Restoring a 1953 Les Paul Part II: Taking it Apart

[@fongy200]

I've not long finished my first payed resto on a 1960 Fender Strat. The customer was overjoyed. Thanks Derek it's always good to see your exellent quality work. It's helped me out a couple of times ideas wise.

[@1066wastrel]

been looking forward to seeing this repair, THIS is what I like watching!

[@sefton1972]

1066wastrel me too. This is going to be a treat.

[@jonathanmartin3375]

I can't wait to see it all done. This is very interesting stuff. Great job recognizing the need to stabilize everything.

[@robinosborne266]

Brilliant video - you obviously have the patience of a saint !!! Can’t wait for the next instalment. Please do more of this type of video.

[@bigdguitars]

searching for more projects on ebay!

[@jdubs78]

Awesome. I couldn't wait to see the next installment. Great work. I cant wait for the next video. Rock on!

[@MrTimThunder]

Wow, What a project! Can't wait to see the rest.

[@bobby9727]

Great work my man and yes you should patient that idea,I'm sure Stewmac would be interested.Love watching you work on this guitar and learning a lot from you Thanks.

[@bigdguitars]

Part 1 Project intro: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5S0k359iM2YgKs Part 2 Taking it Apart: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZrKnqSvm7d6qbs Part 3 Fixing the NecK: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqjbqKWoa5yCrJI Part 4 Fixing the Body: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYaugKWwi81lgck Part 5 Binding the Body: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYaugKWwi81lgck Part 6 Repairing the Fretboard: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hX6rgomdjJtkjdk Part 7 Repairing The Headstock: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXWQlKyji5x-Y5I Part 8 Assembly: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3imqISjq9SgfKs Part 9 Completing the inlay: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pp_PooiJmJt7nNk

[@blackbirdpie217]

I reglued a similar broken headstock on a banjo recently, used original 3,200 psi JB weld. Worked wonderfully.

[@roblewis7186]

I've been so excited to see this restoration!!!

[@briansilcox5720]

I appreciate your experience being applied here. A friend owned a '52 goldtop I had the pleasure of playing... nice to see this being preserved, despite it's rough history.

[@kevinking2468]

I've not seen one that has been this rough and abused before!

[@dalgguitars]

Fret board remover thingie. Brilliant! Thanks for the videos.

[@Kennyuk77]

Epic series, I'm hooked!

[@tacoconch7678]

I had heard that some of the earlier Les Paul Standards didn't have fretboard binding. Never seen one though. Pretty cool.

[@thomaspartin191]

Nice work D, saving a historical piece of music. 👌👌

[@Ian_sheridanuk]

Bondo is my favourite tonefiller. It has smooth mids and a nice treble roll off.

[@bigdguitars]

haha.

[@loopmasta5104]

Great stuff. Looking forward for the next one.

[@GySgt_USMC_Ret.]

Outstanding work! Ooorah!

[@cgavin1]

Yay! Been looking forward to this one dude!

[@kft590]

I use 3/64 drill bits as guide pins, and drill in the fret slot for location one near the peghead and one near the body..

[@bigdguitars]

I was going to do this but was weary of it because, Brazilian rosewood.

[@74dartman13]

Wow! That's some tedious work! Looking forward to part three!👍😎🎸🎶

[@bigdguitars]

gotta let this dry for a bit.

[@74dartman13]

@@bigdguitars yep...you have a lot of patience. I would have been a nervous wreck taking that fretboard off!😀

[@kft590]

A recommendation on your fretboard remover. you could use cartridge heaters 110volt version to replace the soldering irons, you can get them cheap on ebay. Just figure out a way to mount them.

[@lancelaprarie6128]

Fantastic work.

[@georgelackey622]

I also wonder why you removed the fretboard and neck, the neck joint was fine. Just seems like a lot of unnecessary work.

[@LP5369GT]

Neck angle is wrong and will need to be reset anyway.

[@musicalbeast2041]

damn buddy you troll all the guitar channels huh?

[@georgelackey622]

@@musicalbeast2041 What do you mean? I think this was a valid question, I like Dereks channel. Where do think I'm trolling?

[@georgelackey622]

@@LP5369GT Where did he say that? I watched the video again and didn't find it or see him check it with a straight edge.

[@LP5369GT]

@@georgelackey622 Rewatch the video. He said the neck angle is 2.8 degrees.

[@kevinking2468]

I feel like the headstock and neck should be pushed together and clamped more securely - This is a difficult repair for sure and of critical importance to get it right. I sold a 1954 to save my house a few years back... I hate thinking about it now... Ouch.

[@bigdguitars]

Yea bondo issues!!!

[@edwardmcguigan1442]

That head stock is in some mess man good luck with this resto anticipating part three

[@bigdguitars]

will be a little. gotta let this dry!

[@georgelackey622]

Looking up! I think though that a heat gun would be helpful, heat softens the bondo making removing it much easier.

[@nine-graves]

I gave the video a "thumbs up" right after the 18:30 min part. You should build a medium and small version of these. Purely genius!

[@bigdguitars]

thanks!!

[@curbmassa]

For your fingerboard alignment pins, use some small brads maybe 1/2" long. Cut the head off one and use it like a drill bit and drill down into a fret slot at each of the fingerboard, 2 in each slot. When you reglue the board tap the brads in and cut the heads off leaving them about 1/8" proud so you can grab them with end nippers and pull them out when you unclamp the caul. Your clamping caul will need some holes drilled.where the brads are for when you clamp it. The frets will cover the holes from the brads when you refret. This way you don't have to pull any inlays. To remove the Gibson inlay, cover the area with paint stripper and cover the paint stripper with Saran Wrap. let it sit 24 hours, clean the stripper off and apply fresh stripper and wrap. Do this for a few days. She'll come out. The inlay will be extremely thin and brittle. I used to superglue them to some clear plastic to reinforce them and cut away the extra plastic with a Dremel. Hope this helps.

[@1958miwa]

Very interesting! I respect you!

[@ChrisFranklyn]

Doctor Frankenstein wants his electrical clips back when you've finished with that fretboard :)

[@bigdguitars]

haha. this is why you need a lot of tools. My little c clamps wouldn't do it

[@audiotechlabs4650]

You are one brave MO-FO! The '53 I saw had the wrap around bridge -tail piece, no tail piece or stop tailpiece. Will you put it back? Will it be gold? Of all of your repairs, I really like this one the best! Can't wait for the next part. Thanxz

[@aidanstorey6205]

Been looking forward to this😀

[@LP5369GT]

You are doing God's work here D. That thing is a mess and no matter what you do the "experts" are going to tell you it's wrong. Good on you to try and get it as right as possible.

[@bigdguitars]

thank you!

[@Murphy_R9]

Working on this 53 where you able to confirm the maple cap was attached using PHENOL FORMALDEHYDE RESIN and not "Hide Glue"? I watched a video of a Burst expert and he insisted Gibson did NOT use Hide glue to bond the maple caps but used the PF resin?

[@xx3868]

I repair all my own stuff, electronics, computer, mowers and some basic guitar repairs BUT this sort of level of work a MAJOR restoration no way!. Glueing that broken head on that has to take huge forces from the strings, i wouldnt want to even attempt that! i will leave that work to Pros who really know what they are doing. I will just stick with quantum theory and answering other forums on the origin of life as that seems way easier than doing this!! haha

[@bigdguitars]

hahah!!!!

[@davemis40]

Have you tried using air to blow the thin super glue down further into deep cracks ?

[@bigdguitars]

part I is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5S0k359iM2YgKs

[@georgefrench1907]

BigDGuitars Thanks.

[@tommycato6368]

What temperature is the blanket and I assume that the steam is somewhere around 100 celsius, when does the glue loosen up? I have an old MIJ les paul that I'm gonna learn on and I'm changing the neck because the head was gone when I bought it. Great vids!

[@dfhomemadestudio]

Awesome job

[@MichaelSeanHarrell]

more bondo than was on the hood of my 70 el camino.

[@bigdguitars]

very true!

[@stude1953]

When's Pt.III coming?

[@williamthrasher8540]

Quite an undertaking you have. Will be interesting to see how you repair all of this. Also you used some tools to remove fret board and the neck that I have not seen before used by an other utuber luthiers. I am enjoying this series of videos.

[@bigdguitars]

thank you. I think I need to make a heated fretboard tool and become 1 dollar richer.

[@Furtheronmusic]

Regarding the date. The shallow neck angle would point to a trapeze tailpiece originally that was replaced in the 60s. Fantastic project

[@danieldean8953]

Graham Hunt the trapeze tailpiece was gone by 53 replaced by a stoptail. This was replaced in late ‘55 with the abr-1 tune-o-matic bridge/stoptail combo. The neck angle had to be increased to accommodate this bridge

[@Furtheronmusic]

Daniel my knowledge is limited to reading a few books but I tried to check according to Tony Bacon & Paul Day in the Les Paul Book the trapeze was phased out during 53. AR Duchossoir in his Gibson Electrics says "at the end of 53 the Les Paul model was modified...". So I still think a shallow neck angle on a 53 points to a trapeze tailpiece originally. Maybe Big D can look at the strap button area to see if there are trapeze mounting holes visible if there's not loads of Bondo all over it.

[@danieldean8953]

Graham Hunt if it was an early ’53 it could’ve had the trapeze, and as you say it would show evidence down by the strap pin

[@thestrum71]

Can't wait for the rest!!

[@klauscottonswab2322]

A suction cup helps to pump the glue in further!

[@monsithomassi9269]

*does an absolute nightmare repair* "Yeah i got a bit of a mess in here..." 😂

[@monorocks8049]

Subscribed to watch the rest of this project!

[@bigdguitars]

thanks!!

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

Pure magic.

[@fredschaves]

At 4:10 it really looked like you just opened a new crack and not the old one... Was some bondo holding the crack together?

[@bigdguitars]

Yea bondo

[@JollyRogerProductions]

I went to the store and bought 2 bags of candy to munch on, while I watched you do this work.

[@bigdguitars]

nestle crunch and carmello!!!! or reese's outrageous too

[@bierce85]

Do you ever put solder on the iron while removing frets? That always seems to make it way easier for me.

[@bigdguitars]

yes I have done that

[@grandudetonesnob7107]

You're doing the Lord's work undoing all the wrongs that we're done to this old girl! It's remarkable that it wasn't stripped of parts and thrown in the trash years ago.

[@thmmke6926]

I have the question mb its dumb, why wouldn't you use something like the jb weld to glue the headstock, is it not resonant or mb to messy?

[@Keefterdam]

Can you pls tell me what the voltage is for your heat pad.

[@donharrold1375]

Good effort. Got to be quite a fragile guitar going forward though? Wouldn’t all that steam lead to the wood cracking?

[@nicolashrv]

The steam actually swells the wood. The wood cracks when it's dry too fast or too much. What steam also can produce is cracks on JOINTS because it can weaken the glue and since the swollen part is pushing the fibers, they can easily separate the two parts (this is why sometimes is not a good deal to make neck fit so tight. A seasonal change can make the neck swollen and damage the joints in the body (the top for example or the binding). If you leave the moisted wood to acclimate for a month or so, nothing will happen.

[@MrUltraworld]

It would have been nice if someone hadn't tried to fix it. Having to fix someone's mistakes is a pain in the ass. I love your fretboard removal technique. I'm stealing that idea for myself thanks.

[@cruzedude1]

looking good so far

[@dougdevine5117]

Part 3?

[@bigdguitars]

In a month or so

[@kevinking2468]

It looks like the neck pickup hole has been enlarged slightly - Yes ?

[@leightnite3056]

A 53, damn! Best of luck man!

[@delassim2488]

when do we get part 3

[@bigdguitars]

Actively working on it. Also need to let It dry a little from the steam.

[@there_is_nothing_here]

I really find these videos to be interesting and educating.when you say Bondo, do you literally mean like Bondo like what you would put on an old dented quarter panel? Is that normal?

[@Terry3Gs]

My gawd that is ALOT of work to repair !! And the way that headstock break it its almost looks like it could just use a whole new piece of rosewood in there !!

[@bigdguitars]

gotta repair it right!

[@raoulduke8382]

I'm hoping this ends up a gold top.

[@bigdguitars]

yep it will be

[@tommy1504]

Where’s part one? Can’t find it

[@bigdguitars]

here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5S0k359iM2YgKs

[@MJHemmer]

Nice hat

[@ickimadrasi8965]

I am buying a Les Paul body without any hardware, I know that it will be costly to get the hardware. Let us hope that there is someone in NYC who will be able to put it together for me

[@soul-6323]

Please add pitch to the neck

[@joegrande4848]

am surprised D just doesn't get the specs an build a brand new neck

[@gibsondrummer]

Where is part 5 ?

[@bigdguitars]

Working on it.

[@jjulch]

Still say you should pull and reset the neck angle for 54 or later bridges. If that headstock repair doesn’t take, probably should think about a new neck. Just my opinion. And we all know everyone’s got one.

[@bigdguitars]

all good my man!

[@TheNewRevolution]

There's 2 big questions that need to be answered. How much is this guitar worth and what does this repair cost? I know it's a old guitar and believe that every old Les Paul like this should be saved if possible, but this 1 might be more trouble than it's worth.

[@bigdguitars]

It’s sentimental value.

[@TheNewRevolution]

@@bigdguitars ahh the 1 value that truly cant be measured. No amount of trouble can be considered too much. I once spent 3 times what a violin was worth to acquire it after a relative had stolen it from me and sold it. It belonged to my grandfather, there was no price that I wouldn't have paid to get it back.

[@richzebco]

curious, why try to repair this neck when it could be replaced with a new one? I would think a new one would be easier to set up and could be made so the guitar plays better

[@Evox2316_]

Drinking game: every time he says messy, take a shot

[@izzysantiago978]

ABOUT TIME!!!!!YES!!!!!!!

[@bigdguitars]

I have to let this dry out now for a little.

[@gilmarriner3011]

Somebody really trashed that old beauty. This is going to be interesting

[@bigdguitars]

dropped

[@mikesonneson2824]

Enjoyed

[@unfreundlich7168]

mmm i would have choped of the old part ,scarf joint new headstock. superglue gets very brittle after 1-2 years! i see a lot of superglue use lately in guitarbuilding, not a fan of superglue.

[@bigdguitars]

Well that’s not what the owner wants. Trying to keep it somewhat how he bought it.

[@avielkharrat5788]

YEAH!

[@FXMonsterGuitarBassCover]

greetings from fx monster guitar cover 🙂 👍👍🙏🙏🇲🇨🇲🇨

[@bigdguitars]

My brother! Polska

[@dimmon3991]

18:22 StewMac get jealous!)))))))

[@praveenfambeck8327]

Hi, how can i reach you i have a project need your help are you on facebook

[@bigdguitars]

[e-mail]

[@ScottMedinaX]

Damn this LP been through the wringer! The repair has to cost more than the final value of the guitar! No?

[@rymrgandnoonfrost1745]

That's one trashed guitar and a hard project, fair play for doing this unfortunately there's gonna be a few whiners in the comments, guaranteed. Looking forward to seeing your work mate and the final outcome, great little mini series to watch.

[@garrettwohlford6783]

i so want to send you my gibson to re do!!!

[@yardenzloof6526]

You should call it now gibson crack top

[@ProfligateSoN]

I'd blur out that phone number around 3:20....

[@bigdguitars]

Customer service!

[@1106Winter]

My thoughts 😆

[@bunnys1980]

who is responsible for that guitars condition? Just a name and address. I'll pay him a visit

[@joegrande4848]

too bad the guy you got guitar from wasn't careful with it

[@takitobutface6805]

why can u just change the neck thats part is so weak

[@jeffrix_ogs_gaming]

Does the person who messed up the original 'fix' and STEPPED on the guitar deserve to get the guitar back after all this work? That's my question...

[@GlenDeanII]

Not your business, preciousss...

[@bigdguitars]

haha.

[@hollybo3986]

At this point I ask myself why not craft a new neck & head-stock extension on the next from the 5TH fret a scarf joint would be stronger than this why not scrap the top and start from scratch Cost can not be a consideration as your time in patching up.Your not going the leave the shallow neck pitch

[@bigdguitars]

owners wants as much maintained as possible. he wants it restored to the way he bought it.

[@Rixster1217]

Why would you repair the broken head stock, and crack in the neck, THEN go ahead and pull the fretboard. That makes no sense at all.

[@bigdguitars]

I agree. I didn’t realize how bad that crack was plus there was a crack by the body that needed a repair too

[@eddiejr540]

Why would you do this??...I guess because you can...but geez really...it’s just wood and metal...not like it’s the “ark of the covenant”...I get it though...the challenge!!!!

[@bigdguitars]

The challenge!

[@michaelmace924]

Dude, I never talk shit if someone does something differently than I would do it. There's a million ways to do things & it makes you look like a douchebag when you bad-mouth another guy's work. Yo, I could smell super glue when you were using it. Well, I guess I imagined it. 🤷‍♂️

[@strategicthinker8899]

More bondo than a salvage car.

[@unfreundlich7168]

wagner wall steamer.....why not just dump that guitar in a bathtub......man that wood is soaked!.....worst thing i have seen so far

[@BoudreauGuitars]

Ugh! Bondo! Wtf