1953 Les Paul Restoration – Arrival
These photos show the condition of the guitar when it arrived in our shop.
The original finish had been stripped decades ago and someone had brushed on a thick layer of varnish, which had turned a dark orange color, over the entire guitar – pickup covers, cavity covers, knobs, tuning machines, body, headstock, etc. – save for the fretboard and pickguard.
There was an old, improperly repaired headstock break, non-working pickups, a significant neck bow, completely worn-out frets, cracked binding, and deep grooves from finger wear in the fretboard. On the bright side, absolutely everything on the guitar was original - with the exception of the finish, one knob, and one screw.
