daddymack

I have seen a few of the Austin reverb units, the big, spring driven ones....I like that he says the digital one will 'crash' if you kick it, so it would be great for the start to 'Shotgun'!

they can shave off a few pounds with the chambered body...some old solid mahogany [non-pancake] lesters could weigh 10+ lbs, but typically somewhere in the 8.5 /9.5 range. Newer ones can be ~7 lbs... Customs can still go from 9.5 over 10.5

They, like most bolt-neck Gibsons, get no love from the corksniffers because they were designed as student/entry level guitars; in other words they were designed to be produced and sold cheaply in the early 80s. The faceplate covers all the non-neck routing, like early 60s Melody Makers, which reduced handling in production. The faceplate also contained all the wiring except the bridge ground lead, which also made production way less expensive.

You may want to try some Baritone strings...

'battle scars' and blemishes are all part of the mojo

looks possibly like a treble bleed bypass...fuzzy pic...470k ohm?

gg25... think you are wayyyy overthinking this, particularly the fretboard radius. Scale length is a far more noticeable issue than radius. 'Better for chords'? Where did you read that nonsense?

Chambered was developed for weight relief, and many 'purists' disdain them, much like 'pancake' bodies and neck volutes. As the OP has indicated an 'upper limit' on budget, at ~$2500, we now have a ball park to play in, and yes, used will be a factor. Even in that range, new, there are plenty of LP Studios, Traditionals, Classics and Specials. Used Deluxes and Standards may fall in that range as well. Yes...you need to seriously start determining exactly what you want. Perhaps a visit to Anderton's in Guildford would be in order?

IIRC, the 1265 had a two piece asymmetrical pickguard...in the pic you posted, the 'shadow' of the old pickguard is somewhat visible. Unlike many Harmony pickguards of that era, the 1265's was not screwed to the face of the guitar. Found a pic! Best of luck finding an original with the Harmony name on it! I'm guessing these are harder to find that the symmetrical 'Everly Bros' pickguards.

If you ordered this and they left off the pickguard, why not get the seller to make good? failing that, try here: https://greasygroove.com/pickguards/acoustic-pickguards.html

okay...so budget limit? Once we have that, we can proceed.... Have you ever tried a Lester? They can be heavy. If you are a 'bedroomer', that is not a big deal, but if you gig, they can cut a rut in your shoulder.... I put the Epiphone out there because we did not establish a budget. We also do not know many other factors, like what style music the OP plays, what kind of amp he/she has....to be fair it was unequivocally stated as a 'Les Paul', not a copy, but hopefully we can work through this. Technically, mid 60's SGs were Les Pauls....there is also the fact that Gibson has made so many variants it is not enough to want a 'Les Paul'...which 'Les Paul' is the real question. Traditional, Studio, single cut, double cut, Custom, Standard, Historic....pre-volute, p-90s, mini-hums, pre-sandwich, pre-weight relief chambering....plain top, quilt top...gold top...

interesting idea....[this coming from the guy who thinks the best color ever for a guitar is black...]

budget will solve many questions.... Epiphone or Gibson?

Do I take it that the 'pink' finish is still on the table?

wood bodied, 606th unit made in 1975 by OMI would be my semi-educated guess.... check this thread:

Pee Wee's Big Top?

Swancaster?

that is one of the questions. Custom in what sense? material? artwork? budget? I have made my own from aluminum, phenolic, wood, lexan, nylon.... links? google made that easy.... https://www.wdmusic.com/wd-custom-pickguards.html https://greasygroove.com/ https://pickguardheaven.com/ https://quickguards.com/

mine either....Tommy Chong maybe....Woody Harrelson...or, if he ever retires 'Trigger', Willie Nelson

You are extremely fortunate to have an expert of his caliber willing to advise and help you!

a friend sent me this pic...I would likely impale myself on it, but I appreciate teh artistry....

luthiery lesson #2: Be prepared..$#!+ happens....all the time. One of the reasons I avoid working on other people's acoustics... You are a far braver man than I, Kwak!

it is only Wednesday...plenty of time....

no one would notice if you played it horizontally, like a Dobro/National, or a lap steel