Knob placement on Les Paul's and ....

[AJ6stringsting]

I own a 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom , 1971 Medallion Series Flying and a 2007 Epiphone Les Paul Custom. All are great guitars but I only wish they did some ( at least for me) more accessable knob placements on the Les Paul.

Luckily, I've been using fan picking style for palm muting method reason.

But many Les Paul players complain that if only the hole placement for the knobs were reversed, it would be heavenly and more convenient for volume knob manipulations.

Another thing I noticed is that my 74 LPC's and the Flying V's , neck joint / headstock area , had some extra wood , so the guitar could survive being dropped.... Thus, no easily snapped off headstock.

Seems like after the mid 1970's Gibson guitars didn't have that extra wood at the headstock joint.

[DeepEnd]

''Reversed?'' You mean with the volume knobs where the tone knobs are and vice versa? Seems like you could do that by removing and reinstalling the pots.

[Mikeo]

''Reversed?'' You mean with the volume knobs where the tone knobs are and vice versa? Seems like you could do that by removing and reinstalling the pots.

 

 

 

He should could.

You could even rewire it for a Gretsch style 2 volume controls a single tone control and a master volume control. Personally I am just used to where Gibson has put the volume and tone controls on a SG/ LP and ES's.

 

 

 

 

[Freeman Keller]

LP headstocks are notoriously vulnerable , there is just to much wood hacked and drilled out of that area. I think someone cut a cross section once to show it.

I am sure Freeman could elaborate

 

Here's a pic

 

http://s126.photobucket.com/user/dyn...ction.jpg.html

 

That picture says it all. Plus all the broken ones that cross my bench. They are darn vulnerable - don't leave them out on a stand.

 

As far as the pots - of course you could rewire the cavity so the tone pots were in the front or both volumes were on top or any other way you wanted them. Of course any other LP player would be pulling her hair out trying to play your guitar....

 

[Radar-Love]

All are great guitars but I only wish they did some ( at least for me) more accessable knob placements on the Les Paul.

 

Are you talking about having an inline Strat-like knob layout versus the typical Gibson parallelogram 4-knob layout? Or maybe something something like a Gretsch master volume knob layout?

 

 

 

Another thing I noticed is that my 74 LPC's and the Flying V's , neck joint / headstock area , had some extra wood , so the guitar could survive being dropped.... Thus, no easily snapped off headstock. Seems like after the mid 1970's Gibson guitars didn't have that extra wood at the headstock joint.

 

 

I think someone at Norlin/Gibson invented the term "volute" back in the 1970s to describe the added wood feature on the back of the neck profile opposite the truss rod opening. You can find volutes on many guitar necks these days -- especially ESP LP models, which seem to have fairly pronounced volutes.

 

Otherwise, I've used the term volute or volute staircase interchangeably with the term spiral staircase for years.

 

 

[AJ6stringsting]

I was referring to the drilled configuration of the holes for the knobs. They should have had the top section ( first row ,tone / volume knobs ) drilled below the bridge / tailpiece section .

[onelife]

I was referring to the drilled configuration of the holes for the knobs. They should have had the top section ( first row ' date='tone / volume knobs ) drilled below the bridge / tailpiece section .[/quote']

 

like this?

 

[WRGKMC]

I prefer the knob placement where it is. If I need to swell volume I use a Volume pedal for that.

 

Sounds like the OP is used to playing Fenders or other guitars that have a master volumes. Two volume guitars are not the same animal. The volumes are used more for tone control then attenuation. The reason for the angle is so you can use the side of your hand and bring both volumes down at the same time and maintain the same gain ratio of both pickups in the process. A tricky technique to get used to but its something you simply get accustomed to and incorporate into using the instrument.

 

A typical Paul doesn't swell the volume using a single volume control like a Fender does. When two pickups are selected one volume will attenuate both pickups when its turned nearly all the way down, but at the top of its range it acts more like a tone control then a volume control by balancing the output of the two pickups. Within 8~10 on the volume knobs is where you find all the magic tones and its not like you want or need to tweak tone as you play.

 

The way most do it is to set one pickups Gain higher then the other then use the three way switch to jump from high medium and low gains, much like you get using a stomp box for a gain increase switching between rhythm and lead. That's why the switch is conveniently located and not the volumes.

 

Having one knob closer to the bridge doesn't do much good unless you wire it as a master volume. Of course, then you loose all the tonal variances the two separate pots can provide. You could do what Rickenbacker does and have a Master volume, and two separate pickup volumes, and two separate tone controls but the extra pots do suck a certain amount of gain and tone.

[AJ6stringsting]

I'm thinking about using wood filler to fill the holes in my EPI LPC and cutting out a block to glue in the back control cavity, so I can refill the holes to my favored knob placement.

And I'll leave my 1974 Gibson LPC as is.

[Danhedonia]

 

like this?

 

 

Just like that, but without the birds.