The BEST Guitar ever made? | 1956 Gibson Les Paul Junior | Martin Meets Guitars!
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- čas přidán 2. 08. 2023
- Today Martin meets this absolutely UNREAL 1956 Gibson Les Paul Junior!
The Gibson Les Paul Junior is one of the holy grail instruments that should be in every guitarist's arsenal. Often overlooked because of its basic design, these guitars are extremely versatile and boast a rich, broad tone that has become desired by guitarists all over the world. This specific Junior is from 1956, making it one of few you'll find on the market from the golden era of Gibson. It features a chunky 50's neck profile, the original dogear P-90 pickup and tons of character and tone.
Martin told us that this was the "best guitar" he's ever played, you NEED to watch the full video to see why! This guitar is just insane, and we really hope that you love it as much as we do! Enjoy the video and remember to like and subscribe!
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I don't know what I love the most..... the guitar or his enthusiasm 😅
Was in junior high 1968. New neighbor boy showed up with a Gibson Les Paul junior. P90 pickup. We plugged it in the best thing I ever heard ever played in my life. Still is no matter what I played since then.
I have a ‘56 that I found in a furniture repair shop about 1975. Long story but it was my first electric guitar. It got a lot of sneers back then and wasn’t really appreciated until the early 90s when all of a sudden everyone wanted one. It took everyone that long to figure out what I knew all along.
What a great player, who is this dude?
That guitar sounds unbelievable, exactly how an electric should sound, wow.
His name is Martin Waugh. He's a very talented player who we're very lucky to work with and call a friend. There will be more videos coming soon so keep your eyes peeled!
That is a very passionate reaction to an instrument that only a sincere Artist can feel...can you feel it?
This is one of the most watched videos by myself because it brings a smile to my face on 2 levels 😊
Yah Mon! :)
Right guitar in the right hands
Gonna pay attention to every Junior I meet in the future.
I have always looked past them because they just look like toy Wal Mart guitars.
The passion and enthusiasm behind his reaction is so genuine 😍
Excellent video, excellent playing… And as he is talking about how good it feels, and his experience, on this end of the speakers, it the sound is as spine chilling amazing as it feels in the hands. I hope he grabbed this Guitar.
Back in the 80s a fellow musician fell on hard times and pawned his beloved Black 59 Jr to me for a couple hundred bucks. Didn't see or hear from him for almost a year. I figured the guitar was mine by then but he did comeback with the cash and I couldn't keep his first guitar in good conscience. It was a keeper. The real deal. I still have a special place in my heart for p90s!
Leslie West of the group Mountain played one of these when I saw them in concert in Memphis Tenn in the early 1970's. I met the band after the concert and shook their hands. I was just 16 years old at the time. Mississippi Queen still one of my favorite songs in the entire world and sounds amazing on the LP Jr.
I saw an interview with Leslie from a few years before he died, and he was talking about back in the day going to the pawnshops when he was on tour and grabbing any junior that he found that was in decent shape. He said he got a bunch of them for next to nothing.
@@joem5903yep, I used to see them in pawn shops here in Oklahoma in the early eighties for like $300-500.
@@TheAgeOfAnalog and by then people were kind of figuring out what they were. Think about what you could’ve grabbed one for in 1973. I remember seeing a 1960 Sunburst Les Paul at thoroughbred music in the mid to late 80s that had previously been owned by Pat Travers. It wasn’t totally original but they wanted $20,000 for it. What would that go for today?
One of, or if not, the only guitar review I laughed at !!! His enthusiasm kills me! I love Juniors. What a great guitar.
Incredible playing and what a tone! I got Jeff Beck vibes at points during this beautiful demo. Thwres something magical about old Gibsons... this guirarist's reaction says it all
I have The Epiphone Junior Les Paul and sound awesome in every kind of way I play. I’m so impressed with this guitar. But, of course, the Gibson les Paul Junior 1956: respects!!!! Incredible! And the guy who plays: Bravo!! I like your skills and enthusiasm 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
The guitar sounds great, but so does the player.
Some of the finest playing that I’ve ever heard, and on one of the best sounding guitars that I’ve ever heard.
Thank you ;)
Well this took me back to my youth! My dad had two of these when I was under the age of five years old, I don't know long before. Both guitars always had Black Diamond strings AKA cable saws!
Great demo such a joy to watch he’s so inspired.
Here's a bit of Gibson lore about the Les Paul Junior that most outside of serious collector circles probably don't know.
In 1986, Gibson was bought and the Norlin Era came to an end. The new owners got started right away on revitalizing Gibson's long tradition of issuing "Custom" and "Signature" models even though Gibson didn't have a formal "custom shop" at the time or anytime before.
So, the new owners hand selected the best craftsmen in the factory and set them up in their own part of the factory. Their mission was to re-learn and "practice", if you will, the crafting and construction methods used in Gibson's most iconic guitars. Naturally, their first choice was the 1957 Les Paul Junior.
So, in 1986, these craftsmen reissued the 1957 Les Paul Junior. It was the first time that the Junior was made in this form since 1959, when the original run ended and the name "LP Junior" was given to the SG line. That is, until Les Paul split from Gibson.
The 1986 LP Junior reissue was the first time Gibson produced this guitar since 1959. It had the exact same specs as the original and was made from the same materials. Even the single P90 was wound on the same manually operated winder used to make the P90's back in the 50's and 60's. No two P90's made on that machine were alike. That was its beauty.
The only difference was the two-piece bridge on the 1986 reissue. The original came with a single wrap tailpiece. No one knows for sure why the 86 reissue didn't have the single tail piece. Some say it was because they were just practicing and there was an abundance of the two piece bridges whereas the single piece would have to be specifically molded etc etc. Other say it was because most players who bought the original 57 had the tailpiece swapped out for the more versatile "Tune-O-Matic" bridge system that allowed each string to be individually intonated. Either way, the 86 reissue came with the two-piece bridge system.
In 1987, production of the LP Junior reissue was turned over to Gibson's main production line and the hand selected craftsmen moved on to another iconic model. However, in total, less than 2,500 1986 Junior Reissues were made. This because they were mostly made by hand.
But, what makes these guitars so special is the fact they were essentially the 1957 Les Paul Junior and not a reissue. Reissues are copies of the original. Usually, they are not made from the exact same materials and/or they're construction methods/techniques are not the same as the original. This is not the case with the 1986 reissue. Essentially, Gibson started making the 57 LP Junior again using the same crafting methods, same materials and the same tools. No other reissue from Gibson has been so perfectly reproduced as the 1986 Les Paul Junior.
As a crowning jewel to this story, the craftsmen who made the 86 reissue went on to form Gibson's Custom Shop in 1993. So, basically, the 1986 LP Junior reissue is the very first model made by Gibson's Custom shop.
The 1986 Les Paul Junior is the only truly collectible instrument Gibson has made in more than a generation. Everything else are just novelties. If you have an 86 LP Junior, hold on to it. If you can find one, buy it.
I’d rather hold on to my 58 junior than to a 86 “ pre custom shop” reissue, no made up heritage story changes that
@@Johnsormani Feel free to research the matter yourself.
But, the 86 Junior reissues are selling for around the same price as your 58.
Maybe you should spend less time disagreeing and more time researching. That way, you can speak intelligently about a matter and not sound like a horse's ass.
There's no tuition for this life lesson.
I absolutely love this video. The look of joy and pure creation and happiness. Subscribed. Best Regards and Best Wishes!
Wow, you guys are getting some incredible instruments in these days! When a guy like Martin says it's the best he's ever played, that must be something very special. Great vid!
Thank you for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed the video!😊
Best guitar demo ever :D
Thank you so much, kind words indeed ;)
Great playing , Martin! Hope we can see more videos from you!
absolutely amazing guitar😱
The best player, the best guitar, the best demo. WOW, Martin! ❤
Great playing. I have a 58 junior dc. Lovely guitar
Great video, great guitar, great reaction 😁❤️
Insane! I wish I could give you that guitar. You're an incredible player, sir!
Amazing sounds！❤
A good friend and decades ago bandmate still has his '54. It's a great guitar that's even better because he played it and wrote great songs and parts with it... and he won't give it up to me (or anyone).
Totally awesome I'm hoping to pick up one this weekend!!
Did you get one?
My late friend used to play one clean through a WEM copycat and it sounded lovely.
sure, LP Junior is a fantastic guitar to play. A very compact and simple design intended as a budget guitar for students. I have one, and consider it my favorite Gibson
It' s an fantastic guitar with a fantastic sound. And it doesn' t matter if you play clean or with a lot of gain and dirty. I love my LPJ a little bit more than my other guitars.
@@luncansmusicstudio3491 the Special is a great one too if you dig more thicker/mellow tones at the neck position. Played one once, but prefer my 335 for that --rock on !
@@rodnyg7952 I know, I have one Special too. Use it mostly for blues...
I swapped a Gibson 335 for a junior years back,foolish move you might think, I never regretted it !
It was a Pleasure watching you play this wonderful sounding guitar made me smile
Many thanks for the kind words ;)
Amazing
🤟😎⚡
There is definitely something special about the Les Paul Junior because everybody who picks one up and plays it feels the same way.
Amazing
Very sad if this guy didn’t end up buying this guitar since he had it in his hands & clearly fell in love with it then had to give it up. Should scrape together the money or sell some other stuff or pay instalments or whatever & own it if humanly possible. Unreachable amount of money for most of us though. How much did this sell for?
I recently bought billie joe les paul jr 2010 model in the same exact color,,almost the same specs except its hum canceling p90 and it got 60s a bit slimmer neck..i dont play as good as this guy but i got the same reaction of how nice the guitar is..
Gibson was still wiring these "50's" well in to the late 60's apparently. You can get this out of any modern single pickup guitar. Just need some good quality audio taper pots. Bare Knuckle make some short shaft ones with a 30%/J taper. My favourite tone from these is that "acoustic guitar" one. That and the cocked wah sound. Great instruments though! Worth 10 grand? If you have 10 grand, 100%.
Edit: Anyone wondering those featherweight Faber bridges are the nuts. And very reasonably priced too.
Thanks for the tips! Were they audio taper on both vol and tone?
@@chrisjarvis506 Yes both audio taper. Values varied a lot through the 50's. 500k vol and 250k tone seem to be the most common combination. I prefer 550/550 with a .015 PIO cap. They have to be wired 50's obviously. Its relatively cheap and fun to experiment. I have one reissue SG Jnr I play a ton that still has the stock 470k vol and 490 tone pots. They are linear not audio. The main thing is that you wire them 50's. Many people prefer 50's wiring on the neck and modern wiring on the bridge of two pickup guitars these days too..
Awesome, thanks for the details!
@@cgavin1
Last summer started, fast as a shake
JEEZ - WHAT A TONE :0)
The better sound of a Junior...👌👍
I have a Les jr. I must admit if you flatten the frets and re-crown them, file up the ends and give them a polish. the neck can be like warm butter to play. Even comparable to my 60th anniversary telecaster. The shorter scale length is a welcome feature for an elder player to move around the neck.
AHHHH-MAZING tones. I deeply love the way you connected with this one. New subscriber here. Much love.
Thank you so much! Welcome to the channel! 😁
I dig mine. I had since the 80`s.
Reaction at 04:15 says it all
I found this difficult to watch. I saw a '56 LP Junior in a second hand general electrical store in Liverpool in 1973. The shop keeper wanted 80 quid for it but even trading my Japanese LP copy I couldn't raise the extra few quid to get it. It has haunted me ever since. What if, eh?
That's insane! I often wonder how many of those 50s Jr's made it to the UK shops!
Not many I would think. American guitars were hard to come by in the 50s in the UK. @@Paul-rt4ix
My collection stands @ 62 guitars. My 1955 Les Paul Junior (I’m the 3rd owner-have the original amp as well) is the last one I’ll ever sell. I have a more recent reissue Junior but no comparison to the ‘55.
Given current vintage prices is there anything that comes close? Custom Shop Historic?
I can't afford the old Juniors so I got the epiphone lp Junior inspired by Gibson and its a amazing guitar, hopefully one day I can afford a proper 50's Gibson 😊
Get yourself a Seymour Duncan antiquity p90 dogear bridge pickup and put it in that epiphone, it will sound just like a 50's Gibson. I just got a beautiful epiphone les Paul jr and an antiquity pickup. I am blown away entirely
Thanks for the reply 👍 buddy, yeah Seymour Duncan pickups are a great substitute,
Alot of people swap the gibson pickups for the Seymour pickups
What a wonderful guitar and what a great player. Who is he?
Hello!
His name is Martin Waugh, he's a good friend of ours and also happens to be the old guitarist for MIKA and a few other pop/rock acts from the 2000s and 2010s. He's an incredible musician and we're lucky to have him come in and film demos with us!
@@guitarattic thank you.
just bought a Gibson Les Paul Jr about an hour ago !
what was the overdrive pedal used
World’s best salesman right there
What amp did we hear this through? Any pedals for OD? Well done on the vid and a stunning guitar as well.
Hi, it was a 1971 Marshall 50w Jmp through a Boogie 2.12 cab. Radial trimode pedal and a bit of hall of fame reverb ;)))
Very lively Jr. I believe the point is the simple slab of mahogany cured for almost seventy years…
Che suono ragazzi
Guitars like this are one of the main reasons I hate being lefthanded. How many of the, 'this is the best guitar I have ever played...and it is available', guitars are out there and are lefties? They essentially do not exist. Just about every guitar I have bought in the last 30 years was a gamble. You can only get the feel for a guitar so much when playing one of the same model upside down before placing ur order for the lefty version. Guitar shopping is always a gamble or a compromise.
Just turn her upside down man
I know what you mean, but..........
There are lots of lefties out there hiding and you just have to discover them. I sometimes wish I hadn't as my spare room is stacked.
Remember, you don't find the guitar, the guitar finds you 😊
I was lucky that as a kid my first teacher proclaimed that left handed pianos didn’t exist so just pick up the guitar, tune it…here’s a middle C and time is up see you next week!
Sounds fantastic! What amp was he playing through?
Hi there, it was my 71 JMP 50 through a Boogie Lonestar 2,12 ;))
Excellent! I hope you were able to purchase it. 🤘
It’s got the mojo!
They almost sounds like a tele with the ringing that goes on. Sustainable forever sounds like. It works ! 👍🎼
Any pedals or what amp? Amazing sound!!
Very basic, Radial Trimode, and a Hall of Reverb into a Boogie Lonestar ;)
So is it in his home currently?
What bridge is on it?
Limie how did u get that.
Just ask Charlie Starr of BlackBerry Smoke, he'll back up everything said.
The Guy who played should have bought it
You never know, unfortunately the wife would kill me 😂😂😂😂
I can hear some richard thompson in there!
Those are kind words my friend ;)))
My pleasure! One of my fav. guitar demos. @@mwaugh94879
I have the affordable “Lukas Nelson Signature” version. What amp and pedal did you use?
Hi Chris, It's a Boogie Lonestar, Tonebone Trimode, and a Hall of fame Reverb ;)
Did it sell yet?
No it's still for sale ;)))
not too bad 😉
Nice! What amplifier?
Hi, in this video Martin ran his 1971 Marshall JMP through a Mesa 2X12 cab. He then used his Radial Tonebone Trimode Pedal along side a Hall Of Fame Reverb to create this final tone :)
Is he saying "oh my watt?" :D Anyway, what a fantastic player, what a fantastic instrument. Btw, now I don't wanna know the price too - it's around eleven to twelve thousands of euros...
Many thanks for the kind words, and yes, yer very close with the price. ;)
@@mwaugh94879 You are most welcome :) Hope you will get one soon or already have one - you deserve it! I will have to be satisfied with an Epiphone or maybe new Gibson reissue and make it relic through years of playing :D
I suspect this guitar player has this effect on a lot of guitars: “That’s the best guitarist I’ve ever been played by” 😂😂😂 I mean, those fingers are going to make any axe sound like the greatest guitar ever made.
There's a young guy, www.youtube.com/@MatthewScottmusic Who's refurbishing a 1954
Gibson Les Paul Junior! He's just 3 short videos in. (That's a heck-of-a way to document a passage of time!... ) You guys at GITA might want to touch base with him.....His vid, brought me to you! I'm glad it did!
sadly they just don't make wood like that anymore.
Great player..full name?
Cheers, Martin Waugh
@@mwaugh94879 only guitar players understand the emotions you felt . I try and explain it to non guitar players and they dont get it. The electric guitar is such an expressive instrument. Great playing!
What amp is he playing through??
For this video we used my old 71 50w marshall jmp through the boogie cab;))
@@mwaugh94879 it cleaned up so well. And was super crisp and tight sounding. Good job!
Cheers many thanks for the kind words
Yes they sound great. But you are limited to pretty much a single sound with just one pickup. And the beloved P90 pickup hums like a devil at high volume. You can hear the hum around 3:00. With no tremolo arm they tend to stay in tune.
❤🙏🤗
How much? :D
Never say you love it and then ask how much is it. $$$$$$$
What the heck tuning is this?
Standard ;)))
Because it’s about the guitar player, not the guitar.
If I played a guitar that affected me like that I would buy it on the spot regardless of the price. Unless of course, that price was far too high. So, how much is or was it that would make him hand it back over and say "here it's yours"?
Also not trying to troll here but I honestly wonder if he would FEEL and say the same things if it were a modern production Epiphone made in China? Assuming it played and sounded exactly the same?
The $3000 amp helps 😊
To be honest you plug that guitar into a cigarette packet and it sound amazing. ;)
@@mwaugh94879 To be honest, Smokey amps were killer!
Sold my 56 jr.....😢
Don't let this huckster fool you...not every guitar fits everyone. the best guitar is the one that makes you play.
les Paul Junior...? Super! But Duesenberg "Senior" step above!
These were made from 1000 year old old growth mahogany from the Amazon. The wood was seasoned to perfection. The pickups were legendary and have never been accurately reproduced. I love me a Deuce as much as anyone but these are as "special" as it gets.