3/4 Les Paul Jr.

[M Sarad]

Today at band practice I took my late 50s LP Jr 3/4 size. It has only 19 frets and unifies as a short scale guitar. These were made as student models. Although mine is missing a serial number, it was sold to me as a '58. It has been refretted, and the sunburst finish is darker than any other I have seen, and I have had four other Juniors, so I think it was refinished many years ago. The pickup is original, and with a new set of GHS nickel strings it sounded like a Telecaster.

I have tried out my Brondel Strat, SG with Throbaks, and Melody Maker with PAFs, but today I got amazing tone. Since we added a pedal steel player, we have gone from a surf music, Hot Tuna, Grateful Dead, Ry Cooder influenced trio to a hard core country and western quartet. Wille Nelson, Ray Price, Bob Wills, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, I didn't think I would ever play real CW music.

With a Dobro, Weissenborn, Mandolin, 8 string uke, lap steels, pedal steels, multiple acoustic guitars, the next few years are going to be very rewarding.

Anyone else playing a Les Paul Jr or Special?

[jdmulli]

I'm a huge Les Paul Junior Fan. I gigged one exclusively for years. The variance in tone that you can get with one P90, one volume, and one tone never failed to amaze me. I'm actually on the prowl for another one now.

[Dru Edwards]

I don't have a Les Paul Jr but it sounds like you've got a sweet guitar. I'd love to have a '50s Gibson guitar, or Fender. Not for value but for mojo.

Will you play the LP Jr often at practice now?

[M Sarad]

It works best with certain tunes.

I never liked to play a Tele, but I have always loved the sound.

My Brondel has a Tele pickup and plate for the bridge pick up. It gets the job done as well. I tend to stay on the neck and middle pickups when I use it.

The SG works well on the neck pickup or both pickups at once. The bridge is a bit too bright unless I roll off the tone pot.

The biggest challenge for the LP Jr. and the Melody Maker are keeping them in tune.

In the late 70s I had both a Junior and a 3/4 Junior. I ran them into two Tweed Deluxes using a DOD stereo analog delay. What a great sound that was.

[rob2966]

A nice LP Jr in TV yellow is on my electric guitar short-list.

Later
Rob

[M Sarad]

I had a ‘59 TV Special in that lovely yellow color. It was my go to guitar in the 90s for gigging and recording through a Seymour Duncan Convertible amp. I miss that combo.

[fazool]

Originally Posted by rob2966

A nice LP Jr in TV yellow is on my electric guitar short-list.

Later
Rob

yours and everyone else's

[Alex W]

I have a 1958 3/4 sized LP Jr and it is a great guitar. I like it so much I splurged on a new Liftonnstyle case for it.

One thing I like about it is that it has a single pickup and I am spared the temptation to switch around and search for tone with the controls. No choice but to do it with the hands and the brain.

[Mr Fingers]

Sure, I have a Junior. I've also played the 3/4 size ones and am glad you enjoy yours because I can't stand 'em, myself. Don't like the feel or the tone. You can change string gauges to compensate for the short scale, but I honestly don't like the way that short scale guitars respond to picking and fingering. As for Juniors in general, though. I just love 'em. Like a Tele, they are just truthful instruments that have a strong voice but which are so straightforward that they reveal who you are, as a player, very directly.

[M Sarad]

I paid $1300 for the 3/4 vs $4500 for a regular Jr. Since I already had owned both sizes, it was an easy decision. I prefer the regular size, but for 65% less I got plenty of tone. I cycle through my SG with Throbaks, the Brondel hard tail Strat with a Telephone bridge pick up,
Melody Maker with PAFs, PRS SE with three DiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers, MIM sunburst Strat with Seymour Duncans, lap steel, or Weissenborn, my possibilities are wide open, why sometimes I plug in an acoustic with K&K or Baggs.
I am easily bored and distracted.