Gibson Help: Does this Look Right?

[FourT6and2]

Looking at an 84 Custom. The way the bridge pickup cavity and control cavity are routed seem off to me. Notice how the top overhangs, over the mahogany body in the pickup cavity? And notice the HUGE cutout in the control cavity where the switch and pickup leads come out. I've never seen them routed like this before. Any ideas? I don't think it's a fake or anything. But what's the deal?

As apposed to this, which is usually how they look:

 

[ibenhad]

Someone modded that for something... Maybe wiring for EMG's or something. It is obviously not factory.

 

[FourT6and2]

Someone modded that for something... Maybe wiring for EMG's or something. It is obviously not factory.

That's what I thought. But the seller swears nothing was modified. Looks like a deal breaker to me. Thought I don't know why anybody would need to do that to a guitar. Even for EMGs.

 

[H Golf Sport]

O.G. weight relief???

 

[FourT6and2]

O.G. weight relief???

Maybe. I don't know. The guitar weighs in at 10 pounds. And last time I checked weight relief wasn't just a ginormous routing channel.

 

[bubbastain]

Someone modded that for something... Maybe wiring for EMG's or something. It is obviously not factory.

That's what I thought. But the seller swears nothing was modified. Looks like a deal breaker to me. Thought I don't know why anybody would need to do that to a guitar. Even for EMGs.

That's a deal breaker? I mean I can see the difference in the pictures, but how does the guitar play, feel, sound? Or is the dude trying to charge on the high end for that guitar?

 

[H Golf Sport]

O.G. weight relief???

Maybe. I don't know. The guitar weighs in at 10 pounds. And last time I checked weight relief wasn't just a ginormous routing channel.

First attempt at chambering then?

 

[FourT6and2]

Someone modded that for something... Maybe wiring for EMG's or something. It is obviously not factory.

That's what I thought. But the seller swears nothing was modified. Looks like a deal breaker to me. Thought I don't know why anybody would need to do that to a guitar. Even for EMGs.

That's a deal breaker? I mean I can see the difference in the pictures, but how does the guitar play, feel, sound? Or is the dude trying to charge on the high end for that guitar?

Yep. He's asking a premium and it's an online sale. So it's not like I can play the thing first. It's not a deal breaker if the guitar is supposed to be like that. i.e. it came from the factory that way (which, apparently looks like that's true, considering I found some other mid 80's Customs with similar routing). But if someone did that to the guitar as a "modification," then no thanks.

Online sales are always a gamble. But I got my '79 the same way and I love the thing.

 

[joepete77]

It doesn't look fake and it's possible it could be factory. I have an 84 custom but its at a friends place so I can't compare today.

 

[FourT6and2]

It doesn't look fake and it's possible it could be factory. I have an 84 custom but its at a friends place so I can't compare today.

I found photos of an '85 that looks very similar. So I think it's ok.

 

[bubbastain]

Someone modded that for something... Maybe wiring for EMG's or something. It is obviously not factory.

That's what I thought. But the seller swears nothing was modified. Looks like a deal breaker to me. Thought I don't know why anybody would need to do that to a guitar. Even for EMGs.

That's a deal breaker? I mean I can see the difference in the pictures, but how does the guitar play, feel, sound? Or is the dude trying to charge on the high end for that guitar?

Yep. He's asking a premium and it's an online sale. So it's not like I can play the thing first. It's not a deal breaker if the guitar is supposed to be like that. i.e. it came from the factory that way (which, apparently looks like that's true, considering I found some other mid 80's Customs with similar routing). But if someone did that to the guitar as a "modification," then no thanks.

Online sales are always a gamble. But I got my '79 the same way and I love the thing.

Yeah, I have almost zero experience with LPs but I constantly read about some just being duds. I don't know how true that really is or if one dude(that people look up to) said that back a long time ago and people just went with it. So the question is, Is it a gamble worth taking? Maybe if you get it you could post another Chupacabra video with it. Yours is the only one on YouTube i like.

 

[FourT6and2]

Someone modded that for something... Maybe wiring for EMG's or something. It is obviously not factory.

That's what I thought. But the seller swears nothing was modified. Looks like a deal breaker to me. Thought I don't know why anybody would need to do that to a guitar. Even for EMGs.

That's a deal breaker? I mean I can see the difference in the pictures, but how does the guitar play, feel, sound? Or is the dude trying to charge on the high end for that guitar?

Yep. He's asking a premium and it's an online sale. So it's not like I can play the thing first. It's not a deal breaker if the guitar is supposed to be like that. i.e. it came from the factory that way (which, apparently looks like that's true, considering I found some other mid 80's Customs with similar routing). But if someone did that to the guitar as a "modification," then no thanks.

Online sales are always a gamble. But I got my '79 the same way and I love the thing.

Yeah, I have almost zero experience with LPs but I constantly read about some just being duds. I don't know how true that really is or if one dude(that people look up to) said that back a long time ago and people just went with it. So the question is, Is it a gamble worth taking? Maybe if you get it you could post another Chupacabra video with it. Yours is the only one on YouTube i like.

No it's true. Hell yesterday I played 5 or 6 Les Pauls at the music store and only one of them actually played and sounded good. I lucked out with my silverburst. Bought it online. But I picked it up in person to check it out before I handed the cash over. But this one I'm looking at is on the other side of the country.

I get nervous when I see a 30 year old guitar that's in mint condition. Because that means nobody played the thing. Maybe because it sounds and plays like arse... Only one way to find out, though. I'm sure I can always sell the thing for the same I paid for it. These guitars aren't exactly going down in value.

And I'll get some more chupa vids up when i get the chance.

 

[ibenhad]

IMHO hell no. That did not leave the GIBSON factory that way. I have 4 standards an '81, '92 , '01 and '03 and the routes do not look like that. I know that one is a custom but I question that routing. I would send the pic to Gibson or post over on the Les Paul forums.

 

[FourT6and2]

IMHO hell no. That did not leave the GIBSON factory that way. I have 4 standards an '81, '92 , '01 and '03 and the routes do not look like that. I know that one is a custom but I question that routing. I would send the pic to Gibson or post over on the Les Paul forums.

Like I said, I found a number of photos of other Customs that look similar...

But contacting Gibson isn't a bad idea. Though, I doubt they would know anything. They tend to never offer information on older guitars. There were so many changes over the years they never kept track of.

 

[Mizati20]

Yea forget about contacting Gibson... I sent them literally over 10+ E-mails about serial numbers of guitars I was checking out when I was in the market for a really nice Les Paul... even mentioned that I owned several Gibson's at the time so I was an avid fan... yea not a single reply...

Edit: Oh, and they WILL not do that sorta thing over the phone... the one time I did finally get a person on the phone... I started the process of asking them about a serial number and was immediately cut of and told to E-mail them... to which I replied the only fucking reason that I was CALLING is because I got no response... they didn't give a shit.

 

[FourT6and2]

Yea forget about contacting Gibson... I sent them literally over 10+ E-mails about serial numbers of guitars I was checking out when I was in the market for a really nice Les Paul... even mentioned that I owned several Gibson's at the time so I was an avid fan... yea not a single reply...

Edit: Oh, and they WILL not do that sorta thing over the phone... the one time I did finally get a person on the phone... I started the process of asking them about a serial number and was immediately cut of and told to E-mail them... to which I replied the only fucking reason that I was CALLING is because I got no response... they didn't give a shit.

Yeah, I'm not holding my breath when it comes to Gibson customer service.

Two of the WORST companies in the US when it comes to customer service are Comcast and Gibson. And that's actually a documented and confirmed fact according to many business publications and resources. They are also two of the worst companies to work for.