Making My Les Paul Sound "More Vintage," Part 2: Electronics

After I tackled the hardware aspect of upgrading my Les Paul, I moved on to the electronics. Although the tone of a guitar is a sum of its parts (body wood, hardware, construction quality, etc.), some argue that the most defining aspect of a guitar's sound are the electronics. To a large extent, this belief is true. Everything from the quality of the potentiometers to the value of capacitors can significantly alter how a guitar sounds when plugged in. And unsurprisingly, the electronics used on modern guitars usually aren't exactly the same as the ones used on cherished vintage guitars.

Because I wanted to make my Les Paul sound as "vintage" as possible, I tried to use electronic parts similar to the ones used in the prized 'bursts built between 1958-1960. Granted, I could have gone to eBay to buy thousands of dollars worth of old PAFs, pots, wire, and capacitors and been done. With that much money though, I could have just gotten a Murphy-aged R9. Instead, I sought the most vintage sounding parts for the most reasonable prices. If you've been on any guitar enthusiast forums, you've probably heard a lot about RS Guitarwork's popular vintage electronic replacement kit (see picture on right), which some consider a mandatory upgrade for any Les Paul. I opted to go with an "RS Vintage Pre-Wired" kit. As its name suggests, this kit supposedly makes your guitar sound more like a vintage one. To accomplish this task, the kit includes several high quality parts, including RS's acclaimed "Superpots." These "Superpots, designed by RS in conjunction with CTS, offer much tighter tolerances and better tapers than the average pot manufactured today. As a result, they yield more clarity and harmonic complexity. Furthermore, the kit includes two Jensen paper-in-oil capacitors for both the bridge and neck tone controls (.022mFd and .015mFd, respectively). Unlike the mylar capacitors predominately used today, these capacitors are made very similarly to the sought-after Sprague Bumblebee caps used in 1958-1960 Les Pauls. Combined with the Superpots, these capacitors allow you to turn your volume knob almost all the way down without loosing clarity and definition. And finally, the kit contains vintage cloth wire and two CTS Audio taper pots for the tone controls.

The kit came nicely wired and ready for installation. However, after the kit came, I noticed a pair of original 1957 Sprague Bumbleebees on eBay that hadn't drifted much from their original value of .022mfd. See, these paper-in-oil caps sometimes "leak" and drift away from their intended values after many years. These caps, however had stayed relatively true to their values, as evidenced by the multimeter reading in the left picture. I clicked the "But It Now" button for $120. Pricey? Yes, but these capacitors play a huge part in getting that "vintage tone" (some even think that they are the most critical component) moreson than the other vintage Les Paul parts out there that often fetch much more money.

When I took off the electronics cover of the guitar, I discovered that it came with a pre-installed metal plate to which all the components were attached. Also, it was rather messy, and trying to assemble the RS kit on it would have been a pain. So I simply removed the plate and installed the new pots to the bare wood, just like in the old Les Pauls. Then I wired up everything according to vintage specifications. Take a look at the two pictures below. The top picture shows the wiring in an actual 1959 'burst. The bottom shows my wiring. Pretty similar, aren't they?

Original 1959 Les Paul Wiring:

My 2002 Les Paul Standard Wiring (Modified)

I don't want to sound like a sensationalist yet again, but the difference upon plugging in my Splawn Quick Rod was profound, to say the lest. The new electronics yield a clearer, richer tone. And the best benefit is that I can now actually use my volume control without muddying up my sound. Of course, I left the Burstbucker Pro pickups installed, as they sound great to my ears. However, that doesn't leave out the possibility of a pickup change in the future. For now though, the guitar sounds great!

Stay tuned for part three of this segment. It'll pertain to the various aesthetic changes I made to the guitar.

Making My Les Paul Sound "More Vintage," Part 1: Tailpiece and Studs

It's been longer than usual since my last post, but since then, I've had quite a bit of time to sit down and really assess my new Les Paul Standard (see this post). As stated in my initial review, my main goal was to acquire a Les Paul with that distinct, vintage growl without breaking the bank. Obviously, there are a few things on a Standard that simply cannot be altered to make it more like a true 1959 Les Paul (i.e., the Standard's short neck tenon). However, some aspects of the guitar, such as the electronics, hardware, and even plastic components, can easily be changed to yield a more vintage-sounding guitar. In this segment, I'll be discussing the various changes/mods I've made to the guitar to make it sound as close to a '59 as possible. Keep in mind, though, that I'm primarily seeking vintage tone and not necessarily vintage looks, so form follows function in this project.

My first order of business involved replacing the stock nickel tailpiece with a vintage-spec aluminum tailpiece. In contrast to the heavy nickel tailpiece, its featherweight aluminum counterpart provides a much more resonant, airy tone. Some prefer one over the other, but in this case, since I'm trying to capture that vintage vibe, it was a no-brainer to choose the aluminum tailpiece. I also opted to find some steel bridge studs to replace the inferior zinc inserts used by the Nashville bridge. The heavier steel allows for better transfer of vibrations to the body, thus resulting in a fuller tone. Furthermore, they are designed to be in contact with the actual body wood, as opposed to the stock, tone-robbing metal inserts.

After some research, I discovered a German company called Faber that specializes in manufacturing vintage-spec aftermarket parts for Les Pauls and other Gibson guitars. Several enthusiasts on both the Gear Page and the Les Paul Forum seemed very impressed with the quality of these parts, especially when compared to similar products from companies like TonePros. In particular, they loved the unique Tone-Lock bridge system (more on that later). So I headed to the website of CV Guitars (run by Larry Corsa), the official U.S. distributor of Faber parts, and placed an order for a Tone-Lock kit in aged nickel finish. This kit includes an aluminum tailpiece, as well as the patented studs that lock it into place. I also ordered the Faber "BSWKIT" Pro Sustainer System, which includes the replacement steel bridge studs. These studs allow the use of the Nashville bridge on vintage-style ABR-1 posts, which lie in direct contact with the body wood, as opposed to the normal zinc inserts. Because you still have to use the Nashville stud spacing, installing an ABR-1 bridge without modification is impossible, unless you use Faber's ABR-1 bridge (which is designed to fit on Nashville-spaced studs).

Installation for the Tone-Lock kit was a breeze. It comes with two studs and three sets of different-sized spacers (2.5mm, 4mm, and 5.5mm heights), which provide the locking aspect of the kit. On traditional Les Pauls, many players often prefer to screw the tailpiece flush to the body in order to provide more coupling. However, doing so can alter the tension on the strings, which some players perceive as a negative. With the Tone-Lock kit, however, this trick is unnecessary, as the spacers essentially extend the studs to the tailpiece, allowing it to be locked against the stud at normal heights. Essentially, you receive the benefits of a screwed-down tailpiece without the potential drawbacks. These two pictures provide a clear illustration of how the system works:




Installing the steel bridge studs proved to be a more difficult task, as it required the removal of the original zinc inserts. Before removing them, though, I made sure to use an X-Acto knife to score around the edges, preventing any chance of removing excess lacquer. With the inserts having been removed, I then used an 8mm x 1.25 tap to thread the pre-existing holes for the new steel studs. After they were in place, I put the bridge back onto the posts to seat them into the proper position. Installation complete! See here for a more thorough description of the instructions.

To say the least, the results of these modifications were strikingly noticeable. Before plugging in, I could immediately perceive that the guitar was livelier and much more resonant. Through my Splawn, I noticed the abundance of several more harmonics that had previously been missing. All in all, the guitar produced a richer, more complex tone.


In the next part of this segment, I'll be discussing the various electronic changes I did to the guitar. Stay tuned!