscuits" can actually strengthen the headstock and improve the tone of the instrument in many cases. After seeing what those two are capable of, it almost makes a guy wanna go find a promising project candidate (wreck) somewhere to send them.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

The guitar looks and sounds great!

You must be extremely excited, a long time coming.
Congrats and try to get some sleep before it gets in.


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

very nice! i saw the Vid on the BCR facebook page...that looks fantastic!


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

gtone said:


> BTW, I've heard them both say repairs using those "biscuits" can actually strengthen the headstock and improve the tone of the instrument in many cases. After seeing what those two are capable of, it almost makes a guy wanna go find a promising project candidate (wreck) somewhere to send them.


I've heard that about splines too, but of course there is no way to know how it sounded before.

If I hadn't known how good Greg was, I probably wouldn't have bought the project. Even so, he surpassed what I expected from him.

He even decided it looked too clean. He has some trick to sun fade it fast, gave it some wear on the top where your arm would rest, and even matched the lacquer wear on the top back of the neck to the wear on his burst. He didn't bother to cold check it, he knows where we live, lol.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

sulphur said:


> The guitar looks and sounds great!
> 
> You must be extremely excited, a long time coming.
> Congrats and try to get some sleep before it gets in.


yep, very excited. The worst is that I have to be out of town on business, so I can't pick it up till Tuesday AM. If I was going to be here, I would've paid the extra to overnight it and had it tomorrow.


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## corailz (May 1, 2008)

I'm floored, speechless!This "Special" is just unbelievable!


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

what an absolutely fantastic guitar. 

Beautiful neck, in between my R9 and my ES330. Extremely comfortable. 
Acoustically, this puppy is loud, resonance, sustain, that warm tone that probably only comes from old Mahogany. Beautiful dark straight grain board too.

Coupled with Shane's finish, Greg did some aging for me. I wouldn't know this finish hadn't been on here for 50 some years, except it isn't checked yet. That'll probably happen next winter. Canadian gigs can check a guitar.

Greg also did the full assembly and set up for me. After the neck had been apart, after it was repaired and set for awhile, he had to do the frets etc. That's why you send it to a pro. It came to me perfect. Tune it up, and play.

I am overwhelmed with it, I'll get a few pics later, and get it plugged into my little 20W Valve Senior in a bit. It won't see the Marshall till Thursday night's gig.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

7# 3oz, I think a perfect weight.

View attachment 2665


View attachment 2666


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Wow, that's Tele light!

I suppose the combination of no maple cap and the fact that the mahogany those are made of is long gone,
contribute to the lack of heft to the guitar? That would be my assumption.

Congrats on finally landing your baby.

ps: I can't access those attatchments.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

sorry, I don't know how I screwed the pics up the first time.

Yeah, I guess it's that old mahogany. Seems it varied quite a bit, Greg had a '58 in there (that he copied the finish color from), he said it was close to 9#. Lots of these old Specials seem to be in the 7-8# range though, I was hoping for light.


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## krall (Apr 19, 2009)

dwagar said:


> sorry, I don't know how I screwed the pics up the first time.
> 
> Yeah, I guess it's that old mahogany. Seems it varied quite a bit, Greg had a '58 in there (that he copied the finish color from), he said it was close to 9#. Lots of these old Specials seem to be in the 7-8# range though, I was hoping for light.


My old '57 Special also weighed about the same, at about 7.5 lbs. My current '54 Junior is the lightest Gibson ever owned at about 6 lbs.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

6 pounds!!! That's a feather. My '64 ES330 is 6# 1oz.
Heck, my old '60 Melody Maker was 6# 8oz.
Wow, what a find that Junior was.


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