’55 Les Paul Junior

I’m a ’55 model myself so I had a big birthday in 2015.  Although I’ve more or less stopped collecting as I have (or have access to) everything I want, I saw a gap in the collection for a guitar from ’55.  What better to fill it with than a pristine single-cut Junior?

After a long search where I kissed lot of frogs, this fella turned up in Denmark Street of all places.  Given my intense love of the place (sic), I would never have seen it but for a tipoff from a good friend.

I think they were quite surprised to get a customer booking an appointment and turning up with his own blacklight, test meters, digital calipers, meat tenderising hammer (ok not that) etc. but this one passes all the tests.

It’s the cleanest, best playing I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a few). Everything is stock except the tuner buttons I installed, from ’55 but not the originals which had perished badly.  Even the original skinny frets are good, though I harbour the thought of having it refretted by a top luthier so it plays and sounds even better.

It’s also very sweet and loud too (yeah, I know, it could be even sweeter if it were a ’56/7/8 with the pickup slightly further from the bridge, but it had to be a ’55).

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