I've said it before and I'll say it again , 5 Watt world should be a show on the Discovery Channel . This material is highly informative and very entertaining . Great stuff here sir.
@@fivewattworld man the quality of his YT is miles ahead of anything on cable. imagine the fake drama they would put. crappy guitar history show on TLC - "but then, in 1960 sales declined and the les paul was cancelled (dramatic strings, commercial break) will the les paul legacy be forgotten? coming up, (shots of clapton playing his burst) a new hope for the les paul???"
I missed the mention of Steve Jones. The style of his white Custom influenced my the choice of my favourite guitar as much as Randy and Lindsey did. Outstanding job, as always! Thank you
I couldn't agree more , my friends made several great replicas of Steve's les paul and right now a bizarre alternate history strat in aged white with the pistols guitar stickers on it as if from a dimension where Steve played a strat
Me and my buddies rented a jam studio on the Lower East Side when I was 16 in around 1996. We brought our own instruments except for drums because they had drums, but little did we know , they had guitars for anyone to use. There was a beautiful white 70’s custom there that I had to really control myself not to walk out of there with.
People often don't realize that the 3 pickup 50's era had different pot values as well as cap values. Tone pots were 250k and the caps weren't the Grey tigers or BBs but the "phone book" caps. Also, the sound was different with the quacky OOP sound of the 3 pups
The beard looks great!! Here are some short history ideas: Peavey, Yamaha Broadbass, Ibanez Lawsuits, Fender Rhodes, Alembic, Guitars of Kurt Cobain, Guild Electrics and Acoustics, FGN, Gear and Guitars of Carlos Santana, and Gibson-EBs
My grandfather gave me his, just learning to play it now. It’s been a long time since he passed but I need to learn how to play it. I’ve been taking lessons and just now became curious about my instrument. Great to learn about what he left me and how great it is. Love u papa chuck
dude this warms my heart... this is what i hope happens to all of our loved guitars and ones that family members keep for years, (when the recipent plays it and uses it) opposed to selling it!, enjoy my friend you have a guitar most musicians dream of buying! (including myself) even just a usa gibson les paul would be a dream guitar of mine but i am content with my epiphone inspired by gibson 50s gold top Enjoy that guitar my friend your grandpas looking down and is happy your jamming with it
Only thing I would add is the OTHER, lesser known rare metallic finish of the Norlin Era....Charcoal Metallic. Rumored less than 50 made between 1980 and 86...and I have one!!!
FANTASTIC video. I dearly miss my black '72 Custom. Got it in '86 for about $400 and let it go a couple years later (I was a young dumb teen). One of the biggest regrets of my life.
My first electric was a 78' Cherry Burst Custom that I saved up for while washing dishes at the Salvation Army in the summer of 89'. Going from a cheap, high action, Carlos acoustic it was quite a change. Like going from Econo Lodge to The Weston. Even though it's a Norlin, it's still been a head turner and every musician who's played it has fallen in love with her. One of my former bandmates always asks to use it when he records. Still have it, still love it.
The Thin Lizzy tandem of Robbo and Scott Gorham was a great example of different and complimentary Gibson tones within the same band: Robbo with his broad Les Paul Custom sound sitting opposite in the mix to Gorhams piercing Les Paul Deluxe tone.
I was waiting for this. Brian Robertson only used the Custom from October 1977 on the Bad Reputation & Live And Dangerous (1978) tours after he returned to the band for a short period (he was fired from the band before the recording of Bad Reputation and returned afterwards, before being fired again before the recording of Black Rose). It didn't appear on any Thin Lizzy album recordings. It did become an iconic guitar though and It would have been nice to see a mention of it in the video. But arguably a more representative Thin Lizzy player of the Les Paul Custom would have course been John Sykes; I don't think he's ever used anything else but his '78.
I loved hearing about my first pro-level guitar -- new in 1973, a '55 reissue black Custom with PAFs. It was a guitar I didn't deserve as a player, but the old man bought it for me anyway, to replace a CBS Fender Mustang. Wish I still had both. Thanks for the memories!
Thx Keith, what a great documentary on a fantastic guitar!!!!! My dream came true last year when I finally got a 1954 Gibson Les Paul custom reissue. I f%$ing love it. It's a true work of art. Gibson should name a guitar after Seth Lover, creator of the alnico5 staple AND the PAF humbucker,, absolute genius engineering at work. Only guitar nerds like us know who changed the musical world but I feel that everyone should. Love your channel, keep up the great work!!!!!
September of 1975 was my 13th birthday, I was just starting the 8th grade and yes, KISS was everywhere! At that point, I had also been playing (acoustic) guitar for about 3 and all I wanted was a BLACK 3 PICKUP LES PAUL!!! A kid in my class had one, but I never got to play it. We weren’t made of money, either, so I had to settle for an SG clone (said Volare’) on the headstock. And even though I could afford one now, I’ve moved on to other killer rigs. Still get a bit woozy when I see one, though, so thanks for starting this video that way. Very cool.
Your always so Incredibly detailed in your video! This made me even more proud to own my LP custom! Learning the history really makes you appreciate this beautiful instrument even more! Great video!
@@ericwarrington6650 me too, I had a strat itch for awhile, played it for a good week, picked up my les paul into my Marshall and the strat once again is collecting a lot of dust 😂
Great Job as always. I think John Sykes from Whitesnake and Blue Murder is worth a mention. I love my Black 2021 Les Paul Custom. I modded it with a DDJ in the bridge and a Cold Sweat in the neck. It’s a very cool one for sure it has a Bolivian Rosewood fretboard. It’s such a strange color most people just think it’s an different shade of Ebony. 😁
Bolivian Rosewood or 'Pau Ferro' as it is also known is about midway between rosewood and ebony in hardness and sound. I have it on my Martin acoustic - it tends to be a bit more stripey than ebony.
@@alanhaynes418 Yeah, this looks very different than a typical Pau Ferro fretboard. It really has no brown and it’s minimum on stripes. Definitely middle ground between ebony and rosewood. This particular piece is more ebony like.
Yes, John Sykes.. I’m fortunate to own his LPC, in white that he used on Thin Lizzy’s last tour in 83. It’s a 1979 year model, with tour case with a few stickers on it. Japan etc.
I had a tobacco sunburst custom in ‘81 I bought new while living in Tampa. It had the 3 piece maple neck and a 3 piece top. I bought another in ‘84. I was told it was an antique sunburst. Sadly I sold both in the mid 80’s after I quit the band I was playing with. Fast forward to 2008…my wife surprised me with a silverburst for Father’s Day. I was not a fan of the silverburst until I received this beast. I love it…all 12 lbs can be a bit of a pain as you can imagine. If I want to impress make an impression I play this guitar.
Let's not forget Keith Richards use of a Custom in the 1960s and periodically in the 1970s too.He had that black 3 pickup one that he painted a psychedelic color scheme on part of the top and he also used a 2 pickup black one sometimes.He also briefly played a white SG 3 pickup one in the early 1970s.
Love all the videos. I got a 68 black custom when I was 15 in 1973. I’ve now owned it for 50 years and would love a bit more detail from this 68-69 batch. Keep these great videos coming…….
Robert Fripp's Black Beauty burned the Les Paul - Marshall combination into my consciousness, both when saturated to ignition point and when innocently sweet and thick.
Same here! Plus they are so cool looking. I owned a Standard for a while but always wanted a Custom. My very first electric was a Sekova LP Custom copy back around 1970.
My first Les Paul (or any "nice" guitar) that I ever played was a '74 white LP Custom. This was about 1984, and it was (and still is) the guitar with the best action and easiest playing electric I have ever played. It was a friend of mines (I think he borrowed it from the music store that he worked at), and I wonder what ever happened to it? Man, it was butter. Thanks, Keith, for a cool video!
I was hoping for some warhorse pics of 50’s ebony Customs. Gruhn had a weathered P90 beauty a few months back and wow!! .. those ebonies aged so handsomely .
Thank you for including Ace so much, he is the les paul custom of the 70’s for me. Only player you missed that to me IS the black les paul custom is John Sykes. His 78 (I think) black beauty with brass nut and mirror pickguard is just pure heavy rock and roll
Nichols gives the best demo of a 3-pu I have heard, but few notes with the bridge/middle blend. Also notable is the direction (polarity) of the middle pickup jumping back and forth, as well as seeing one with the neck pickup flipped, ala Peter Green/Gary Moore/some dweeb. But make no mistake - this is one of the best written/well researched video out there, and as usual for FiveWatt - impeccable.
A few years ago I bought three Greco '68 Custom copies with intent to make one a Ronson, one a Sykes, and one a spare I guess. Haven't gotten around to doing anything to any of them yet, but I keep threatening to, just to keep them on their toes. 😏
Hey Keith, guess you don't have channel comments so I have to suggest here. Your short history videos have been really helpful and informative. Despite the fact that I'm a nerd and been playing since 2008 or so, i only recently thanks to your videos understood that classic Les Pauls were only available from like 52 to 60 and after that off the market. Thanks to you i finally understand the relationships between the gold top, custom, and the burst, and the pickups. Anyway i was thinking maybe at some point you can cover keyboards (after you finish basses and guitars i guess). I've heard of things like.... Wurlitzer, mellotron, rhodes, etc but it would be really great to understand what all these different instruments really mean and where they came from. Thanks for the hard work your channel is on the rise!
The best guitar I ever played was a 1984 tobacco Sunburst custom it's also the meanest guitar I ever played it's like adding six more positions to the volume knob when you plug it in
Thanks again for another fine Short History video. Always a great way to start the day! Nice to see Steve Sterlacci and his Les Paul featured on the intro and outro. I've learned a lot about how to use the HX Stomp from his Channel. 😎
Another great fact filled video Keith on my favorite guitar....I have three! A '71 cherry sunburst (beautiful colors from the paint Gibson used then!), a '74 ebony (my main axe), and a '76 natural with a maple fingerboard (just like the '75 one in this video). Fantastic tone, but weighs enough to be be a boat anchor lol, no kidding... like 16 lbs! The fingerboard material is what makes a Standard and a Custom sound different. Rosewood has more resonance which sounds 3 dimensional. Ebony is brighter and emphasizes the fundamental pitch across the entire fretboard...like maple. I love Ace Frehleys Les Paul Deluxe with Super Distortion humbuckers on Kiss Alive! That guitar through cranked Marshall Superlead amps was the best tone he ever had... oh, and his solo album in '78 which he recorded using a Fender Harvard amp also! But Customs in other famous musicians and my hands, have made heavenly tone also! Rabea's Custom definitely was a shining example of what they sound like with tube overdrive!
Love my r54…sent it to historic makeovers to relic the hell out of it. Kim wanted it more subtle but i begged him and it turned out sick as! The alnico 5 pup kicks ass for jazz.
One day I’ll find the right LP for me . I’ve never bonded with one . They’re an important part of rock history and I want that base covered . Until then, I’m strat’n
As the owner of a '79 Custom in Natural finish, I can attest to the fact that these things play and sound fantastic. The neck always stays perfect, and the tone is beyond rich. All that said, I rarely gig with it because of the weight (10 lb, 8 oz) which is unpleasant on our typical 2-3 hour shows. If we wind up playing a shorter show I have been known to make it my number one. It's a fine instrument!
I had a somewhere between 68-71 Cherry Sunburst LP Custom (no original paperwork and serial # was before they standardized putting years in them). Gibson stamp on the pickups, absolutely loved it, but I sold it and regretted it ever since. I've tried to locate it down to rebuy it, but no luck. Great video though, and always appreciate this history!
Love your short but very well-researched guitar histories! Found a nice Black LP Deluxe Pro (with P90s) on Reverb. Super guitar! Only downside is that it weighs 12 lb 8 oz!! Also ended up with two LP Customs after a pandemic buying spree. One has a transparent cherry finish and the other is a 2017 gloss ebony Demo direct from Gibson. Both are killer!!
My 73 Black Beauty FW has Gibson embossed pup covers which are said to be a product of 1972 only. They were on ALL electric Gibsons in 72, not just Customs. Gibson ended the embossed covers at the end of 72 b/c their repair techs were complaining the covers now had to be ordered specifically for the bridge or neck pup as they were no longer interchangeable like the unmarked covers. If you flipped an embossed cover around, the logo tilted the wrong way. Since Customs were the top of the line, they sold less of them, so the bin of gold embossed covers lasted til early 73, far after the chrome and nickle covers ran out. (Gibson never started or stoped anything on a dime back then- they always waited til they ran out to end a model or feature).
You can keep your flamed sunburst Les Pauls, the Black Custom will always be the most beautiful electric guitar ever made IMHO. I have quite a collection of them and will never part with any of them.
I've got a '79 LP Custom 25/50 Anniversary I've had since ' 85, it's the one in my profile pic, when we we're both much younger & less.. road worn. It's at least appreciated in value ;) Like my inspiration for getting it, Mick Jones, we used to bounce all over club stages in various punk bands, but at 11lbs we're not bounce'n like we used to, in fact more often than not I'm playing a nice lite PRS... my 80s teenage self would definitely call me 'an old wanker'.. haha! Thanks Keith for spotlighting the Customs :)
I bought a used slightly beat up 20th Anniversary black Les Paul in Anchorage Alaska back in high school and rocked that thing for a few years but then got a wild hair and traded it for a 70s fretless Fender PB which I later sold off for something else, total regret. Later wanting another Les Paul I called on an add in the news paper about a Les Paul for sale back in the early 80s for $500. I get there and the guy had just bought a house and needed a fence so he was selling off some guitars he bought while in the military in Germany brand new. I open up the case of the Les Paul and what was it? A black 20th Anniversary Les Paul still with the hang tags and original strings he bought it with. I could not believe it. I really wasn't a fan of the black beauties personally but for $500 and it being brand new condition I couldn't pass on it. It weight 400 lbs too just like they guy said in your video lol. I loved it and played the snot out of it for many, many years. I also removed the black pick guard and pickup rings and replaced all that with cream which I thought gave the black guitars a much sweeter look. Like a typical dummy I one day back in the late 90s traded it for a Peavey Wolf gang guitar and Peavey amp which I no longer have either of. The Les Paul just never really went up in value for all the years I owned it much but I sure wish I still had it as I kept it in really good shape all those years. I sure wish I could see what it looks like now. I also had an all original wine red 1963 Melody Maker that was such a sweet fast playing guitar I wish I still had. sniff, sniff.
I’m so happy you are talking about Kiss! Ace has been my favorite guitar player for 40 years. I love Rick Beato’s channel but he keeps ignoring kiss in every video. I love all your stuff Kieth!
I worked my ass off on a British theatrical tour back in '81 but came out of it with a beautiful black beauty with cream plastics and gold speed knobs. It was the most beautiful guitar l'd ever seen or heard. In 82, l was working for the Royal Shakespeare Companies musical Poppy when my dream guitar was stolen out of the locked band room by the night security guard. I was devastated. I never replaced it I didn't think l could but l satisfied myself with a beautiful '77 ES335 td with a coil tap, a Gold Top Standard and a TV Yellow double cutaway special as well as Tele's, a Jazzmaster and Strat's....but there was always a stinging memory of that Black Beauty. Well tonight l have in my possession a 2021 custom shop black beauty and the cream plastics and gold speed knobs are on there way and l couldn't be happier. It's taken 42 years, but l finally feel like l got her back. ❤
I recently picked up a player grade lefty '81 in wine red that had the finish stripped off the neck and tung oiled. I'm a maple neck girl, so this was a steal at $2500.
I’d like to point out a rockin video which I think many Custom Black Beauty enthusiasts may end up digging. Aerosmith Video Scrapbook. Most of the clips in this hodgepodge video collection are from their famed Pontiac Silverdome gig from 1976. Right out the gate, first tune: Toys In The Attic…and Joe is playing very loudly. Even better is the next tune Same Old Song & Dance. Very bluesy. This video is an absolute must for GBB Custom lovers. You’re gonna love this. Play it loudly in all its glory. (I could be incorrect on it being a Custom because I don’t think it’s got three pickups, but two.) Still though, it’s a black beauty.
Great video, Keith. 👍 In 1975 my parents bought me a used black 1968 Les Paul Custom as a high school graduation present. Al DiMeola was the partial influence on that choice. A couple of years later I bought a new '78 ES-335, thanks to being inspired by Larry Carlton. Between those two guitars, had a pretty solid pair of instruments for my budding pro guitarist career. After gigging with them for another year or two, both guitars were stolen from by van on evening after a show. I've owned scores of guitars since then. I didn't own another Gibson until 2021, when a former student gifted me a 2015 Les Paul Traditional. It's by far my nicest guitar. I'm still performing at 65, but prefer to use a little less fancy guitars at gigs.
Keith, Thank you so much for this life affirming history!! I saw Peter Frampton wielding his LP Custom in '76 and my LP Custom lust came alive as it were. His talent on that guitar especially live was memorable. I was young and wages were often spent on gas and other ..incidentals. By the time I saved up some coin in the 70's I remember my friend getting a beautiful LP Custom...that weighed-in at 14 Lbs!! The Custom would have to wait. I have a beautiful standard now, and yet...could I make room for a Custom...ouch, yes.
@@johndef5075 It surprised me as well. I have never heard of one so heavy. It was a very nice Tobacco Burst using sandwich construction... 1979 if I recall. My friend kept using wider and wider straps, and then let it go when the band broke up. He regretted it later.
Great video. Growing up in the 90's in the UK, I loved Welsh rock band the Manic Street Preachers, whose guitarist/singer James Dean Bradfield is rarely seen without an alpine white Les Paul custom. That's my dream guitar. Now if only I could justify the cost....... and find a left-handed one!😭
i love how les paul customs look, wish i had got one before they got stupidly expensive, my les paul fix is taken up nicely by my 81 deluxe which was my main guitar for years, but there are certain features i look for when buying a guitar these days and les pauls are missing a lot of them
Great content! I didn't know there were some double humbuckers LP Custom between 1957 and 1960. A black Gibson LP Custom with 2 humbuckers was always my dream guitar. The LP design always looked great for me. Then I saw it with all the multiply binding, block inlays, ebony fingerboard, the split diamond headstock, the gold hardware. It was perfection perfected. I never cared about year, reissue, just wanted a fancy black and gold LP. Luckily I could get one 3 years ago. Since traveling was off the table, I decided it was the time. I never regreted, even if I don't play it (which is not the case), it's a beautiful guitar just to look at.
Missed seeing Steve Howe's 'The' Les Paul and his freakish FOUR pickup LesPaulCustom wired for quadrophonic. Mounting rings removed, there actually is room for four humbuckers. Anyway... love your channel and short histories.
I do believe that the pic of Ace shows him playing 3-pickup Standards. Still, he was known for his love of Customs and my '57 Reissue Black Beauty is MY baby.
I have about 58 guitars in my collection because I want a Gibson Custom. Every time I'm in the process of saving up for one, I get to about $3k and end up finding a bad ass Standard or some other model and purchasing it. Last month I had almost enough saved up and ended up buying an Explorerbird. The month before when I started saving up I ended up with an SG Classic. The month before that I was up to $3k and purchased a Wildwood Standard 60's LP.... We'll get one some day.
Thanks for another Great Video - I was inspired to wish for a Black LP Custom by Rick Derringer in his legendary BBC Old Grey Whistle Test Performance of “Frankenstein” with the multi talented Edgar Winter
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I've said it before and I'll say it again , 5 Watt world should be a show on the Discovery Channel . This material is highly informative and very entertaining . Great stuff here sir.
I beg to differ, their producers will definitely change the show into something that is crappy like what they produce now
But i agree, Keith's work is fantastic,i enjoy every episode and have rewatched them multiple times👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 absolutely top notch stuff
Thanks guys
@@fivewattworld man the quality of his YT is miles ahead of anything on cable. imagine the fake drama they would put.
crappy guitar history show on TLC - "but then, in 1960 sales declined and the les paul was cancelled (dramatic strings, commercial break) will the les paul legacy be forgotten? coming up, (shots of clapton playing his burst) a new hope for the les paul???"
Thank you for including Mick Ronson, a much overlooked talent in the music world, and the reason I gave up trumpet for guitar! 😎
When I was a teenager I refinished my Sekova LP Custom top natural and used two black and two gold knobs to look like Ronson’s guitar.
His 13-second solo in Bowie's Suffragette City is just rock guitar perfection.
@@anthonyc1883 Agreed. One of my favourite solos is the one he performed in 'Time'. Perfectly captured the mood of the song!
Ronno on Rolling Thunder Revue was one of the greatest sounds of all time
Shame this model got continuously less good after 54. In a very linear fashion. Lol.
Seriously though - love the 54 (std and cstm)
I missed the mention of Steve Jones. The style of his white Custom influenced my the choice of my favourite guitar as much as Randy and Lindsey did. Outstanding job, as always! Thank you
Yeah that was definitely something I expected to hear mention of.
This was the big miss.
I couldn't agree more , my friends made several great replicas of Steve's les paul and right now a bizarre alternate history strat in aged white with the pistols guitar stickers on it as if from a dimension where Steve played a strat
He's the reason I got mine!!!
Stolen from the Dolls' Sylvain Sylvain by Malcolm McLaren!! Jonesey's Custom had some stories, alright.
Me and my buddies rented a jam studio on the Lower East Side when I was 16 in around 1996. We brought our own instruments except for drums because they had drums, but little did we know , they had guitars for anyone to use. There was a beautiful white 70’s custom there that I had to really control myself not to walk out of there with.
People often don't realize that the 3 pickup 50's era had different pot values as well as cap values. Tone pots were 250k and the caps weren't the Grey tigers or BBs but the "phone book" caps. Also, the sound was different with the quacky OOP sound of the 3 pups
What a *phenomenal* cast of LP demo players here. Wow wow wow!
And what a treat to see Rabea!
The beard looks great!! Here are some short history ideas: Peavey, Yamaha Broadbass, Ibanez Lawsuits, Fender Rhodes, Alembic, Guitars of Kurt Cobain, Guild Electrics and Acoustics, FGN, Gear and Guitars of Carlos Santana, and Gibson-EBs
My grandfather gave me his, just learning to play it now. It’s been a long time since he passed but I need to learn how to play it. I’ve been taking lessons and just now became curious about my instrument. Great to learn about what he left me and how great it is. Love u papa chuck
a GIBSON Les Paul custom? you have a nice guitar to learn on ...learn it honor him by playing it well.he knew the good stuff
dude this warms my heart... this is what i hope happens to all of our loved guitars and ones that family members keep for years, (when the recipent plays it and uses it) opposed to selling it!, enjoy my friend you have a guitar most musicians dream of buying! (including myself) even just a usa gibson les paul would be a dream guitar of mine but i am content with my epiphone inspired by gibson 50s gold top
Enjoy that guitar my friend your grandpas looking down and is happy your jamming with it
Keith always delivering QUALITY CONTENT!! AND featured two of my favorite Les Paul players.... Adam Jones and @Justin Hawkins Rides Again
Only thing I would add is the OTHER, lesser known rare metallic finish of the Norlin Era....Charcoal Metallic. Rumored less than 50 made between 1980 and 86...and I have one!!!
FANTASTIC video. I dearly miss my black '72 Custom. Got it in '86 for about $400 and let it go a couple years later (I was a young dumb teen). One of the biggest regrets of my life.
My first electric was a 78' Cherry Burst Custom that I saved up for while washing dishes at the Salvation Army in the summer of 89'. Going from a cheap, high action, Carlos acoustic it was quite a change. Like going from Econo Lodge to The Weston.
Even though it's a Norlin, it's still been a head turner and every musician who's played it has fallen in love with her. One of my former bandmates always asks to use it when he records. Still have it, still love it.
5 Watt World is always inspiring and informative! Thank you for the great music and fascinating journeys through the history of my favorite instrument
The Thin Lizzy tandem of Robbo and Scott Gorham was a great example of different and complimentary Gibson tones within the same band: Robbo with his broad Les Paul Custom sound sitting opposite in the mix to Gorhams piercing Les Paul Deluxe tone.
I was waiting for this. Brian Robertson only used the Custom from October 1977 on the Bad Reputation & Live And Dangerous (1978) tours after he returned to the band for a short period (he was fired from the band before the recording of Bad Reputation and returned afterwards, before being fired again before the recording of Black Rose). It didn't appear on any Thin Lizzy album recordings. It did become an iconic guitar though and It would have been nice to see a mention of it in the video.
But arguably a more representative Thin Lizzy player of the Les Paul Custom would have course been John Sykes; I don't think he's ever used anything else but his '78.
I loved hearing about my first pro-level guitar -- new in 1973, a '55 reissue black Custom with PAFs. It was a guitar I didn't deserve as a player, but the old man bought it for me anyway, to replace a CBS Fender Mustang. Wish I still had both. Thanks for the memories!
Thx Keith, what a great documentary on a fantastic guitar!!!!! My dream came true last year when I finally got a 1954 Gibson Les Paul custom reissue. I f%$ing love it. It's a true work of art. Gibson should name a guitar after Seth Lover, creator of the alnico5 staple AND the PAF humbucker,, absolute genius engineering at work. Only guitar nerds like us know who changed the musical world but I feel that everyone should. Love your channel, keep up the great work!!!!!
Paul Banks from Interpol was a huge influence in the 2000s and he has a Black Les Paul Custom into a Fender Pro Reverb. Amazing tone, amazing player
The Pro Reverb is a VASTLY underrated amp.
September of 1975 was my 13th birthday, I was just starting the 8th grade and yes, KISS was everywhere! At that point, I had also been playing (acoustic) guitar for about 3 and all I wanted was a BLACK 3 PICKUP LES PAUL!!! A kid in my class had one, but I never got to play it. We weren’t made of money, either, so I had to settle for an SG clone (said Volare’) on the headstock. And even though I could afford one now, I’ve moved on to other killer rigs. Still get a bit woozy when I see one, though, so thanks for starting this video that way. Very cool.
Your always so Incredibly detailed in your video! This made me even more proud to own my LP custom! Learning the history really makes you appreciate this beautiful instrument even more! Great video!
Currently playing my gibby les paul custom in apline white, can't wait for this one to come out!
Only 9 more hours keep picking it!
Gotta admit I've been on my strat kick for weeks...PRS custom 24 here and there..but I'm probably gonna have to bust the LP out
@@ericwarrington6650 me too, I had a strat itch for awhile, played it for a good week, picked up my les paul into my Marshall and the strat once again is collecting a lot of dust 😂
Great Job as always. I think John Sykes from Whitesnake and Blue Murder is worth a mention. I love my Black 2021 Les Paul Custom. I modded it with a DDJ in the bridge and a Cold Sweat in the neck. It’s a very cool one for sure it has a Bolivian Rosewood fretboard. It’s such a strange color most people just think it’s an different shade of Ebony. 😁
Bolivian Rosewood or 'Pau Ferro' as it is also known is about midway between rosewood and ebony in hardness and sound.
I have it on my Martin acoustic - it tends to be a bit more stripey than ebony.
@@alanhaynes418 Yeah, this looks very different than a typical Pau Ferro fretboard. It really has no brown and it’s minimum on stripes. Definitely middle ground between ebony and rosewood. This particular piece is more ebony like.
Yes, John Sykes..
I’m fortunate to own his LPC, in white that he used on Thin Lizzy’s last tour in 83. It’s a 1979 year model, with tour case with a few stickers on it. Japan etc.
@@ampman50 I would love to see pictures or a video if you are willing to share. 😀
@@jrtme
Can’t up load pictures on here!!!!!
Simply stated….. another amazing and educational video as usual. You certainly have set the bar high for TH-cam content.
I had a tobacco sunburst custom in ‘81 I bought new while living in Tampa. It had the 3 piece maple neck and a 3 piece top. I bought another in ‘84. I was told it was an antique sunburst. Sadly I sold both in the mid 80’s after I quit the band I was playing with. Fast forward to 2008…my wife surprised me with a silverburst for Father’s Day. I was not a fan of the silverburst until I received this beast. I love it…all 12 lbs can be a bit of a pain as you can imagine. If I want to impress make an impression I play this guitar.
Let's not forget Keith Richards use of a Custom in the 1960s and periodically in the 1970s too.He had that black 3 pickup one that he painted a psychedelic color scheme on part of the top and he also used a 2 pickup black one sometimes.He also briefly played a white SG 3 pickup one in the early 1970s.
It's always a good day when 5 watt drops a new short history. Especially when it comes to Les Pauls.
Love all the videos. I got a 68 black custom when I was 15 in 1973. I’ve now owned it for 50 years and would love a bit more detail from this 68-69 batch. Keep these great videos coming…….
That alnico pickup in the neck position is a unique sound and compliments the P90 in the bridge perfectly. Hope to get a reissue of that guitar.
Brian Greenway of April Wine played an interesting Cherry Sunburst which had white plastic parts and gold volume and tone controls.
i had to rewatch this video as I JUST got my first LP custom. 2002 68 reissue in cherry burst. great guitar. keep these vids coming!
I have a 68 SG Special, and the Vibrola works just fine.
Your teleprompter game is strong. Nice and natural. And great video as always!
I recently got my first Les Paul Custom . M2M . Black....after wanting one for 40 years. It's an incredible instrument.
Robert Fripp's Black Beauty burned the Les Paul - Marshall combination into my consciousness, both when saturated to ignition point and when innocently sweet and thick.
Same here! Plus they are so cool looking. I owned a Standard for a while but always wanted a Custom. My very first electric was a Sekova LP Custom copy back around 1970.
And Mr. Fripp got his way before Ace was even out of high school.
@@cafe.cedarbeard Ace was a childhood friend of my cousin Tommy. I met Ace when I was 13. That was a few years before he was in Kiss.
Thanks for another great video Keith!
Thanks Keith! Always the best part of TH-cam !
Thanks David
I’ve finally acquired my dream guitar. I am now the very lucky owner of an alpine white custom. It’s everything I always hoped it would be and more.
Zappa used a customized Custom in 80-81. MONSTER tone
My first Les Paul (or any "nice" guitar) that I ever played was a '74 white LP Custom. This was about 1984, and it was (and still is) the guitar with the best action and easiest playing electric I have ever played. It was a friend of mines (I think he borrowed it from the music store that he worked at), and I wonder what ever happened to it? Man, it was butter. Thanks, Keith, for a cool video!
John Sykes’ 78 LPC is worthy of mention too. Great player, great guitar.
I have a 1986 black Les Paul custom.
Bought it back in 2004.
Still love it!
I was hoping for some warhorse pics of 50’s ebony Customs. Gruhn had a weathered P90 beauty a few months back and wow!! .. those ebonies aged so handsomely .
I've got a 73 cherry burst with a darker red feel to it in my eyes. I enjoy the custom look. Hope to get a black beuty one day.
Thanks Keith for another informative video.
Can’t wait to listen to this one again! Never knew there was a history for this model. Live and learn.
Thank you for including Ace so much, he is the les paul custom of the 70’s for me. Only player you missed that to me IS the black les paul custom is John Sykes. His 78 (I think) black beauty with brass nut and mirror pickguard is just pure heavy rock and roll
Nichols gives the best demo of a 3-pu I have heard, but few notes with the bridge/middle blend. Also notable is the direction (polarity) of the middle pickup jumping back and forth, as well as seeing one with the neck pickup flipped, ala Peter Green/Gary Moore/some dweeb.
But make no mistake - this is one of the best written/well researched video out there, and as usual for FiveWatt - impeccable.
A few years ago I bought three Greco '68 Custom copies with intent to make one a Ronson, one a Sykes, and one a spare I guess. Haven't gotten around to doing anything to any of them yet, but I keep threatening to, just to keep them on their toes. 😏
Hey Keith, guess you don't have channel comments so I have to suggest here.
Your short history videos have been really helpful and informative. Despite the fact that I'm a nerd and been playing since 2008 or so, i only recently thanks to your videos understood that classic Les Pauls were only available from like 52 to 60 and after that off the market. Thanks to you i finally understand the relationships between the gold top, custom, and the burst, and the pickups.
Anyway i was thinking maybe at some point you can cover keyboards (after you finish basses and guitars i guess). I've heard of things like.... Wurlitzer, mellotron, rhodes, etc but it would be really great to understand what all these different instruments really mean and where they came from.
Thanks for the hard work your channel is on the rise!
I’ve thought of doing a Fender Rhodes video. These others might work too.
I recently bought a 1991 Orville by Gibson Les Paul custom in alpine white. Best guitar I've ever owned :) plays and sounds great.
The best guitar I ever played was a 1984 tobacco Sunburst custom it's also the meanest guitar I ever played it's like adding six more positions to the volume knob when you plug it in
i LOVE les paul customs...the black tuxedo, the gold, and diamonds. just perfect.
My most prized possession is a 1974 20th anniversary Les Paul custom that I bought a few years ago! Love that thing!
Adam jones is the reason why I want vintage les paul custom
Good show. You've got me wanting an original-spec Custom with P90s now. Those gorgeous things must sound and play like a dream.
Thanks for the video. Biggest mistake of my guitar playing life was selling a 1974 white LP custom back when I was in high school in the early 80’s!
I like Truefire, too--and discovered them here. Thanks to all involved.
Thanks again for another fine Short History video. Always a great way to start the day!
Nice to see Steve Sterlacci and his Les Paul featured on the intro and outro. I've learned a lot about how to use the HX Stomp from his Channel. 😎
The only tux that I'll ever wear! 👍 Great video.
Another great fact filled video Keith on my favorite guitar....I have three! A '71 cherry sunburst (beautiful colors from the paint Gibson used then!), a '74 ebony (my main axe), and a '76 natural with a maple fingerboard (just like the '75 one in this video). Fantastic tone, but weighs enough to be be a boat anchor lol, no kidding... like 16 lbs! The fingerboard material is what makes a Standard and a Custom sound different. Rosewood has more resonance which sounds 3 dimensional. Ebony is brighter and emphasizes the fundamental pitch across the entire fretboard...like maple. I love Ace Frehleys Les Paul Deluxe with Super Distortion humbuckers on Kiss Alive! That guitar through cranked Marshall Superlead amps was the best tone he ever had... oh, and his solo album in '78 which he recorded using a Fender Harvard amp also! But Customs in other famous musicians and my hands, have made heavenly tone also! Rabea's Custom definitely was a shining example of what they sound like with tube overdrive!
16:53 RIP Randy... great video, as always: thanks!
Love my r54…sent it to historic makeovers to relic the hell out of it. Kim wanted it more subtle but i begged him and it turned out sick as! The alnico 5 pup kicks ass for jazz.
Thanks to Rick Beatos NYE stream I found your channel and lovin it :) Happy new year
We always have fun,
Welcome to five watt world!
One day I’ll find the right LP for me . I’ve never bonded with one . They’re an important part of rock history and I want that base covered . Until then, I’m strat’n
As the owner of a '79 Custom in Natural finish, I can attest to the fact that these things play and sound fantastic. The neck always stays perfect, and the tone is beyond rich. All that said, I rarely gig with it because of the weight (10 lb, 8 oz) which is unpleasant on our typical 2-3 hour shows. If we wind up playing a shorter show I have been known to make it my number one. It's a fine instrument!
The absolute best guitar I own is that same 1984 custom tobacco sunburst I first played in 2000 I finally now own 25 years later
I always look forward to your history videos on guitars. Love them after a day of hard work while drinking a beer.
Thanks for the video Keith!
⚓️ Thanks Keith 😎 That early staple pickup looks like it came out of a WWII submarine voltage regulator ⚓️
I love the staple P90, and you just make me love it more! Coolest comment I've seen in a while.
I would love to see a similar video for the history of Japanese customs (or even on a brand basis, e.g., Greco or Tokai)
I had a somewhere between 68-71 Cherry Sunburst LP Custom (no original paperwork and serial # was before they standardized putting years in them). Gibson stamp on the pickups, absolutely loved it, but I sold it and regretted it ever since. I've tried to locate it down to rebuy it, but no luck. Great video though, and always appreciate this history!
Love your short but very well-researched guitar histories! Found a nice Black LP Deluxe Pro (with P90s) on Reverb. Super guitar! Only downside is that it weighs 12 lb 8 oz!! Also ended up with two LP Customs after a pandemic buying spree. One has a transparent cherry finish and the other is a 2017 gloss ebony Demo direct from Gibson. Both are killer!!
Even sitting down those heavy LP's want to shoot off your leg towards the right!
My 73 Black Beauty FW has Gibson embossed pup covers which are said to be a product of 1972 only. They were on ALL electric Gibsons in 72, not just Customs. Gibson ended the embossed covers at the end of 72 b/c their repair techs were complaining the covers now had to be ordered specifically for the bridge or neck pup as they were no longer interchangeable like the unmarked covers. If you flipped an embossed cover around, the logo tilted the wrong way. Since Customs were the top of the line, they sold less of them, so the bin of gold embossed covers lasted til early 73, far after the chrome and nickle covers ran out. (Gibson never started or stoped anything on a dime back then- they always waited til they ran out to end a model or feature).
Short histories are always fun to watch.
I have a '74 LP Custom. I can smell it when I look at those pictures.
You can keep your flamed sunburst Les Pauls, the Black Custom will always be the most beautiful electric guitar ever made IMHO. I have quite a collection of them and will never part with any of them.
I've got a '79 LP Custom 25/50 Anniversary I've had since ' 85, it's the one in my profile pic, when we we're both much younger & less.. road worn. It's at least appreciated in value ;) Like my inspiration for getting it, Mick Jones, we used to bounce all over club stages in various punk bands, but at 11lbs we're not bounce'n like we used to, in fact more often than not I'm playing a nice lite PRS... my 80s teenage self would definitely call me 'an old wanker'.. haha!
Thanks Keith for spotlighting the Customs :)
Another great five watt “custom” video that picks u up for the day!
Thanks for the video Keith, I have a 79, love it. Paid $ 1600 for it in 1990.
I bought a used slightly beat up 20th Anniversary black Les Paul in Anchorage Alaska back in high school and rocked that thing for a few years but then got a wild hair and traded it for a 70s fretless Fender PB which I later sold off for something else, total regret. Later wanting another Les Paul I called on an add in the news paper about a Les Paul for sale back in the early 80s for $500. I get there and the guy had just bought a house and needed a fence so he was selling off some guitars he bought while in the military in Germany brand new. I open up the case of the Les Paul and what was it? A black 20th Anniversary Les Paul still with the hang tags and original strings he bought it with. I could not believe it. I really wasn't a fan of the black beauties personally but for $500 and it being brand new condition I couldn't pass on it. It weight 400 lbs too just like they guy said in your video lol. I loved it and played the snot out of it for many, many years. I also removed the black pick guard and pickup rings and replaced all that with cream which I thought gave the black guitars a much sweeter look. Like a typical dummy I one day back in the late 90s traded it for a Peavey Wolf gang guitar and Peavey amp which I no longer have either of. The Les Paul just never really went up in value for all the years I owned it much but I sure wish I still had it as I kept it in really good shape all those years. I sure wish I could see what it looks like now. I also had an all original wine red 1963 Melody Maker that was such a sweet fast playing guitar I wish I still had. sniff, sniff.
I’m so happy you are talking about Kiss! Ace has been my favorite guitar player for 40 years. I love Rick Beato’s channel but he keeps ignoring kiss in every video. I love all your stuff Kieth!
I worked my ass off on a British theatrical tour back in '81 but came out of it with a beautiful black beauty with cream plastics and gold speed knobs. It was the most beautiful guitar l'd ever seen or heard. In 82, l was working for the Royal Shakespeare Companies musical Poppy when my dream guitar was stolen out of the locked band room by the night security guard. I was devastated. I never replaced it
I didn't think l could but l satisfied myself with a beautiful '77 ES335 td with a coil tap, a Gold Top Standard and a TV Yellow double cutaway special as well as Tele's, a Jazzmaster and Strat's....but there was always a stinging memory of that Black Beauty. Well tonight l have in my possession a 2021 custom shop black beauty and the cream plastics and gold speed knobs are on there way and l couldn't be happier. It's taken 42 years, but l finally feel like l got her back. ❤
I recently picked up a player grade lefty '81 in wine red that had the finish stripped off the neck and tung oiled. I'm a maple neck girl, so this was a steal at $2500.
I’d like to point out a rockin video which I think many Custom Black Beauty enthusiasts may end up digging. Aerosmith Video Scrapbook. Most of the clips in this hodgepodge video collection are from their famed Pontiac Silverdome gig from 1976. Right out the gate, first tune: Toys In The Attic…and Joe is playing very loudly. Even better is the next tune Same Old Song & Dance. Very bluesy. This video is an absolute must for GBB Custom lovers. You’re gonna love this. Play it loudly in all its glory. (I could be incorrect on it being a Custom because I don’t think it’s got three pickups, but two.) Still though, it’s a black beauty.
Great video, Keith. 👍 In 1975 my parents bought me a used black 1968 Les Paul Custom as a high school graduation present. Al DiMeola was the partial influence on that choice. A couple of years later I bought a new '78 ES-335, thanks to being inspired by Larry Carlton. Between those two guitars, had a pretty solid pair of instruments for my budding pro guitarist career. After gigging with them for another year or two, both guitars were stolen from by van on evening after a show. I've owned scores of guitars since then. I didn't own another Gibson until 2021, when a former student gifted me a 2015 Les Paul Traditional. It's by far my nicest guitar. I'm still performing at 65, but prefer to use a little less fancy guitars at gigs.
Man, one of my favorite users of the ole’ black beauty is Robert Fripp in the early Crimson days!
Keith, Thank you so much for this life affirming history!! I saw Peter Frampton wielding his LP Custom in '76 and my LP Custom lust came alive as it were. His talent on that guitar especially live was memorable. I was young and wages were often spent on gas and other ..incidentals. By the time I saved up some coin in the 70's I remember my friend getting a beautiful LP Custom...that weighed-in at 14 Lbs!! The Custom would have to wait. I have a beautiful standard now, and yet...could I make room for a Custom...ouch, yes.
14 lbs.? Oh my....
@@johndef5075 It surprised me as well. I have never heard of one so heavy. It was a very nice Tobacco Burst using sandwich construction... 1979 if I recall. My friend kept using wider and wider straps, and then let it go when the band broke up. He regretted it later.
i have an amazing 82 lp custom, tobacco burst. has the tim shaw buckers. you may have wanted to mention him. great video. thanks,
I’ve been waiting for this video since the last one! Happy New Year! Hope you and your family had a wonderful Holiday season!
You never miss, I always look forward to your videos
TIL about Race with the Devil on Spanish Highway. What a banger!!!
Great guitar players, great music ,thank you
Great video. Growing up in the 90's in the UK, I loved Welsh rock band the Manic Street Preachers, whose guitarist/singer James Dean Bradfield is rarely seen without an alpine white Les Paul custom. That's my dream guitar. Now if only I could justify the cost....... and find a left-handed one!😭
I always loved seeing Robert Fripp play his black triple pickup custom.
I had a 72 Custom. Never felt comfortable with the neck or the frets. Play a 50's burst reissue now. Much happier with it.
i love how les paul customs look, wish i had got one before they got stupidly expensive, my les paul fix is taken up nicely by my 81 deluxe which was my main guitar for years, but there are certain features i look for when buying a guitar these days and les pauls are missing a lot of them
Great content! I didn't know there were some double humbuckers LP Custom between 1957 and 1960.
A black Gibson LP Custom with 2 humbuckers was always my dream guitar. The LP design always looked great for me. Then I saw it with all the multiply binding, block inlays, ebony fingerboard, the split diamond headstock, the gold hardware. It was perfection perfected.
I never cared about year, reissue, just wanted a fancy black and gold LP. Luckily I could get one 3 years ago. Since traveling was off the table, I decided it was the time. I never regreted, even if I don't play it (which is not the case), it's a beautiful guitar just to look at.
In 1982, I passed on a 1959 REAL burst for a BC Rich Eagle. Still can't look at a Les Paul since.
Missed seeing Steve Howe's 'The' Les Paul and his freakish FOUR pickup LesPaulCustom wired for quadrophonic. Mounting rings removed, there actually is room for four humbuckers.
Anyway... love your channel and short histories.
These videos are so entertaining and interesting. I look forward to the next one.
Thanks!
I do believe that the pic of Ace shows him playing 3-pickup Standards. Still, he was known for his love of Customs and my '57 Reissue Black Beauty is MY baby.
The funny thing about Ace is that he buys the 3-pickup models but he ONLY uses the bridge pickup.
I have about 58 guitars in my collection because I want a Gibson Custom. Every time I'm in the process of saving up for one, I get to about $3k and end up finding a bad ass Standard or some other model and purchasing it. Last month I had almost enough saved up and ended up buying an Explorerbird. The month before when I started saving up I ended up with an SG Classic. The month before that I was up to $3k and purchased a Wildwood Standard 60's LP.... We'll get one some day.
Thanks for another Great Video - I was inspired to wish for a Black LP Custom by Rick Derringer in his legendary BBC Old Grey Whistle Test Performance of “Frankenstein” with the multi talented Edgar Winter