A Guide to Les Paul Plastics

[@Cinestudi0]

The title of this video, the fact that it show in my feed, and the fact that I knew a lot of the information on it, makes me realize that I'm wasting the scarse free time I could be using playing in something that won't make me a better musician, and for that I really want to thank you. Nothing wrong with the quality of the video or the info in it, but it really got me reconsidering a lot of things guitar related

[@DanEtch]

I only watch these vids on the lav. Then I go play. Can’t play on the lav. The cubicle is too small.

[@pharmerdavid1432]

@@DanEtch You must have serious constipation problems then!

[@SB-kw6oo]

Oooo thanks Zach the perfect video to avoid my job ❤

[@dananthony6258]

The seafoam green les Paul’s with cream binding and plastic are some the nicest looking guitars I’ve ever seen. I bought a 2017 classic and it’s amazing.

[@frishdaw]

Man, I wish had this video 20 years ago haha! When I got my Les Paul in 2004 I immediately had to replace the pinkish cream pick guard it came with and had to order a few to get the right color, ended up putting the "bleeders" under the volume and tone knobs and replace the chip and switch tip. It made me much happier with the overall look of the guitar!

[@doc_matter]

60s 70s les pauls do have gold wash silver knobs, youll likely be finding them on customs, great video!

[@jefffletcher2614]

For over four decades I had myself convinced that this stuff matters, but 10 minutes into this video I realized it just doesn't. Thanks Hoss!

[@MythosPedals]

like i said, it's just for nuts like me ;)

[@marions.120]

It’s mostly important to collectors?

[@riklionheart23]

It’s important for those that it’s important for.

[@MythosPedals]

@@riklionheart23 This is it exactly!

[@teakhernandez4679]

Really appreciate the videos you’ve been putting out. New to guitars dig the insight

[@tone1798]

Chippy looks deluxe! Really digging the “mod” series that you guys are doing! Slowly but surely getting my epi special done! Thank you Zach for all the great tips!!!

[@avjake]

That sparkling burgundy is the prettiest top they ever made, IMO.

[@WhitAnderson70]

Yes, time to nerd out!

[@closetcreationsinc.7550]

EXTREMELY entertaining ( and obviously informative)

[@deanallen927]

Great video. I tink I like the red Les Paul with it's original plastic, it blends well and stands out just enough not too much, perfect I think. Educational.

[@hendanine]

Man, I was really hoping for P90 covers. Still really cool that you are offering these.

[@GEH-vw4hm]

Can't wait about a hardware episode!

[@andrewmichaelwilliams]

Man, I want Chippy. What a great looking guitar.

[@pharmerdavid1432]

Thanks for posting all your competitors names, I see they are expensive too so I'll likely buy from you (that switch tip is beautiful).

[@bobramalhorealtor6523]

Nice job!

[@AdamLevyGuitar]

Very deep dive!

[@DDWyss]

One thing that occurred to me when you said "What if the pick-guard was a different color under the sticky plastic?" is that if you want to obsess over subtle color shades, it's a good idea to make sure you're working under full spectrum light while doing this. I've done a lot of guitar repair work, including finish repair work, and having full spectrum light really matters when doing paint repair. If you're working under light which isn't full spectrum, it can leave out frequencies which can make white and cream look different under natural lighting. So if you want to make sure your plastics look as good at that outdoor show as they do in your garage, make sure your light bulbs are full spectrum!

[@schenker7559]

I also put vintage style Klusons on most of mine(save for my Beano tribute which of course has Grovers) with conversion bushings, to really complete the look!

[@evandiebold3087]

Those changes really improved the look of that Lester

[@doc_matter]

As far as pickguard goes, the gap in the pickguard on the bridgeside of the neck pickup is important if you worry about vintage accuracy, alot of time they fit to tight there on and bursts have a noticeable gap

[@JSTN_C]

yep, i can't believe no one liked this... you know your shit mate. to me, i'm colourblind so it's hard for me to identify the right colours and i agree even on the same vintage guitar two different plastics will age differently. but it's beyond colour it's more so the fit, how they are rounded and fit on the guitar, those are the most noticeable things with the old bursts.

[@HARDAOREDGE]

Very useful. Thanks for the hints

[@briankehew579]

I thought you meant the SONEX guitars from Gibson!!

[@marions.120]

That’s it, I want a red Les Paul! It’s beautiful. ✌️😎🎸🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

[@filipematias2239]

Thank you so much for this info! :D:D I like it better when the binding matches the plastics tho eheh

[@oldskoolz8509]

I recently done my Goldtop in all black.

[@hkguitar1984]

Concerning pickup rings, it should be mentioned that import and Epiphone rings are larger than the USA made pickup rings. If you try to upgrade a Epiphone with Gibson spec rings the smaller size of the Gibson pickup rings will leave exposed mounting holes. Just saying, some people with Epiphones may not know this.

[@HarrisArt]

Another goodie fellas!

[@ernieb3626]

Great info very honest

[@garyandpattyworley6832]

I have a 2014 Signature Gibson Les Paul and am in need of the back plate that has a battery compartment built in. I would be indebted to you if you could find one!

[@Murphy_R9]

Even though I'm a gold top hat fan For that particular LP the reflectors looked better overall

[@cmcald0]

Do you recall where you got your pickguard for your R9? I have a recent R8 and I'm going with Wizz rings and poker chip. Historic Makeovers recommends Mojoaxe for a pickguard. I'm just wondering what you learned from your search. Thanks.

[@MythosPedals]

I have an older Mojoaxe that was on my R9. I got a newer one recently second hand and it was a bit darker than the old one I had.

[@cmcald0]

Do you recall where the one on your R9 now came from?

[@MythosPedals]

@@cmcald0 I have the one we stock on it now, before it was a Mojoaxe

[@timmee6937]

Regarding the historic truss rod covers - isn't there a 2 step bevel and a straight bevel?

[@doc_matter]

Before watching this video id like to say that Bartlett pickup rings are the most vintage correct, ill see what you use..

[@jtiov2]

Could you do one about appropriate tuners for Gibson models/eras?

[@MythosPedals]

Kluson and tonepros make fantastic replicate tuners. You can also get milk bottle grovers now as well. The one thing you need to be aware of is how large the hole is in the headstock. Vintage tuners often have smaller bushings so you have to get conversion bushings for a modern headstock. Ultimately a lot of vintage Gibson guitars got retrofitted with Grovers anyway, so it kind of is an old-school look to begin with.

[@thomashaigh6098]

We're deep in the weeds here gents

[@BlindTom61]

The guard on the old guitars are very subtly different at the top by the cut out than the R9s. Once you see it, you cannot un-see it.

[@Murphy_R9]

I bought my 2023 Murphy lab aged R9 Because I know I will never own a old original. Now having said that I wanted this Murphy lab to look dead on accurate in detail so all these little things did matter. Luckily pretty much everything was already good to go on the this ML stock.

[@MythosPedals]

Murphy lab stuff is killer!

[@Murphy_R9]

@@MythosPedals Yes thank you. I do understand that Historic makeovers and a few independent builders have topped ML by a good margin but i could not afford them. My Budget barely made getting the ML and that was only because i had a 2016 Historic R9 plus cash to get it. It is a really good R9 that is as accurate as i need, There are pics of it on My les paul forum under this same screen name with the title "NGD: 2023 Murphy heavy relic". Great video BTW! 👍

[@torstenbangert4026]

On vintage instruments pickup rings are always lighter in colour than the pickguard and in most cases the poker chip is a bit lighter in colour than the pickguard. Look at the Beauty of the bust handbook.😉

[@Nowandthen-zen]

Pimping plastic ain’t easy . I’d buy vinyl siding from Zach ✌🏻🎸

[@WeekendWarriorGuitars]

@4:36 Top wrapped strings on the LP is the way to go. I just switched over recently and it's never felt better under my fingers!

[@MythosPedals]

Love top wrapping

[@WeekendWarriorGuitars]

Yes! @@MythosPedals

[@firebald2915]

​​@@MythosPedalsBefore I top wrapped mine, I filed down all of the sharp edges where the strings came across. No strings were broken after that.

[@jasonnorris5298]

You need a white switch tip ?

[@jimwilkinson1095]

Hi, watching from Australia. My question is, can I buy a pick guard for my 2015 Les Paul Standard screwless, it doesn't have screws it clicks into the pick up rings. You don't get screw holes in the guitar. Any help will be great.

[@MythosPedals]

No clue on that one

[@hotblackdesiato3451]

Don't the pickup rings also come in two different heights depending on whether or not it's historic-spec/R7/R8 etc. compared to a current Standard LP? I have it in my head that earlier LPs have taller rings.

[@MythosPedals]

M-69 are considered tall rings, that's all I'm talking about in this video. Thanks!

[@perrymahoney7772]

The burst colours on that R9 are incredible. Can anyone tell me the name of this burst type?

[@MythosPedals]

I had this guitar refinished by Tom Murphy so it's kind of my own finish.

[@everythingjingabell8416]

Can you upgrade Epiphone les paul modern please?

[@cubano100pct]

I have a Les Paul 2015 Studio that has no pick guard. How can I put a pick guard without drilling holes. I know there are LP that have removable pick guards that snap on to the side of pup rings. Can these rings be put on a studio?

[@MythosPedals]

You'd have to really search used places, I've not seen those for sale new from anyone

[@CraigFlowersMusic]

Talk about timing. Take my money!

[@issacrodriguez91]

What finish is that R9, it's beautiful!

[@MythosPedals]

Done just for me by Mr Tom Murphy himself :)

[@issacrodriguez91]

@@MythosPedals is it factory burst or southern fade ? Love the deep red

[@MythosPedals]

@@issacrodriguez91 it was just for me, we copied a photo of Pearly Gates before it faded. Tom has all sorts of incredible reference!

[@soapboxearth2]

Where do you find the yellow metal jack plate?? Also as a lefty . I have never been able to find a 50s style lefty pickguard

[@MythosPedals]

We will have more metal jack plates online in a few weeks hopefully

[@paulrudiger2552]

Something else I noticed by looking at vintage Les Paul's is that the M69 rings are lighter in color than the pickguard, but of course I am not an expert on this subject either..

[@MythosPedals]

They are all different, I've played quite a few over the years

[@kylepatterson8445]

What are the pickups in that goldtop?

[@MythosPedals]

Throbak DS-55

[@Nowandthen-zen]

Just to mess with Zach’s ocd I would put white Fender witch hat knobs on chip chip a roo

[@onechosen2]

Shouldn’t the goal be to match the binding?

[@MythosPedals]

If you want

[@michaelruiz3167]

I liked it before you went white. Now it looks cold and cheeper, but I get the demo and the fact that you guys are stocking up on plastics.

[@flapjack413]

I just got a set of butyrate M-69 rings in the mail today, and you weren't kidding, they really do stink! Haha. Could anyone give me an idea of how long they smell for? From what Zach said, I'm guessing it goes away after a while?

[@MythosPedals]

Oh it goes away once they aren't trapped in a bag

[@pCeLobster]

There are those who pretend to be nerds. And then there are those who are....authentic.

[@greendayray]

Nothing about curved rings vs non curved rings or whether or not they should be tapered. Things I saw on brands Amazon offers…anybody else know what’s best? How about Gibson? Don’t they offer their own parts?

[@mchlwilson1]

The cream looked better than the white.

[@DavidHinesMusic]

What about the dark cream plastics gibson used in 2010/11? I've never seen them in the wild, only on the guitars.

[@m.charron]

Personally, I'd prefer the darker plastics. They have better continuity with the binding and offset the red better, at least from this side of the screen.

[@MythosPedals]

We could have gone either way, we just liked how the more ivory plastics popped more

[@Black-Jack-2022]

do you have the plastics for China made guitars?

[@MythosPedals]

Not at the moment

[@Bob-Whiting]

No. Now you have the "It doesn't match the Binding!" problem. I fixed THAT problem by murderin' it out with all black plastics and let the binding be the binding, lol

[@sandoncrowder7839]

The tone is in the plastic

[@MythosPedals]

right?!

[@paulrudiger2552]

The price for Philadelphia Luthiers Cab rings is 17.90$ and Wizz rings cost 89€. Why such a big difference in price? Then something else I noticed is that on vintage Les Paul's the rings are white and not cream, like bone white, but of course I am an authority on Gibson's..

[@jltrem]

Teaspoons work better to remove screws.

[@MythosPedals]

I dont like putting any amount of pressure on the top of the guitar itself

[@jltrem]

@@MythosPedals Understandable but I’ve never had a problem by doing it gently. I’m sorry, I meant knobs.

[@seanzinger]

I thought this said A Guide to Les Paul Classics.

[@pCeLobster]

I'd watch that.

[@MrTL666]

Not too bad a video... good info you missed a few things.... And decent price . A Historic is supposed to be accurate and Gibson has been milking it for 31 years.... That's the reason you by a Historic.... If not a USA is fine

[@charlesa9491]

💋 "Promosm"

[@davidmacfly]

Where are the sound demos feom before and after!! Very disappointed 😂

[@MythosPedals]

That fresh plastic resonance

[@znmcg]

#noguard

[@darrenofdrivers]

I’m firmly in the ‘Les Pauls look better with no pickguard’ camp

[@cedarraine7829]

$20 switch tip lol

[@sapelopelo]

Man Im in my home, just finished my 12 hour night shift drinking dark coffee with cinnamon. I canr believe im watching this --Love your stuff btw but this is weird ngl

[@josephcorcoran8714]

I don’t know why but I get very uncomfortable when you say Chippy.

[@MythosPedals]

We dinged it and so we dubbed it chippy

[@WeekendWarriorGuitars]

I thought all Les Pauls were called "Lester"?! haha @@MythosPedals

[@josephcorcoran8714]

@@MythosPedals 👍🏼I was just breakin ‘em a bit.

[@ixis99]

Where can I find replacement deluxe mini hum goof rings?