Hello. I can tell you at some stage the neck was replaced by a guitar tech at a music store in Lewisham called South Eastern Entertainments It was the go to shop in the day. I new the guitar and the tech and he told me they couldn't get a Gibson neck so took a Japanese LP custom neck from another guitar and fitted it to Marks guitar. This was also the shop who made the Vampower amps that mark used. You may see picture of Mark using one of these early amps with with a different brand name before they became Vampower. I think they may have been called Triumph and a friend of mine has one.
I have always been fascinated by this guitar and is the first electric guitar I can remember seeing as my older brother (by 10 years)had many posters of Marc with the guitar on his bedroom wall when we were kids. Personally, I always believed it to be a re-necked and stripped gold top and in some photos it appears to have filled holes where a wrapover bridge used to be.. some have said they reckon it once had a Bigsby on it (?).
There was only one Custom neck, not two. The photo of Marc in blue dungarees is from a later performance after the one and only custom neck was fitted. It is not from the spring of 1972.
One thing about the current neck that I hadn't seen good enough pics to notice before: abalone inlays. Right? Not celluloid. What guitars have abolone inlays in the standard pattern? Les Paul Deluxes. I wonder if, as you say, the neck isn't put together from various parts - including a Les Paul Deluxe fretboard.
I'm sure that some years ago, I read an article where it was said that the orange colour of the LP as seen on the T.Rex album was at Marc's request to emulate the Gretsch colour.
Possible but not confirmed. It might have been the previous owner's doing - the one who stripped the sunburst off in the first place which was a fashion in 1968-69.
Interesting video - 6 necks! A couple of (very) minor points:- Marcs original partner's full name in Tyrannosaurus Rex was Steve Peregrine Took and i'm pretty sure they were acoustic, guitar-wise until their last album "Unicorn", when Marc used a white Stratocaster (Hendrix style) not the Les Paul - although he may have had that tucked away somewhere!
My friend stole this Marc's guitar from the back of Greens Playhouse back in the early seventies. I was offered it for £100 but declined it. He did 3 months in Glenochil for it.
Really interesting vid They never seems to have been a lot written about this Guitar, given the obsession with bursts these days . it always seems to be fairly common acceptance that this was a stripped Goldtop, otherwise I think there would’ve been a lot more interest in it. Never thought about the blocking lays though, so yeah, certainly made me rethink this Guitar a bit
Gibsons are known for their fragile necks/headstocks, but something is off here. Why did he change so many necks? Did he want a different feel? Were they installed incorrectly? Was he a heavy handed, reckless guy who trashed the guitar too much? Was it a weird obsession? It can't just be bad luck.
The guitar was stolen from a roadies van in 1977 it was featured on the TV programme police 5 presented by shaw Taylor Marc spotted the les Paul in a guitar shop in Denmark streetand never got it back
I always thought that Lester was cool but six necks!, Wow. Hey Ramon, I just scored a 240v EL34 B&H Filmosound, What a score, I never thought I'd find one!. Great video btw.
Not a good ad for gibson which to be fair were never that good. I had a smoke grey standard that was a nice guitar but tried 6 lespauls before i settled on the grey one as the rest were pretty bad and not match for ibanez at the price.
No. It was frustration at gigs not going well in the US (April 1971) that broke the neck. After that it is a tale of unsuccessful repairs and two replacement necks neither of which worked after awhile. The problem was fixed in the summer of 1972 when the Custom neck was fitted. This means that during his lifetime that Les Paul had four necks: the original, two replacements, and the Gibson Custom neck.
Hello. I can tell you at some stage the neck was replaced by a guitar tech at a music store in
Lewisham called South Eastern Entertainments It was the go to shop in the day.
I new the guitar and the tech and he told me they couldn't get a Gibson neck
so took a Japanese LP custom neck from another guitar and fitted it to Marks guitar.
This was also the shop who made the Vampower amps that mark used. You may see picture of Mark using one of these early amps with with a different brand name before they became
Vampower. I think they may have been called Triumph and a friend of mine has one.
Thanks for this info!
Where in Lewisham was that music shop, can you remember ? What became of it ?
The shop was almost opposite the old Lewisham hospital on the way to Catford
and Rushy Green. Like many shops they just closed down.
@@johnwatkins677 Thanks John
Hello John, do you know Jon Picketts by any chance who worked there?
Great upload! Keep it up, Ramon!
Very interesting video, thanks!
I have always been fascinated by this guitar and is the first electric guitar I can remember seeing as my older brother (by 10 years)had many posters of Marc with the guitar on his bedroom wall when we were kids.
Personally, I always believed it to be a re-necked and stripped gold top and in some photos it appears to have filled holes where a wrapover bridge used to be.. some have said they reckon it once had a Bigsby on it (?).
Bolan forensics. How fabulous.
Thanks
Man, 6 necks is a lor for a bolt-on neck, but an inset neck? WOW!
That’s what I was thinking
Excellent.
Thanks
Great story bro, maybe the only Les Paul that had 6 different necks, crazy... 😁
Many thanks
What a fantastic video have a wonderful day Ramon ❤😊
Thanks so much
I love the way zebra pickups look with cream pickup brackets.
me too!
Great video!
Many thanks Dave
With my Les Paul, I know I'm small, but I enjoy living anyway
I remember qualludes were popular back in 70s. That can cause a lot of breakage.
There was only one Custom neck, not two. The photo of Marc in blue dungarees is from a later performance after the one and only custom neck was fitted. It is not from the spring of 1972.
One thing about the current neck that I hadn't seen good enough pics to notice before: abalone inlays. Right? Not celluloid. What guitars have abolone inlays in the standard pattern? Les Paul Deluxes. I wonder if, as you say, the neck isn't put together from various parts - including a Les Paul Deluxe fretboard.
I own a Deluxe but the inlays on mine look a lot like celluloid. Certainly not Abalone.
That's very weird because it's the feature that makes a Deluxe 'deluxe'@@kkzooi
I've never seen a deluxe with abalone inlays@@thecaveofthedead
Funny. My '84 has them.@@johnfoskey7855
And I see the first year catalogue - 1970 - refers to 'pearl' inlays while describing others as 'pearloid'.@@johnfoskey7855
Excellent ! Many thanks for this. Always was interested in Marc’s guitars !
My pleasure!
I'm sure that some years ago, I read an article where it was said that the orange colour of the LP as seen on the T.Rex album was at Marc's request to emulate the Gretsch colour.
That makes sense!
Possible but not confirmed. It might have been the previous owner's doing - the one who stripped the sunburst off in the first place which was a fashion in 1968-69.
Interesting video - 6 necks! A couple of (very) minor points:- Marcs original partner's full name in Tyrannosaurus Rex was Steve Peregrine Took and i'm pretty sure they were acoustic, guitar-wise until their last album "Unicorn", when Marc used a white Stratocaster (Hendrix style) not the Les Paul - although he may have had that tucked away somewhere!
Good morning, what on earth was he doing with them? To lose one neck is bad luck, and two is careless but…five or six!
Bangin gongs
Movin' and a-groovin'.
My friend stole this Marc's guitar from the back of Greens Playhouse back in the early seventies. I was offered it for £100 but declined it. He did 3 months in Glenochil for it.
Mystical Iconic Marc Bolan Mojo guitar!
Agreed!
Really interesting vid They never seems to have been a lot written about this Guitar, given the obsession with bursts these days . it always seems to be fairly common acceptance that this was a stripped Goldtop, otherwise I think there would’ve been a lot more interest in it. Never thought about the blocking lays though, so yeah, certainly made me rethink this Guitar a bit
Excellent. Thank you.
Always liked the look of that les paul... he had it resprayed to resemble Eddie Cochranes Gretsch guitar.
Zebra pickups... yes please (!)
I always thought Bolan played several Les Paul guitars. I never thought they were the same guitar as I thought he had a number of different colours.
Gibsons are known for their fragile necks/headstocks, but something is off here. Why did he change so many necks? Did he want a different feel? Were they installed incorrectly? Was he a heavy handed, reckless guy who trashed the guitar too much? Was it a weird obsession? It can't just be bad luck.
Maybe too much
KA-KANE
So what's the story behind the recovery of the guitar? Did MB get the guitar back? Did anyone go to jail for stealing it or buying stolen property?
Bolan died in 1977 and the guitar didn't re-appear until 1994 so no, he didn't get it back.
when he played "Metal guru" on 11 May 72, he wore blue sparkle suit with Zemaitis Metal front guitar, right?
The guitar was stolen from a roadies van in 1977 it was featured on the TV programme police 5 presented by shaw Taylor Marc spotted the les Paul in a guitar shop in Denmark streetand never got it back
Thanks for this
Maybe Marc did this so that almost 50 years after his death crazy people would speculate 😮
That Les Paul had seen some serious shit haha, I wonder where is now?
its a mess, neck is still not straight by the looks of it...definite road warrior
Absolutely
Ask eric about necks or andy from the police , they could fill you in on who fixed his neck breaks … nice lil 5 min goose man dude
He must have been clumsy AF.
only 3 necks
Wow, those poor rock stars sure had a lot of guitars stolen. I heard BB King say that he had been through 12 or so Lucille's
Thanks for that info - will do a video on BB soon!
I always thought that Lester was cool but six necks!, Wow.
Hey Ramon, I just scored a 240v EL34 B&H Filmosound,
What a score, I never thought I'd find one!.
Great video btw.
Maybe more than one guitar.
Not a good ad for gibson which to be fair were never that good. I had a smoke grey standard that was a nice guitar but tried 6 lespauls before i settled on the grey one as the rest were pretty bad and not match for ibanez at the price.
There has to be some kind of OCD behind
No. It was frustration at gigs not going well in the US (April 1971) that broke the neck. After that it is a tale of unsuccessful repairs and two replacement necks neither of which worked after awhile. The problem was fixed in the summer of 1972 when the Custom neck was fitted. This means that during his lifetime that Les Paul had four necks: the original, two replacements, and the Gibson Custom neck.
@@RikkyRooksby1 the video talks about 6 different necks. Are they wrong?
also it had another replacement neck after Bolan died.
@@paternuin Yes.
My nans cousin was his manager for a while , eric clapton taught him how play alot better
Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix?
T. Rex not Tyrannosaurus Rex
They were originally called Tyrannosaurus Rex then changed to T Rex after a few years.