Conversion
There are conversions of all kinds-not just Les Pauls. This Ferrari Daytona makes the point more clearly than a guitar. They only made 122 convertibles but they made 1400 Berlinettas (coupes). So, some smart guy decided it made sense to cut the roof off of a $500,000 car and turn it into an $850,000 car. An original convertible? Two million and change. So, a conversion is less than half the price of the original. Sound familiar?
Conversions are nothing new. There is the religious kind and the football kind (a big deal here in Ohio). There is also a 335 conversion done by turning an EB-2 bass into a 335 (Ken McKay does those). But this post goes off topic a bit and talks about (gasp) Les Paul conversions. Yes, I’m being a bit self serving because, somehow, I have four of them in my inventory.
A great example that isn’t a guitar but makes the point rather well is the Ferrari Daytona. They made coupes (or Berlinettas) and they made convertibles (Spyders). Most of the 1400 or so that were built (oddly, a very similar number as Les Paul bursts) were Berlinettas and they got crazy expensive in the years between 1969 when they started building them and now. But the convertible was not only crazy expensive but crazy rare. There were only 122 of them made. Got an extra $2,000,000 or so? That’ll buy you one. Or you can buy a conversion (a Berlinetta with the top cut off and some body stiffening) for $850,000 or so. A 69-74 Berlinetta will cost around $500,000. So, a Spyder conversion is less than half the price of a real one. Sort of like a Les Paul conversion.
Most Les Paul conversions start as a goldtop. What’s under the gold is always something of a crapshoot. How many pieces is the top? Any figure/flame or birdseye? You can sometimes see a little figure in the control cavity but that doesn’t tell you much. The closer to a center seam, the better. rarely, there will be a one piece top but don’t hold your breath-it’s crazy rare. This 56/59 conversion done by Jim Weyandt has a one piece birdseye top. It is in my inventory and is for sale.
The problem with LP conversions is that they are not all created equal. Some are made by taking a LP Special or Jr and topping it with a maple cap and loading it up with repro hardware. These are relatively inexpensive but that type is more cosmetic than authentic. Or, you can take a 57 or 58 Goldtop with humbuckers and refinish it and sell it for well over $100,000 depending on the top. In between, the most common conversion is the 52-56 P90 Goldtop, stripped of its finish and rerouted for humbuckers. In so doing, you need to hope for an interesting top that isn’t made of too many pieces of maple. A center seam flamed top would be nice but that’s not common in GTs. There are one piece tops and there are three piece tops. The more pieces, the less desirable. There are plain tops and flame tops and birdseye tops. Some, like the 56’s don’t require too much work-just fill the P90 routs (they are slightly longer than humbucker routs and need to be filled) and rerout for humbuckers. A 52-53 conversion, which is one of the most common, requires a neck reset. A late 53/54/early 55 requires the wraptail holes to be filled and the top re-drilled for an ABR-1 and stop tail. Again, it’s a crapshoot when it comes to the very important top. You might see some flame on the backside of the top through the control rout but that doesn’t guarantee much. It could still be a multi piece top with seams in the wrong places. Another thing worth looking at when you are considering one is the conversion of the pickup routs. Some just enlarge the P90 rout leaving a small area unfilled (a P90 is wider than a humbucker. The really skilled guys will fill that tiny opening with a matching slice of maple. I look for that anytime I’m considering a conversion.
See that tiny piece of maple at the upper corner of the pickup rout? That’s how a P90 rout gets turned into a humbucker rout the right way. If you don’t have the skills to do that level of work, then don’t do your own conversion. This was done by Jim Weyandt (Jam City Guitars)
Next, what are the components like? PAFs are always a plus (and they are pricey). Plastic parts are crazy expensive so you rarely see a conversion with correct vintage pickup rings. You’ll often get an original pickguard cut to accommodate the wider humbuckers and maybe a proper vintage truss cover. Most goldtops had speed knobs so you’ll see plenty fo conversions with them. A set of burst knobs is expensive but I think your burst conversion should have them (or at least good repros). Now I’m going to make a point I’ve made a lot. Repro parts are often extremely accurate and most parts don’t make a lick of difference in the tone or playability of the guitar. A repro tailpiece or bridge will sound the same as the real thing. Plastic? Same deal. No effect on tone. It’s nice to get a conversion with all the correct burst parts but it’s gonna cost you. A short seam stop tail can run $3000. A set of back plates can cost the same. A set of pickup rings, if you can find them, might go for $20K. Crazy, right? Spend the money on the pickups and maybe the harness but save your money on the other parts if you are budget conscious.
Pay attention to who did the conversion. There are lots of luthiers who do them but the ones that seem to get the most attention are from Cris Mirabella, Terry Mueller, Jim Weyandt and Brian Monty. There are plenty of others who do quality work. Do your homework before buying based on looks alone. Personally, I would stick to converted gold tops if you’re looking to get the feel of a real burst. the Specials and Jrs can look right but to me, it’s still a Special or Jr. A maple top glued onto a Jr body is something but is it a Standard? I dunno. Doesn’t do it for me. A quality GT conversion with PAFs is going to cost you from perhaps $30,000 to maybe $125,000 depending on the donor guitar, the parts and the builder. Old wood is old wood and that’s the biggest reason to do a conversion (or buy one). A 58-60 burst is going to cost you $400,000 or more. Most of us don’t have anywhere near that to spend on a single guitar or, if we do, our wives or significant others would probably throw us out. It really depends what your goal is. If it’s an investment, buy a burst. Conversions don’t tend to appreciate like an original vintage guitar (although the parts certainly have).
Sometimes, you can get really lucky and get a center seam flame top (or very, very close to it) like this 52. They definitely exist but they are rare. This conversion was done by Cris Mirabella. This one is also in the OK inventory.
Finally, there are a lot of folks who believe it’s sacrilege to take a vintage guitar and convert it. Not me. Most of the conversions begin with a trashed donor guitar. Lots of guitars have already been refinished and there is no reason not to do a conversion in that case. The same goes for a guitar with a major repair-the vintage value is already diminished by close to half anyway so why not convert it? I think the burst market is insane (and yet I still buy and sell one or two a year). I also think a burst is a really excellent guitar (not my favorite but I like them). The conversion can get you very close to an original. So can an R9 but if you believe that old wood makes a difference (and I do), then a conversion might be the ticket. One more point…you could argue that a 25 year old R9 is old wood. That’s plenty of time for it to dry out and open up. But old wood is more than just old. Old wood is old growth as well. Twenty five year old wood is not. But that’s another post.
“Lucy, I’m home…” OK, you aren’t old enough to remember that reference. This conversion copies the Eric Clapton/George Harrison guitar that was converted from a 57 goldtop. This one is a 52. The advantage of a 52/early 53 is that there are no holes in the top to be filled (like a 54-55). A “Lucy” is a cool alternative when you have a plain top donor guitar. This was also done by Jim Weyandt (and is also in the OK inventory).
I don’t see any of the conversions listed in your inventory ?
Charlie, interesting post as always! I commissioned a ‘56 Goldtop LP Standard to PAFs and all cherry red conversion ala Lucy by Canada’s Gord Miller. The guitar had a very attractive 2 piece, non-centered seam top. Having owned and played multiple original Bursts and PAF Goldtops over the decades I can reliably say the conversion was maybe 95% of one of those originals in terms of sound and playability. Is that extra 5% worth spending hundreds of thousands more? Perhaps. If you have deep pockets you could certainly consider it…my current Les Paul is a boutique made replica equipped with all the important 50’s parts. I’d rate it at 90% of an original…I’d rather have a nice conversion but this’ll do, best, RAB
P.S. the above replica is made of old growth woods including a Brazilian fingerboard…I’ve also owned and played Gibson R9 models equipped with old parts. Good guitars but there’s no substitute for old wood!
The Junior/Special conversions make no sense to me whatsoever. When you have to plug the pickup routes and add a slab of maple to the top, reset the neck and more — this is getting into a real “Ship of Theseus” situation. What “old wood” are you even preserving at that point?
Conversions like that made more sense decades ago when Gibson wasn’t making very good Burst reissues, but that’s not really the case these days. And convincing yourself that it’s still a vintage guitar is a stretch when half the wood is brand new.
I am always thrilled when I see somebody take a rough Goldtop and simply restore it back to how it left the factory, gold finish and all. Embrace what it is!
If I had the coin I’d nab the birdseye top conversion Charlie has listed in his inventory. A single piece top is very unusual on a vintage Les Paul. While everyone loves tiger stripe flame grain birdseyes are rare and lovely…