John LENNON Les Paul Junior Custom clone or style

John LENNON Les Paul Junior Custom clone
(Customize to my taste)

John Lennon - Live in New York city - 1/7

At more than $4,000.00 from Gibson Custom Shop, I can not afford one like this, so I will build me one :-)

Here the new project.

Brasilian mahogany body blank, plane to 1.800 inch thick made with two pieces unfortunatly, but it help to build some internal cavitys for the wiring, and a few lightning holes in the lower bout, some vendors call this tone chamber, but for me they are only lighting chamber.

No, those two P-90 pickups covers wont be use, I going to wind a P-90 dogear pickup and a Charley Christian style pickup for neck position. Parts on order.

GIBSON ABR 1 Bridge specification (as found on a E-Bay page)

ECF Part #: 1054-00005-11
Overall length: 3.305"
Overall width: .431"
Overall height: .419"
Height at mounting holes: .345"
Mounting hole diameter: .140"
Mounting hole spacing: 2.910" OC (on centers)
Width of center crest: 2.275"
Inner field of center crest: 1.500" x .250"
Length of Gibson ABR-1 lettering: 1.220"
Height of Gibson ABR-1 lettering: .155"
String spacing (center of #1 to center of #6): 2.050"

Here my take on a improve ABR-1 bridge
Normally, the two screws that hold the ABR-1 bridge in place on the guitar are screws directly into the body.
I turned two bushings at a diameter of 0.437 inch that are thread for 8/32 stainless stell screws
(I will cut off the head and polish the end).
I also turned two thumbs raiser weels that are knurl and these are 0.100 inch thick. It is not done yet, but I will drill and tap (4/40) threads on the two bushings before insertion into the body, and I will add two set screws as well in the bridge (à la Tone Pro).
While keeping the original look of this ABR-1 bridge, the tone transfer from the bridge to the body "should" be improve.
That probably why Gibson design the Nashville bridge.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Bridge pickup P-90 dogear parts, Alnico V magnets, (keeper not in yet, on order).
I will wind the bobbin 10,500 turns of 42 guage magnet wire on the bridge and 9,500 turns on the neck pickup.
I findly wind the bobbin 11,300 turns for the bridge pickup giving a resistance of 9.1K this make the pickup fatter with smoother treble and lot of grind.

Here a picture of a Lindy FRALIN P-90 Dog ear neck pickup view from under side

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Body is now shape and sand to a thickness of 1.750 inchs.
The neck pocket is made with a 3.5 degrees angle at the bottom.

I wass lucky to find these nice potentiometers with the GIBSON logo, but they are 500K, so I add a 1Meg resistor
witch bring the resistance of the pot to a nice and more suitable resistance of 327K for P-90 pickups.

Purist wont like my choice of tortoise cover, but I like it.

_____________________________________________

OK, I have been lazy with the pictures.
I know John LENNON did used Shaller tuners on his guitar but I had in stock this set of Grover and it look very Gibsonish.
The headstock is build with a layer of cocobolo, it give to the mahogany lot of strenght.
Truss rod is a modern two way adjustable.

I could not resist to string up the guitar to try it,
The bridge lay on a pair of "jo blocks" and by doing this I will be able to drill the bridge holes
in the body at the exact right place for best intonation.
The ABR-1 bridge have very little adjustment distance so it have to be drill in the right location.

These are 18:1 ratio Grover tuners very precise. I used this nut just to try the instrument as it was laying in my junck bin (it was made for a narrower neck, A new one is comming with the correct width and correct strings spacing.

So far, I love the feeling of the guitar, I'm pleased :-)
Can't wait to build the neck pickup now!

Here the beginning of my Charlie Christian style neck pickup.
The top of the pickup bobbin is made with Indian rosewood surround with culy maple as a white trim lines.
The steel rail in the middle will also receve a curly maple strip and two Alnico V magnets under the pickup.

Note the end grain of the body, it is quater saw mahogany having vertical grain, this body is very resonnant tapping on it.
The Brasilian mahogany is a bit lighter than the African one and it is reputated as more stable wood.

Neck pickup before assembly. Steel blade radius to 12 inchs, Alnico V magnets,
Bobin height .350 inch.

Here it is ready to be install :-)

HeHe ... I like it, sustain for ever !

Weight : 3.52 Kilos or 7.76 Lbs

Here is a small audio clip (mp3) recorded at extremly low level, it was 2 o'clock in the morning and some peaple where sleeping
Both pickups ON, mike from my Vibroverb, clean.
Here an other one

Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one.
John Lennon

-------------------------