Do you have a "NORLIN Era" Gibson guitar or bass? What do you think of it?

I got a bunch more, but I don't want to bomb the thread. I'll add some more as I get further along.

 

Yeah, I had a late 70s custom that clocked in around 14ish, which was just sooo heavy. I've played several 50's gold tops (I have a friend who collects) and they're always nice and light. OTOH, I had a '56 goldtop RI that clocked in around 10, which wasn't too bad.

 

Yeah, the couple I tried were ridiculous heavy. kills the whole experience, I don't care what they sound like. Fenders of the era were like that too--cheaped out big time on the woods/QC.

 

I had an acoustic (JB 50) for many years that had a warped soundboard. I had acquired it in that condition unfortunately except it didn't cost me much. I ended up getting more than three times what I paid for it twenty years later. Not a great investment maybe but I did play it. Because of the warp the strings were further away from the neck starting rounds the 12th fret so I used it for slide mostly. I ended up putting that money into a much better guitar that I still have and it plays perfectly.

When I was young, before I owned an electric guitar I remember playing a buddie's custom Les Paul with the gold metal parts and all and it weighed a ton. I am not a big guy even now so that made quite the impression on me. I thought, I can't play so etching this heavy for hours! I never investigated another Les Paul after that. Oh well.

 

There was the ES-140, which was a 3/4-scale archtop, and a 3/4 version of the Les Paul Junior. There were also some 3/4 Les Paul Specials and 3/4 SGs, but they're vanishingly rare.

 

there was a time in the '70's when everyone was chasing a heavy guitar

basswood bodied strats....and remember all that brass hardware??

I've played some '70's Gibsons that were great

a great guitar is a great guitar...you need to evaluate them all individually

the pancake Les Pauls' were not ideal from a purist standpoint...but I'm sure they sound fine. the ones I played did.

and all those Japanese lawsuit gtrs....most of them were good as well, once you put decent pickups in there

but for collectability....the Norlin years were not a high point


to be honest I prefer Heritage over Gibson now, anyway

 

?????? I was under the impression that basswood was a fairly light wood...lighter than alder.

 

I had a 1976 ES-175T...

It sounded like a cardboard box strung with rubber bands

A bad idea gone wrong.

 

I've met some pros here who love their gold top deluxes (with mini humbuckers - early 70's). From what I understand, the big problem with the Les Paul's of that era, is that they weren't built like the 60's models and it took years for gibson to approach the same build...people could easily nitpick about these guitars. Over the years the surviving guitars from the late 60's and early 70's have aged nicely. The bodies have broken in and the pickups have aged nicely giving great tone and playability. Some are still pretty heavy, though.

 

That was my dream guitar - never had one though...

 

I can personally attest that the heaviest strat I have ever tried was a '70's basswood bodied strat, that was enthusiastically expounded as being basswood, and heavy and toneful because of it.

I don't think I've run across any 10 lb strats since!!

maybe the guy was wrong and it wasn't basswood though. that was my only basswood encounter

 

I am not a big fan of Gibson guitars, I much prefer the design and workmanship of Asian instruments.
At about 1 a.m. this morning ( Monday a.m.) I sold a 1984 Flying V with the case that originally came with a floating trem system ( factory routing and everything, not a real common guitar).
I got it in terrible shape, refinished it and rewired it with aftermarket pickups, put a Floyd Rose setup on it ( that I blocked).

It was a well made guitar, and a particularly good example of a Gibson. The fretwork on it was well done ( which is not always the case).
I had some aftermarket pickups in it. On the neck pickup through a small tube amp it now sounds like a reverse Firebird.
The serial number checked at the guitar dater site says it was a Feb 1984 model made at the Nashville plant.
Had the guitar had a different body style but had the same feel and sound I might have kept it, but I play in the studio quite a bit and need to be able to sit while playing as well as be able to move around some.
The guitar was made nearly as well as the 2 humbuck Asian guitars I have.

Also, I suspect the guitar had been abused but not played much. The frets had no noticeable wear on them.

I have had other Gibsons from that time period, they tended to fluctuate in quality of workmanship and build.

Also, if this is of interest to you, I remember walking into a music store, a rather large store for the 70s. It was probably in 75 or 76. I was considering a new Les Paul at the time. I think it was the first year for the gray/black sunburst models.
There was a wall of brand new LPs , must have been about 20 of them. They were hanging up high and I just happened to go into the store when the sun was shining just right through the windows onto the guitars.
What I noticed was that right where the pieces of the bodies were glued together, on either side of the pickups, there was a line in the finish. It almost looked like a dip in the lacquer. It was on every one of them.
That was something I really didn't expect to see.

 

I don't think that US Strats were ever made from basswood, that's a particular feature of Japanese-made Squiers and Fenders, particularly from the 1980s-90s.

In the '70s Fender was still using ash and alder bodies. The variety of ash they were using at the time could get quite heavy though.

 

FWIW, I have a basswood late 80s Japanese Tele and it's a very light guitar. Specific examples aside, I do believe basswood is generally considered a fairly light wood.

 

interesting...now I wonder if it was basswood at all??

I did some googling, you are right, basswood is apparently a lighter wood than ash.

swamp ash is the light variety, the heavier type of ash may well be what that '70's strat was

the guy definitely said it was basswood....but it was a solid black finish with a white guard.....so you couldn't see the grain

 

I finally borrowed a buddy's scale. My '79 is 10 lbs right on the nose. I have an early '80's BC Rich Eagle that clocks in at 9.26 lbs. Didn't expect that. My SG Classic weighs 7.03 lbs, and I want a heavier one!

 

I bought a Les Paul Deluxe used with min-hums around 1974 or so. It had the notorious "sandwich" body. I thought it sounded and played great. I didn't care for the mini-hums so I swapped them out. I wish I still had that guitar.

Like a lot of production guitars, they vary quite a bit from guitar to guitar. CBS era Fenders had the same issue. Heck, even today buying a custom shop Fender is no guarantee that you'll end up with a great guitar. Wood just varies too much. Building a great guitar is as much luck as skill, although the more skill you have the luckier you get.

Just one guy's .02.

 

I've got a black Les Paul Standard which is, I believe, from '83-'84 - does that fall under the Norlin umbrella?

I've had it since '86 and it's the most comfortable Gibson I've ever played (of course, it's what I cut my teeth on, so I'm not that objective) . Nice, narrow neck, too.

 

I was looking for a J-200. Found a near mint 1974 Natural. Heard the Norlin Gibsons were real hit and Miss. I thought "That's the same as Today's Gibson Acoustics" this one is a winner.

 

I have had many. The later Norlins are fantastic. Not a fan of the early pancake body/maple neck era. The early 80s brought on the Les Paul Reissue concept, first by dealer orders then as production offerings.

 

I got a `79 black Les Paul Pro. I discovered Neil Young in my teens, and wanted a guitar similar to Old Black. Mine got P90 PU`s which sounds just marvelous. Never became a good guitarist though, but that is certainly not the guitars fault. Very heavy and amazing sustain. It`s been in my cellar for close to 25 years now

 

I have had basswood Strats that had great tone and sustain and were quite heavy. I can't imagine why domestic producers haven't started using it. Maybe it is a bit too expensive.

 

I know I'm late to the show here, but as for Norlin era Gibsons, some of the best Gibsons I have ever played were Norlin era LP Customs. I gather they kept the quality of the Customs high and consistent, but cheaped out on the rest of the lineup.

The other models however were really hit or miss, much as Gibson is today although the worst I have seen from any Norlin era guitar is still much better than the worst I've seen from Gibson today (which is just inexcusable -- they clearly need to do what Martin does and scratch off the Gibson off the headstock and sell them as blems for a greatly discounted rate).

 

Like many others,I had a gold top Deluxe from that era and while it sounded and played great it was just too heavy strapped on. Years ago I had a square shouldered D size acoustic for awhile and I can't remember if it was labeled J-45,50,or SJ but it had this warm compressed sound that was great for strumming,songwriting,recording but the high end was dull with not a lot of sustain but it had a certain quality to it that was engaging and intimate. Play it in a group setting with other guitars and instruments and it just disappeared not a lot of volume or projection. Still, I think about it from time to time along with a first year J-160 (?) like The Beatles played which I stupidly sold on a whim but it had similar sound to the Norlin dred.

 

Thanks, maybe I can find a beater ES-140 out there. Or a Les Paul Junior. Did find a 3/4 size Lawsuit Lester which sounded and played decent, but too much money for asking price.