Les Paul recording model ever hear of one?

anyone here of the recording model?  I saw one yesterday for the first time and looked exactly like the one lester was playing in the video chasing sound. So I did some investigation.
Sounds like a great idea but over complicated for the average guitar player.



LES PAUL Recording - single cutaway bound mahogany body, carved top, raised multi-layer pickguard, mahogany neck, 22 fret bound rosewood fingerboard with pearl block inlay, tune-o-matic bridge/stop tailpiece, multi-bound peghead with pearl split diamond/logo inlay, 2 covered low impedance pickups, "Gibson" formed on pickup covers, volume/decade/treble/bass controls, two 3 position switches, impedance/phase slide switches, built-in transformer. Available in Walnut finish


Had built in transformers for low and high impedance outputs wired to a single or sometimes dual jacks.

observe some info about the electronics.

http://www.ntw.net/~w0ui/family_webpage/pix/music/lpr_eds/lpr_ad3_1a.jpg

http://www.ntw.net/~w0ui/family_webpage/pix/music/lpr_eds/lpr_ad3_2a.jpg

http://www.ntw.net/~w0ui/family_webpage/pix/music/lpr_eds/lpr_ad3_3a.jpg


And lester himself talking about the recording model

http://www.ntw.net/~w0ui/family_webpage/pix/music/lpr/LPR1.mp3

and photos of a model.

http://www.wutzdog-guitars.de/uploads/pics/1972_Gibson_Les_Paul_Recording_Case.jpg


and now the gear porn portion of this post


http://www.ntw.net/~w0ui/family_webpage/pix/music/lpr/LPR_wiring.JPG


http://www.ntw.net/~w0ui/family_webpage/pix/music/lpr/LPR_electronics.JPG

http://www.ntw.net/~w0ui/family_webpage/pix/music/lpr/decade195.JPG][url]http://www.ntw.net/~w0ui/family_webpage/pix/music/lpr/decade195.JPG[/url]

http://www.ntw.net/~w0ui/family_webpage/pix/music/lpr/phase199.JPG


http://www.ntw.net/~w0ui/family_webpage/pix/music/lpr/ralph_1/ralph-0005.jpg

Seen a couple in my day, never really looked deeply into them though. Pretty cool.

I've seen them go for pennies too.

Ptownkid said:

Seen a couple in my day, never really looked deeply into them though. Pretty cool.

I've seen them go for pennies too.

Click to expand...

I know what you mean. The one I saw yesterday had a price tag of 2K dollars. Not bad as the condition was minty fresh and that is still cheaper then a new les paul model without the special stuff.

here is a schematic of the special stuff. 
http://www.guitar-parts.com/images/lespaul.jpg

now I understand a low impedance pickup but what would the value ranges be for that?

I had the bass version in the early 90's ('69 Les Paul Bass).  I paid $400 at the time.

http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/LesPaulBass.php

I didn't know about the low impedance output at the time, and played without a matching transformer.  I eventually got rid of it because it didn't rock hard enough (despite the name).  Upon listening back to old recordings, that might not have been a wise move.  While not a rocker, it had some really sweet sounds.  I particularly miss the two pickups out of phase.  Someday I'll get myself another.

It's been a decade since I've played with either one.  From my limited experiences with the guitar and bass versions, I'd say the Bass version is the one that actually makes sense in a recording situation. 

I'm of the school of thought that the amp is half the guitar's tone equation.  The Les Paul Recording (LPR) never really seemed to sing with the amps when I tried it out.  It was like a subdued P-90 flavor.  But I was young then, I'm sure I'd wouldn't be as quick to dismiss now.

I thought the bass was very unique.  The exact same concept, but seemed less gimmicky in concept for some reason.  Perhaps because preamps with bells and whistles are common place for basses made after the late 70's.  Now that I have much more studio experience under my belt, I'd love to put one to use again. 

I can recall Steve Howe talking about his in that ego stroke of a book he put out years ago.  That was a turn-off in a way.  I've never been one to buy into the preachings of a guitar snob.  But, Les was always ahead of his time.  So maybe it has yet to catch on. 

Sidenote, I remember they were both damn heavy.  So maybe the reason they were recording models, is because you couldn't stand up and play them for more than 15 minutes at a time.  ZING!

Played one a lot at a music store in the Buena Park mall when I was a kid. We used to go hang out there and try out the new goodies when they came in. Whether it was a small stone or a jc120 amp to check out, I always got the Les Paul recording model off the wall to test with.

Nice Axe.

I remember playing one in about 1972, when I was hanging out at a music store. Didn't like the tone much through an amp; the real story was that Les liked it for recording direct into the mic pre. Which was really kind of his sound anyway, or one of them. Like all Les Pauls, it weighed a ton.

Peace,
Paul

If i remember correctly, mr Lespaul himself played this particular model his entire life.

Hub

I have a buddy who has one of these guitars.

At first it was old and dusty and the strings were years old and it felt odd to hold. Had an xlr jack on it which I thought was novel so I figured ah what the hell. Plugged it into a 500 series knock off job that just so happens to not suck and from the back of that into a marshal combo (tube but nothing special). Lets just say that the next three or so hours of my life were like that time you figured out your fist cover song and wouldn't put down the damn thing because you were so proud of yourself for getting there. It was never gonna be to go to Metallica axe, but it is by far the best sounding clean guitar tone I have ever heard. The pre-amp was the reason for the season without a doubt but the tone was jaw dropping. Buttery on every level and even from top to bottom. If you get he chance to do it that way, give it a whirl.

- Frank