I also have a 78 LPC… and yes, their necks were/are maple (3pc). And yes the body is mahogany with a maple cap. The necks on Norlin LPCs changed to maple in 1975 (it was a transitional year, some had mahogany some maple) and lasted until 1982 (which was another transitional year from maple back to mahogany). The bodies on all Norlin LPCs were maple & mahogany. In fact, the maple/mahogany body predates the Norlin years… it actually started in 1968.

Thanks Tony, and Mike. T-Tops for the Win! That is a very nice custom.

The t tops sound fantastic

Tony…I agree with your comparison comments…but I have to say, that jam at the end with the T-tops sounded fantastic to my ears!!!!

The late 70's T-Top pickups often used Alnico IV magnets. The ones with a rubber stamp date codes likely have Alnico IV magnets which is different from the short bar Alnico V magnets that came with most every patent decal through T-Top humbucker until 77 or so. Seymour Duncan makes a Alnico IV based humbucker called the Saturday Night Special which are loosely based on these late 70's T-Top pickups. During the later Norlin years, Gibson definitely used maple for the necks of Les Paul guitars. Seems like 76/77 through 82, most Les Paul Standard and Custom guitars came with laminated maple necks. My 82 Howard Roberts Fusion has a mahogany neck while my 83 LP Custom has a maple neck. I prefer the tautness of a maple neck over a mahogany neck, but a poor craftsman blames their tools. I just play guitars. I don't over analyze all of the aspects.

Beautiful guitar! My old ears prefer the T-tops, but neither set sounded bad. Good vid., sir!

I can attest to the maple neck discovery in this video. I own a 1976 Les Paul Standard that has a 3-piece maple neck that transitions into a 5-piece maple headstock. The guitars serial number is on a decal. Heavy guitar weighing in at 9.7 pounds. It also has the maple top on the body. Gibson made thousands of these guitars with maple necks. What I notice about the tonal effect of a maple neck is the guitar has a slightly brighter sound. Another part of that sound is the stock T-Top pickups. The pickups are made with short AlNiCo 5 magnets along with maple spacers. Both pickups are matched with an impedance of 7.30k. They excel when pushed through a cranked amp, or when using distortion.

T tops definitely for the win. I have a 76 custom that i love. My 82 custom pickups were already swapped when i got it. Looking to find the perfect fit pickup for that guitar

Exactly what i needed

1983 I got a Gibson pearl white les paul custom! I still have it! I also have a 2011 blk classic custom! Thanks!

T-tops won that battle by far!

@onlyfromadistance7326

2 жыл бұрын

Trans Am Firebird, T tops, wife beater, gold chain, and 8 track... All right, all right, all right....

I may be in the wrong. The neck pickups I preferred the T Tops. Bridge I preferred the newer.

What pickup was used in a 1980 Les Paul "KM"? Which magnet was used, and what was the impedance/resistance?

Great review, thanks! I like T-Tops better.

The middle position is what sells me and in this case, the more tele like sparkle of the t tops won out

Just for reference, Randy Rhoads Gibson Les Paul custom was equipped with t tops. Also I think 78 Les Paul's fall within the bad wood era of Gibson.. So wouldn't surprise me if that was a Maple neck.

I think a lot comes down to how you want to develop your gain, i like to use a higher gain pickup to work the amp a little harder. There's no wrong way!

What was the DC Resistance on the Gibson’s?

These Norlin era Les Paul are not as bad as told. I have 68 LP Custom and 71 LP Custom. They both sound incredible and play themselves easy as hell. T Tops have incredible focus in sound.

I think the Dimarzio SD and Duncan 59 were at least a little out of phase with each other. You can hear that when they are played together, but then that could be just the volume difference that im hearing. Adjusting the heights to compensation would have improved things. Yes the T-tops sounded great when played together. I would have liked to have heard the T-Top neck paired with the DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge and may actually test that in my Les Paul Custom.

It was only the 1953 to 1961 costoms that were solid mahogany, after that they started the cap on them. And the Norlin era also brought the 3 piece maple neck on the costoms in 1975 until 1985. In a way the all mahogany body and neck are covered well by the SG imo

T tops ruled!

If you ask me I'd have kept the 59 classic in the neck and the Demario in the bridge cuz to me it's just sounds better

I have a 1980 LPC that had the original T Tops in it. Sadly I feel they are muddy and lifeless. I pulled them and bought the SD antiquity JB/Jazz set. The pickups in this video sound amazing. I've kept the T Tops so if a day comes and I sell the guitar I could put them back in.

That doesn't look like a DiMarzio Super Distortion to me.

Couldn’t help but notice the “Natural” stamp in the pickup cavity…. So you think it maybe started life as a natural finish and could have been refinished to be Ebony? A natural custom? Your tone is amazing with both sets of pickups, but for me, the originals are the winners.

@addictedtogear

2 жыл бұрын

I’m not sure but it looks like it to me…it’s an oddity

@auntjenifer7774

Жыл бұрын

My dad has a 73-74 natural custom and it's cool but I think the black looks way better !

Which Duncan & Dimarzio pickups?

@addictedtogear

2 жыл бұрын

I think the bridge is a Dimarzio distortion plus. Neck is a Duncan 59

The T-Top are the sound people want.

Thanks for doing this, I have a 78' LP Custom burst with Dimarzio SD stock. I was thinking about changing to T-Tops.

@Tomekkplk

Жыл бұрын

LooooL have fun paying for T Top pickups

@willdenham

Жыл бұрын

@@Tomekkplk I already have. They were under 200 for repros.

Your not mistaken, they are suppose to be Mahogany only bodies on the Customs.

Hello, I really enjoy your channel and this video is awesome and love Dimarzio Super Distortion on Les Paul it gives that 70s and 80s tones and Ace Frehley use Dimarzio Super Distortion on his Les Paul Customs and 80s New Wave British Metal use them like Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and many others to, what gauge strings do you use on your Les Pauls? Thank you so much. Thumbs 🆙 Great Video.

@addictedtogear

2 жыл бұрын

Hey thanks for the great feedback. I usually use 9’s on my guitars. Thanks for watching!

@guitarist22lespaul90

2 жыл бұрын

@@addictedtogear Thank you for your reply. You always do great demos videos and I will give you credit for using 9 gauge strings on les paul that cool and I use 10-52 NYXL Daddario strings because I have heavy handed and I set up my les paul for medium action, Some times miss playing 9 gauge strings, but I knock them out tune. Thank you again for your reply. Keeping on Rocking.

@toddwilliamson2651

10 ай бұрын

Al Di Meola uses the Super D in his favorite black Les Paul recorded all his Les Paul albums with it still playing it today.

I FEEL LIKE YOU COULD HEAR HIGHS, MIDS, AND LOWS WITH THE TTOPS......THE NEWER ONES HAD NO HARMONICS AT ALL JUST SOUNDED LIKE CHAIN METAL BEING CRUSHED LOL VERY METALLIC SOUNDING......

Tony, I liked the T-tops the best. But I’m probably prejudiced. I am the original owner of a 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom with T-top pickups

@scotmoorhouse2427

Жыл бұрын

I have a 1973 Gibson Les paul Custom Ebony, with the patent number T tops. They're essentially the same pickup as the PAF the only difference is the PAF was before Gibson secured the patent number, therefore it was still just Patent Applied For. The T tops removed the human aspect in the winding process, other than that they are the same vintage pickups, T stands for the top side of the pickup.

Getting the guitar with a maple top, sound wise you end up with a Standard. What's sounds better that. T-tops ..cool! My Gibson SG Std. Ltd Ed. has T-tops. Not all T-tops are the same. They use different magnets. Mine are virtually '57 Classics. Gibson put them in a Ltd Ed. of an SG in '74. ...Gibson found an old carton of T-tops from 1974 and decided to make literally a Ltd Ed. of a Ltd Ed. According to Trogly they probably did about 30 guitars from that carton. I got the guitar used from an Estate sale cheap and was going to flip it. I got it plugged it in and instantly it became my 'go to', LOL.

Only 50s reissues have the all mahogany bodies… When they reintroduced the model in the late 60s it came with the normal mahogany/maple combination… The necks were mahogany then but somewhere in the mid 70s they changed to 3 piece maple necks

I love SD pickup in the bridge. I also like the Duncan in the neck. But I prefer the T tops when both pickups are selected. Does that make me weird? Lol

@addictedtogear

2 жыл бұрын

Vox we are all weird, not worry about it. LOL

@kennyh5083

Жыл бұрын

@@addictedtogear The older Les Pauls were almost exclusively maple over mahogany and when the maple did not turn out to be show worthy they simply painted over them! The necks likewise were mahogany NOT maple! there were different shades of mahogany some were very light but still porous grained, hard rock maple has none of that

@kennyh5083

Жыл бұрын

@@addictedtogear The Duncan 59 neck HB & Dimarzio DP100 are one of the most perfect pip combinations you can have on a Les Paul! The 59s are wound on the same machines that the original 59's were wound, and the Super distortion is what launched Dimarzio in the 70's and they are the sound of 70's 80's hit rock tunes!

Looks like a T Top clone for my Edwards Custom. I like the bite and definition but it still has some body. The Dimarzio 36 anni are great pups too but they lack in the beef department. A little too thin up top when you are on the bridge.

T-Tops.

T Tops wins!.... The fad in the 80s, hotter pickups, brass nuts. Why would anyone use pickups that have compression and altered mid range that cannot be removed?

i prefer the t tops!

T/Tops that came in my 77 & 78 while lower output and volume, they will overdrive a amp at a lower setting than a 59 or BB

T TOPS AAAAAAAAAAAAALL DAY LONG!!!

The only customs that are all mahogany are ones considered black beauty reissues. Like ones with triple hb or p90. Regular customs with two hb have a maple top. Also norlin post 75 to late 80s would have maple neck

@dynasgitarrer6236

Жыл бұрын

In 1977 I bought a two-pickup Gibson Custom brand new. Wine red and all mahogany. No maple top

@Kcapgar

Жыл бұрын

@@dynasgitarrer6236 there are examples of random all mahogany That were random. It was not normal though. Sorry I should of stated that. They definitely made them here and there it just wasn’t common unless it was a 54 or 57 reissue.

@kevinpoehlmann5157

4 ай бұрын

@@dynasgitarrer6236same for my 89 wine red custom

Wrong. The Gibson custom is bass, mids, and treble tones with more stable timbers in the neck and top. It's the rich man's tone. The aftermarket must design around the establishment. DiMarzio is tone adjusting pickups as opposed to voltage adjusting Gibson's. Seymour is low fidelity versions of the Gibson standard pickup. DiMarzio is modelling the standard pickups too. Not modelling the custom pickups.

Yes maple cap..the all mahogany were the original Customs made in the 1950s

The T-Tops sounded better to me, more bite, note separation and focus.

It's 78 not 87..... 😉

that guitar has mahogany body qith mahogany top

I may be wrong, but I think you could just play. There is no sense in talking that much.

@addictedtogear

Жыл бұрын

I’ll think about that…