1986 Les Paul Junior
In 2002 I bought a Marshall reissue JTM45 that I was just not happy with, and after taking a year to decide to get rid of it, I took it to Midtown Music to see if I could trade it for something I would be happy with.

That day Dave had a Burns Brian May copy in stock. I had been curious about these guitars for a long time, and tried it out but it didn't grab me. I then noticed this LP Jr, and plugged it in as I had always desired one. Well, that P90 grabbed me right away, and wouldn't let go. I did the deal and took it home.

This a re-issue 1986 Gibson Les Paul Junior. Apparently it was the first year Gibson reissued the LPJ, the first incarnation anyway. The difference between the reissue LPJ and an original:
  • Tailpiece and tune-O-matic instead of wraparound bridge
  • Gold speed knobs instead of black top hats
  • Grover tuners instead of Klusons
  • Black pickguard instead of tortoise shell
I had a little trouble with it at first. At one time it had been setup as a lefty, then poorly switched back to a right handed guitar. The nut wasn't even glued down, and it wouldn't stay in tune. I went off to my guitar guru Kerry thinking I needed new tuners or other major repairs. Kerry said new tuners were not needed and he could fix it. He reglued the nut, did a setup and a couple of other minor adjustments, and now it plays great and stays in tune. It's a really great guitar, I like it a lot.

A couple of years later Kerry custom cut me a tortoise shell pickguard like the original LPJ's had, and I swapped the knobs for black top hats, also like the originals. I also had him move the the strap button to the upper horn because I hate having them on the back behind the neck.

The P90 pickup in this thing is great! If you want to rock and roll and don't want to screw around, the Junior will do the job.

I was drinking whiskey one night and playing this guitar, and came up with this jam I call Bigfoot, have a listen.



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