1952 Gibson Les Paul "Lucy" Red

Conversions aren't for everybody. To someone with a lot of disposable funds, it's not something to consider as it's not what it is trying to be. A burst is a burst and all of the mystique and history and legendary tone comes at a price most of us will never be able to afford. You can't duplicate the mystique or the history but you can get the tone and playability with equal parts money, luck and knowledge. Those of us who believe that old wood and PAFs are the formula for a great burst need only depend on luck (finding a "donor" guitar with all the right characteristics) and money (real 50's parts are expensive). While some parts play no role in the tone equation like knobs and most of the plastic, others are integral like pickups, harness, bridge, tuners and tailpiece. Tone wise, you can get away with a good repro bridge, tuners and tailpiece. This "Lucy" conversion is one of two done by Jim Weyandt that I have. It was a 52 goldtop that when stripped showed a plain top but the all important center seam. While the original Lucy had an off center seam, back then nobody cared. It was just a refinished Les Paul that happened to be red. The pickup routs were filled and re-routed for humbuckers. A pair of double white PAFs were sourced (from me, by the way) and many of the original 52 parts were retained. A plate to cover the end pin holes found on a 52 was made using the original trapeze tailpiece. Nice touch. while a Lucy copy isn't for everybody, it makes a nice historic addition to any collection. It also plays great and sounds as good as any Les Paul I've had.