1953 Les Paul Gold Top Restore - Full Time Lapse Video

#gibson #lespaul #vintageguitar
I have spent 12 months building and restoring this guitar. What an amazing journey! here if the full time lapse video.
Issues with Guitar:
Broken Headstock
Cracked Body with multiple large dents
Bondo all over the neck
Missing Body Binding
Missing Neck Binding
Gouges in Fretboard
Missing Cover Plates
Tuners Slipping
Electronics not working
Neck Pickup Dead
Body Wood - Mahogany w/ Maple Top
Neck Wood - Mahogany
Fingerboard Wood - Brazilian Rosewood
Scale Length - 24.75"
Nut Width - 1 11/16"
Pickup(s) - Gibson P-90s
Song #1 by Down Maggie - Pink Floyd is calling
Song #2 Glen Playing the Les Paul
Song #3 Custom Song by Justin Johnson

[@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 Final Finish: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIKxq4uQodSah6c

[@jonlennon3348]

Your work is impeccable.

[@afvet5075]

The older guitars are history and need to be preserved. That was an awesome job. They are truly works of art.

[@nickdryad]

I’ve read comments about how so much restoration was done, it probably wasn’t worth it or there’s not enough of the original guitar left to justify the work. I total disagree. This was a labour of love and the guitar was brought back to life again to make music. It’s not a broom, or an axe or a ship. It’s a musical instrument and all that matters is that it will make music again

[@mmonkeyman1403]

I mean, there's definitely most of the original guitar there. A neck-repair refin 1953 Les Paul is still worth 30k+

[@AnAbortiveRomance]

Yes, but it's a case of going too far, imo. Like a aging supermodel, who gets way too much plastic surgery instead of aging gracefully. Necessary repairs to restore playability and stability are one thing, but his guitar didn't need a whole new back. It's been robbed of all it's earned patina, and the life experiences that made it unique. Too each their own of course.

[@nickdryad]

@@AnAbortiveRomance Yes you make a very good point.

[@cadams1607]

Not everything should be weighed up against financial viability.

[@geet77777]

@@AnAbortiveRomance you saying youd rather let it be dead and un-playable with a broken headstock?

[@ThePenitentSquirrel]

I have been watching the entire process and bravo ! That thing was absolutely wrecked, especially how smashed in the body was, that was amazing to see fixed.

[@guitarpros.7786]

Amazing job! That was a lot of work! 👏👏👏👏

[@jimduffy9773]

Good job. Enjoyed hearing Glen play it. That added a lot.

[@bigdguitars]

Man he is super talented.

[@riadmiah3342]

I'm in the process of building a Goldtop from a custom kit I purchased from Precision Guitar. Ive watched this video and others in the series a few times. It has been a huge help to me in my process. Thank you for sharing and all your excellent tips.

[@boscocat4973]

Some more “finished” shots would be cool but fantastic work!! Brings a tear to my eye seeing an old Les Paul being brought back from the grave to rock for another 70 years!

[@camilo1455]

Have you seen the 25/50 yet? Watched it last night, very impressive.

[@boscocat4973]

@@camilo1455 just did, it was magical.

[@camilo1455]

@@boscocat4973 Big D knows guitars, huh. Magical, the word I was looking for, I guess. Couldn't be more impressed.

[@1234Testicle]

EXACTLY

[@GlenDeanII]

Derek, all I can say is you work miracles, brother. Outstanding craftmanship. Thank you so much!

[@supafrogg258]

That was a tremendous amount of work put into resurrecting this instrument. How can the guitar gods not smile on such loving care?

[@i94yeh2p]

Amazing craftsmanship! Truly a labor of love. Every time I thought he was done there were like eleven more steps for each part.

[@filipematias2239]

Well done! That piece of history was in good hands! I loved how you salvaged the headstock inlay! Great work Derek!

[@jerrymcgeorge4117]

Bravo!!!!! Many years ago in’68I got my first Les Paul. It was a well used ‘56 someone had sprayed white with a rattle can. I stripped off the finish but butchered the binding in the process. Our local luthier fixed that and refinished it for me. He refused to shoot the gold top for health reasons, so we settled on walnut. It’s out there somewhere

[@ernestschultz5065]

I could watch these Les Paul restore videos all day

[@stephenyoud6125]

Wow! Unbelievably ambitious!! But excellently done and saved it to fight another day. Outstanding work

[@riadmiah3342]

One of the best restoration videos I've looked at on line.

[@drumsNstuff79]

Such a great job, Derek! You saved a classic for sure. So worth it to restore such an iconic guitar.

[@Chafflives]

I was having trouble watching this and then remembered I could decrease the playback speed. 🙄🤣. Respect. Job well done. 👍

[@Mozemid1]

Unbelievable craftsmanship!!!! Wouldn't want to venture a guess at how much it cost to do this restoration. Without a doubt the most incredible restoration I have seen on KZbin to date .

[@HobbyNut-sy3lo]

Cost of materials - $100. Value of time, workmanship and effort - Priceless.

[@dponzi56]

What a transformation. Great job.

[@edwardsn3670]

This restoration cost lot of effort than build new guitar😵 Great job👍

[@odiltm259]

It’s definitely worth it tho for a gold top

[@picksalot1]

Man, you've got some crazy good repair skills. The guitar looks great! Thanks

[@TheGuitologist]

Just got finished. Man, that was a truly prodigious restoration, my friend! Wow is all I can say.

[@Terry3Gs]

Yes you deserve big kudo's for what you did with this & the end result !! Awesome job !!

[@johnrathbun2943]

Excellent job and she sounds great. I love those P-90's.

[@danielboan3312]

Amazing work it was a pleasure! DB.

[@nathanmayo7101]

Please don't take this the wrong way because I too do projects like this that make me wonder about my sanity. For you this was a journey, a labor of love, and a test of your skills and you obviously are good at what you do , BUT.........just because something CAN be done does not necessarily make it a good idea. I personally would have given Sam Ash the $3,000 and just bought a brand new one and spent all that work time playing the new guitar, but that's me and you are you. Good job!

[@murfmurphy6212]

What a journey - great work as always. Love that Floyd inspired background track as well.

[@darnright]

This is amazing! Great work by an extremely skilled luthier. I would love to see an hour and a half to two hour video...this moved SO fast I couldn't begin to comprehend what was happening without re-watching sections over and over. Absolutely fantastic repair job!!!

[@jtchance_music9895]

Dang that must have been hard I watched the other video from a while back equally as scary. good job!

[@hanovergreen4091]

Wow and Remarkable! Thank You for letting us look over your shoulder! Best Regards and Best Wishes!

[@user-tp1lp4hj8o]

Awesome video. Awesome and the guitar sounded wonderful. Thanks for playing it there. Thanks for fixing it. I would love to be the one helping you and learning from you fixing guitars I’m a Kansas City Chiefs fan too.

[@olafvidar9315]

Thank You for giving new life to that very distressed piece of history. Proud of you. Gary Moore would approve! I'm certain..

[@rrrayrrray]

I am flummoxed and in awe. All of that (jam included) is magic!

[@DavidSmith-ss1cg]

Glad you restored this fine old axe; didn't care for the "so fast, you can't tell what's going on" video style very much. I have to say, you're obviously very talented. But not everyone digs videos that make them dizzy if they try to see what's going on. Good fortune follow you, always; I hope you save many, many old smashed guitars - you'll heal a lot of smashed hearts. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

[@carstenbornscheuer255]

Meinen Respekt vor ihren handwerklichen Fähigkeiten. Aus einem Stück zerbrochenen Holz wieder ein Musikinstrument zu bauen ist beeindruckend. Sehr interessantes Video, danke fürs zeigen 👍👍👍.

[@oldguy5381]

Love the resurrection in high speed. It sounds as good as it looks. That’s a five star repair. Is that enough smoke? To everyone at BigDguitar have a Merry Christmas

[@jeremiahfiek5495]

True demonstration of skills. This was way more complicated than your staining/dying videos. Much respect.

[@rajkomilosevichguera4547]

In-cre-dib-le job... My jaw was on the floor from 5th minute on... (also - just BTW, some years ago have purchased 5 Dawgtown pickups - 3 humbuckers & telecaster pair - they are INCREDIBLE. Plea say 'hi' to John! Very, very happy customer here!)

[@juandemartini817]

Amazing job! It's really nice to see that a piece of history like that is back to life!

[@MichaelDickes-h9k]

Would've loved to see the full build. Amazing work!

[@zimbalist]

That’s like 8,000 dollars of labour! Great project and fantastic result!!

[@bigdguitars]

Haha. It was!

[@blakjack3053]

@@bigdguitars Joe Bonamassa might be interested in acquiring that '53 for his collection! !

[@apo11o38]

@@blakjack3053 Joe only buys originals. This one is worth a fraction of what an unmolested example goes for

[@juarezpinto8381]

@@apo11o38 not always! Remember his guitar Lazarus!

[@apo11o38]

@@juarezpinto8381 I thought he saved the finish on Lazarus and just threw a clear coat on top.... idk could be going big brain

[@pascalgalipeau1796]

Great project! Congrats!

[@jimfromoh8944]

They all have their own personality and Glen plays it like it's a long lost friend. Superb project.

[@marillion335]

I had to watch this at 0.25 speed to see what was happening. Otherwise great work. You are a very talented craftsman.

[@zundap100]

Wow, nice work man, there was a lot of work but it must have been enjoyable too? Thanks for video and very good guitar playing.

[@alanblott4559]

Thank you. This was hypnotic. Loved every minute of it. Skills and confident. Great to have them together. Have a great Christmas and wonderful new year. Good bless and be safe.

[@solodisfrutaelviaje]

1 minute into the video, must say, the fact you heat the blade instead of the fretboard to unglue it is a majestic tip, thanks.

[@porchestra]

The was unbelievable & Incredible! You are the guitar whisperer 👌

[@bigdguitars]

Thank you!

[@jamesgrant3343]

It’s like the ship of Theseus. I’d say that what you’ve created is far more special than what you started with!!

[@maaritwelling2418]

Amazing patience and craft.

[@JMurdochNZ]

This video was truly watching a master in action. Wonderful.

[@fredvanderlinden8908]

Hey Derek, good old-fashioned craftsmanship made you almost win the guitar building competition by an knch and made an absolute beauty from this wreck. I wish you and your family all the best for the upcoming holy days. Thx for sharing thid video Cheers Fred

[@bigdguitars]

Thank you my friend!

[@replicated]

The craziest luthier on KZbin. I have never seen someone do this much work on a guitar.

[@gtr1952]

Thanks much for taking the time to video that, really enjoyed, and learned a thing or two! 8) --gary

[@FabioHugoFrancesconi]

Hi Master! You are not a luthier, you are an Art designer! Amazing job!!! Well done!!!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@grantkoeller8911]

Fantastic restoration!!!!!

[@blacklion401]

Amazing video. Love watching you work.

[@adriennelee1520]

YOU are so amazing.. this is unreal! I remade a 72 that had been cut in half and the head stock cut off.. that was hard enough, but this.. this.. OMG. respect , brother.. lol

[@MrJohnnyDistortion]

Why was it cut in 1/2?

[@mikemoir4944]

killer stuff loved the diggin in when you were playing nice job all around.

[@danielferrera8773]

A restored Stradivarius will always be a Stradivarius. This is just the same. Great work!!

[@litemetal]

That’s a lot of money in to power tools. Hand tools too. Great job 🎉

[@C36B]

Most impressive restoration I've seen. Great content!

[@AlfredHoudijk]

What a pleasure to watch and saw some techniques new to me, too.

[@krame99]

Amazing that’s just god giving talent to make it look so real the Gibson sig at the top I’m very impressed!!

[@gblan]

This is beyond craftsmanship.

[@brucefreedman3655]

The God of ALL guitars… I have owned an Epiphone gold top Les Paul since 1996… the closest I’ll ever get to a proper Gibson! An absolutely brilliant restoration! 👍🏻

[@avielkharrat5788]

It's probably the most spectacular restore you've pulled off... yet... It looks beautiful and it sounds amazing!

[@bigdguitars]

thanks buddy hope all is well with you.

[@avielkharrat5788]

@@bigdguitars looking good. Happy 2021, D. Wish you all the best and fantastic health, peace and happyness and riches.

[@DH432hrtz]

Ummm that was incredible to watch at least for me. Only a luthier could love a guitar that much! Great video and your level of commitment should not be overlooked...... Thanks for this Cheers Doug 😎

[@serranodavid3247]

Excellent job.....

[@skalewilly]

Wow!!! What an amazing job in this guitar!!! congrats!!!

[@MrTimThunder]

Yeah Buddy! Loved watching the time lapse. It was cool to see the owner playing this after it was all done.

[@rectrorick]

I love seeing a giutar come back from the dead, done a couple myself, so Fricking awesome to see. Well done bud your repairing skills are brilliant 👏

[@pgm5693]

Hi.Love the whole idea..great work and I'm sure much satisfaction earned.I have built a bunch of strats..gonna give an LP a shot soon.Cheers.P

[@BarefootBill]

That is an LP you could not make me own but that is some excellent work!

[@DFox-ud3gx]

I have not seen everything in rebuilding till this man comes around damn great work

[@davefoster6156]

What a ton of work! Well done. I am impressed by your binding the fretboard. Doesn’t that interfere with the fret job in a big way? I like that the neck repair is invisible. I didn’t take notice about the nut install. What type did you use? Well a great job overall and the proof is how good the instrument sounds and looks. I can see why guitars rebuilt in this fashion cost so much. Your putting so much work and TLC into the antique. What a beautiful sound at the end. Thanks for all your love invested in the guitars you repair and rebuild.

[@luismiguelperezr]

What a great job Glen...WOW ..amazing....

[@snew61]

Awesome restoration. Great work!

[@briansmythe3219]

You did all that in Your Vehickle Garage ,Im Mighty Impressed great skills

[@333Lightspeed]

Man what an effort!😎✌

[@barrywebber100]

Great job, it's fantastic to restore an old beaten up guitar into a valuable and desirable classic once again! Thanks for posting.

[@VERMACIDE]

you're the first person i've seen take everything off and put the repairs underneath. great job

[@larryburwell8550]

Amazing repair and tons of work. Great out come but I can't believe in the collectors world that guitar is worth 500 bucks

[@romandybala]

Thanks for the playing . I enjoyed it very much.

[@MichaelDonlinAwesome]

He probably cried. I almost did. Kick butt restore and proper vid.

[@grahamheath5443]

Thank you so much for this vid. Am having to replace the fingerboard on my beloved 1970 deluxe gold top. Wish you'd posted sooner 😀. No amount of heat and thin spatulas would get the board off cleanly so I ended up have to use a very sharp chisel as I was in danger of damaging the gold top. Great bit of craftsmanship, thank you

[@stevenedwards4470]

That was an epic journey. I've never seen anyone put mpre into a restoration than this. You're really talented. I have pragmatic questions as to why but I'll leave it there. Exceptional work. Wouldn't the 53 have a wraparound tailpiece?

[@Flavum]

Yes, a '53 would have had a combo bridge/tailpiece. Whomever originally converted it to a tune-o-matic put the tailpiece too far from the bridge. Too bad that wasn't corrected during the restoration. :(

[@rstats2127]

Trapeze tailpiece you are correct, maybe the owner didn’t want it

[@pharmerdavid1432]

@@Flavum That gives it a softer feel though, like Larry Carlton's ES-335..?

[@historiclp4577]

Unbelievable Work, you have to be the best ive ever seen.

[@bigdguitars]

Thank you

[@CaptainThunderfoot]

Not all heros wear capes! Thank you for this

[@michaelaiello9525]

Usually I knock myself out to save an instrument worth just a fraction of this ‘53. I imagine the reward is greater, but maybe you’re constantly considering what’s the least necessary restoration as well because of the inherent value. It takes a lot to put out something like this because certain choices can always be deliberated by a random viewer like me. But well done. I’d love to have been in real time asking questions about a number of things that I’ve never done personally. And of course I’m envious of some of your shop tools. Bravo!

[@karst41]

Great show man, and what a great guitar you have along with a Good story to justify the work

[@MrJoeydano]

Yeah would have never thought up that method for fret board removal . What a great job Derek.

[@tedg3721]

waht a beautiful time capsule of a classic sound it has on that old amp!

[@terryeaster1]

Out fu***** standing!!!! I'm glad you got the guitar to fix

[@figuermex9910]

No había visto ese tipo de trompo? Para mo rallar la madera... Increíble restauració!

[@ArtZasadny]

Incredible work!

[@samandjennysambrook]

Absolutely Amazing...loved every second of it.🎶🎸❤️

[@ERWebster]

An astounding amount of work and an epic journey. Wtg, truly impressive.

[@barriehercock8612]

Superb workmanship