The Underrated & Overlooked Norlin Era! - Vintage 70’s vs. Modern Custom Shop Gibson Les Pauls
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- Опубліковано 28 лип 2024
- These quirky 70’s Norlin era Gibson Les Pauls were often overlooked or outright hated for their non-traditional specs, like pancake bodies, maple necks, and T-top pickups. Yet, T-tops were allegedly used by many greats in the 70’s from Jimmy Page to Angus Young and countless legendary riffs were recorded and performed with Norlin Era Les Pauls in the hands of greats like Randy Rhoads, Mick Mars and Adam Jones. Maybe there’s some magic in these “quirky” specs? The 70’s Les Pauls could never sound like the famous 50’s and 60’s bursts preceding them, BUT they ended up having a sound of their own, and it may be exactly what you’re looking for!
I had to choose between a traditional 50’s spec Custom Shop Reissue or this 1976 Norlin Les Paul. Here’s why I opted for the Norlin and why you might want to consider one too! As always thanks for watching and be sure to like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video.
Timestamps (With Playing Demo At End Of Each Section)
0:00 Introduction
2:24 "Vintage" Doesn't Mean Better
3:21 Norlin Era Inconsistency: Spec Variations
5:32 Spec Comparison: Norlin vs. Custom Shop
8:02 Unique Norlin Tone
9:43 Why I Chose Norlin: Neck & Rarity
13:20 Reasons To Buy Custom Shop
16:36 Conclusion
I actually just did this today lol. Brought a 1979 Les Paul Custom and plan to sell my 2021 Reissue 57 to offset the cost. The biggest thing I dont think people realize is that the Norlin era really is the iconic Les Paul Custom most people think when they think Les Paul. Its everywhere in Hard Rock and Metal. John Sykes, Adam Jones, Alex Lifeson, Pete Townsend, Dean DeLeo, Al Di Meola, Jimmy Page, Scott Gorham, Steve Clark, Lindsey Buckingham, Ace Frehley, etc. IMO the 70s LP Customs had the best overall necks. I love chunky necks, but i doubt most of the above players, especially shredders, would have played a Les Paul if it was a 50s because the necks are giant and the upper fret access sucks. Thats not even considering the different pickup ring height and frets.
I feel like most of the people dogging 70s LPs havent actually tried them and are just parrotting the historic and period correct LP stuff.
Well said! I couldn’t agree more! I feel like the Norlins got an unnecessarily bad rep just because they were so different from their 50s predecessors. Yet, as you said so many legendary artists rocked Norlin Les Paul Customs and they are amazing for hard rock. I’ll add Randy Rhoades and Mick Mars to the list as well. I can’t name many iconic 50s Les Paul Custom players but I feel like there are so many famous musicians who rocked a 70s Les Paul Custom. You’re right these are the iconic Les Paul Customs. As an old school hard rock and metal aficionado, the 70s Les Paul Custom is my guitar of choice. I’ve got a nice collection and like all my guitars but if I could only keep one it would be my Norlin. It just has the right sound and feel for the genres I like. Congrats on your 1979 and happy new guitar day! Hope it serves you well and rocks hard. 🤘
My goodness that Norlin guitar sounds incredible. Back in the mid 80s, I had two - a 75 and a 79 black Custom. They were great! Forgot to.mention, I think the 70s pickups sound better than any historic - and I wasted my money on 2 historical, a 57 Reissue and a R6. My 70s Norlin Pauls sounded better than both historics. You have a really good instrument there - I believe that you know that.
Thanks so much, I certainly do. I have several guitars but this has become my favorite. If I could only keep one axe it would be this for sure. I feel very fortunate to have this and I’m glad to see I’m not alone in liking these 70s Customs. I’m sure your 75 and 79 were amazing. The T-top pickups are definitely something special, probably my favorite pickup. They just have that sound I’m looking for. I got to play this guitar through a Marshall boosted with a BOSS SD-1 and it sounded so sweet. There are so many reissues now but these Norlin guitars seem to be harder to come by and they don’t even make T-tops anymore save for Gibson’s T-type pickup. The faster slimmer necks is definitely icing on the cake too.
Bought my first Gibson in 1982 and it is still my favorite.
Glad to hear! So satisfying when a guitar proves itself more and more as the years go by and you realize you’ve got a keeper. I hope to try an 80s era Gibson as I’ve heard the Tim Shaw pickups are quite nice and there’s nothing like them being made today. Cheers!
I have 2 Norlin era customs and GK 55. All 3 sound incredible but different. 77 and 82 customs. I just got the 82 with Tim Shaws and this guitar sounds amazing. Like he said, the midrange tones are veey pronounced. I love Norlins.
Nice! Glad to see fellow Norlin fans are out there. These guitars deserve much more appreciation. So cool you have an 82 with the Tim Shaws, been really curious to try out the Tim Shaw pickups. Would be cool to have an 80s Tim Shaw equipped LP along with my Custom with T-tops.
I bought a 78’ black beauty and it’s awesome!
That’s awesome! Really happy to see fellow 70s Black Beauty owners just as happy as I am with these guitars. They really are special in their own way and I think people are catching on. I really wanted a 78 for the cool chainsaw case haha.
@@rocktorrocksThank you! I love your channel. I just found it today and subscribed I also bought a all original 1979 Gibson LP tobacco burst this week but about 50% of the paint on the back of the neck came off. Do you think it's safe to play it like that
another thing a Norlin has that other gibsons dont is a 14 degree neck angle rather than what i consider overkill 17neck angle. if you did cover it i probably missed it i just didnt hear it mentioned. beautiful guitar im quite keen on the norlins myself. might get one someday.
Thanks for sharing this! I actually did not mention it in the video but that is a huge bonus feature along with the volute. The Norlin guitars seem more robust than the historic stuff. Happy to see there are fellow Norlin fans out there. These guitars deserve more appreciation. I do hope you get to have that nice norlin someday. Cheers! 🤘
I have a 71 black Custom.
Bought it used in 81 for $450. Someone before me beat the crap out of it but it played and sounded amazing. minimum wage was $2.85 an hour and I quit in the middle of a shift when I knew I had enough cash for the last layaway payment..
Hey also to note…I like the slim neck style also. I purchased a late 90s 1960 Re-issue sunburst. And those slim taper necks is what I gravitate towards. But that’s just my preference. But it plays very well. Hot hot pick-ups in it 500 bridge and 498 neck. But plays w my style. I know lots of folks don’t dig that hot of pups. But I like em’. That’s a main reason why I liked the norlin white custom w the slim neck too
Well said man. I totally agree and relate. I mainly play hard rock and metal so hotter pickups and slimmer neck is my preference too. These Norlin customs seem to shine for the type and style of music I play and the tones I’m looking for. My other favorite guitar is my 1990 Les Paul studio and it has some hot 498T/490R pickups but I really dig them.
Awesome I have 1976 stadered sun burst good guitars my oppion
I had a 76’ custom cherry sunburst… I think I paid 2500.00$ at Emerald City guitars in Seattle in 2001…. She was a great player and was cosmetically excellent… I loved that guitar and always wanted one being that 1976 is my birth year… I would actually end up trading that guitar for a 04’ classic that believe it or not is the love of my life… I really enjoyed the video… you have a lot of knowledge and enjoyed your whole presentation… you definitely have a new subscriber… keep up the good work and rock on!
Thanks so much! Appreciate you taking the time to watch my video and the sub. I’m glad to hear you found your dream Les Paul and got to own a great 76 along the way. The classics are amazing guitars. I like the slim necks on those. Glad to hear you found the information helpful and enjoyable, I owe a lot of my knowledge to the folks on the mylespaul forums. It’s a fun time chatting and reading about guitars on there. Rock on! 🤘
yeah those early Classics anything before 95 were excellent guitars nothing like what the Classics are now
I believe the R0 is a thin, 60's profile neck.
Yup! I probably forgot to mention that but it is true the R0 gives people a slim neck option from the custom shop. Though I don’t think there are any Les Paul Customs from the modern day custom shops that use a slim R0 profile. I could be wrong though.
Great vid dood. I just recently purchased a 76’ Norlin era white custom(obviously faded to light yellow) about a year ago. But yeah…by you describing what your black custom norlin is…I totally ditto that. And man…these keep going up. Just recently visited a few vintage shops up in Portland AND Seattle…they are going for $6800 plus now. Smh. Anyways great vid.
Nice score! I really wanted a white one but they seem to be even more rare and difficult to find. Glad to meet a fellow Norlin fan and a 76 owner. These guitars seem to fly under the radar but I guess people are catching on since the prices are shooting up. $6800 is insane.
Their great guitars I dont need waits any more to build my arms great guitars good on you people go and get a 1959 l Paul they are cheep and easy to afford for a price of wood and strings
Awesome i have the exact same year LPC 🔥🔥🔥
That’s awesome! I don’t see a lot of fellow Norlin Les Paul owners, especially the 76 year customs. It may be my all time favorite guitar.
ive been playing and buying guitars for over 45yrs out of all the Gibsons l've had and still own are Norlins ,, presently my main Gibsons that i gig are 71 Custom , 76 standard , 82 standard , reissue 68 SG Jr limited run ,, what ive learned over the yrs is every era has its dogs and everyone has their own taste , i sold a 57 gold top PAF that i couldn't wait to sell for me an absolute dawg the action was never right nor was the intonation my 71 custom blows it away on every level but the guy who bought it is still smiling from ear to ear , but this can be said about any guitars even Fenders ive had custom shops the one i gig with is a Black logo MIM that ive upgraded its one of the best sounding playing strats ive ever owned ,, the one i should of kept was a 1970 es335 hardtail another Norlin imagine that ,,,
Well said! Great guitars were made in all eras and what’s a keeper for one player may be lackluster for someone else. It’s a very personal thing finding the right guitar. But when you find one you bond with, it’s awesome. Makes me wonder how many great Norlins were passed up because many didn’t like the reputation from that era.
My Norlin rips. 76 LPC. T TOPS kick azz. Ill never get rid of it. Yeah its heavy but it doesnt bother me. I love this tank
That’s awesome! So nice to see other fellow 76 LPC owners who dig their guitars too. I feel the same, the T-tops are one of my all time favorite pickups and it’s even cooler knowing Jimmy Page & Angus Young might have had T-tops in their guitars too. This guitar is probably my all time favorite in my collection. Thanks so much for watching!
I prefer a heavy guitar...
Bought one in 1976 for $575. LP custom like the one in the video except the hardware was silver. Traded it for a Tobias bass when I was playing bass in our band. Bad move, sold the Tobias a few years ago for $650. Wish I still had it
That def sounds like one to miss, especially with chrome hardware. Bet it looked and played amazing. Even if you don’t find that 76 again, hope something just as nice or better finds its way to you. It’s hard to know until many years later which axes we end up missing. Thanks for checking out my video.
What amp and recording chain for this sound?
Hey! I think I was recording right into my interface using the Guitar Rig 6 amp simulator for this video. I was most likely using a Van Halen 80s preset. Thanks for watching!
Please, don't get me bad, but for that tone purpose ins't close or even better an SG? Also, great review and comparison!
That thing is in perfect shape. When I was searching for my Paul in the late 80's I was hoping for a Black Beauty like yours. Mainly because I thought Jeff Beck played one considering I had only seen B&W photos of him with his wine red 54'. I wound up with a Custom Sunburst, which ain't bad either. Mine has stage and studio miles on her, not as cosmetically intact. Also the previous owner did switch out the T's for Super D's. Brandonwound does make a T-Top and I'm planning on swapping out the Dimarzzio's for those.
Nice! I really like the sunburst models too. I actually wanted a tobacco burst one initially but found the Black Beauty in such good condition I went with this one. The super distortions are cool. I’m a big fan of the double cream look and I feel like they were a big part of the sounds in that era. T-top sound is still my favorite though. Nothing else like it. I’ve heard great things about the Brandonwounds. Sure you’ll be happy with them. Thanks for watching! 🤘😎
I owned a 72 black beauty LP Custom, the frets were only .o10 thousands high, fretless wonder frets. Just too low…..
Yeah I think the low frets definitely takes some adjustment and might be an acquired taste. My 76 frets are pretty low but not sure if they’re true fretless wonders. Now that I’ve had the guitar a while, I really dig these frets and the neck as a whole. It has a unique feel for sure.
My everyday guitar is a black custom 71 fretless wonder
MLP brought me here. Cool vid.
Hey! Thanks so much for checking it out. Glad you liked it! Always better when I get to share these with fellow community members. Cheers man! 🤘
The pancake guitar.
Indeed! This guitar is stacked with tasty tones! 🥞 😋
Yeah, good luck finding any N.O. les paul today!
Hey! Thanks for watching. 🤘😎 So true! The market is crazy right now. Feel very fortunate to have found mine when I did.
I’m sorry but 7 out of 10 nonlinear guitars where crap, I was there so to speak.
That’s a bummer. Yeah, I can’t speak for all of them. Though i do see lots of happy Norlin owners so I imagine some good ones did go through. I must have gotten one of the 3 then. 😁
You can't tell apart a 1959 Gibson and a Chipson lol. It's all just placibo and hype.
Lol I haven’t ever played a Chibson or an original 59 so can’t say for those two. But I can 100% tell an Epiphone or some cheap import guitar from a higher end Gibson. The thick poly finish and sharp fret ends often seen on cheaper imports are an instant give away. They’re still great guitars, I dig my $500 Epiphone but it’s not Gibson.
@@rocktorrocks I am talking about the sound, not the cosmetics and build quality. Nobody can tell apart the sound from a chipson or a Gibson Custom Shop. People buy Gibson to feel like a rockstar; meaning they buy the emotion, and not to buy the quality. You can still get the same sound from a $100 Chipson.
@@Notification93 Tonally yes, if a Chibson were upgraded with Gibson pickups & wiring it would sound near identical to a Gibson. However, stock Epiphone or Chibsons with inferior pickups & wiring will often times sound muddier. In a band mix prob doesn’t matter much but just listening to the guitar, the sonic difference would be noticeable. And I think you just said tone is the same but the build quality & cosmetics is different between Chibson & Gibson and you weren’t referring to build quality or cosmetics. However later you said Gibson price is for the emotion and not the build quality. I can absolutely say Gibson’s high price tag is not just for the name or emotion. Gibsons have a noticeably improved build quality & playability/feel compared to an import and that can make a difference to a player even if they sound similar.
@@rocktorrocks yes. I'm a Gibson-bug. I will never buy a Chipson because I love Gibson. If someone sells me a nicely-made counterfeit Chipson with a Gibson logo on it, I'll buy it in a heartbeat. Purchases are made on emotion and companies sell on emotion.
@@Notification93 True, emotion plays a big role in our guitar purchases. Most important thing, whether it’s Chibson, Epiphone, or Gibson is if the player likes it and it makes them happy.
This is nothing more than a 70s promotional campaign! There are very few 60-69 Gibsons left. So now they have to promote the 70s. By date the 70s are now vintage. However the quality of that era was mostly trash. There are a few rare gems and decent examples. However even Gibson has abandons all of those 70s build techniques. While still embracing the 50-60 techniques. That tells you everything you need to know.
I don’t doubt QC and consistency was dodgy in the Norlin era. But there is nothing inherently “inferior” about their build techniques, it’s simply different from the 50s and 60s and many prefer the 70s specs. Long neck tenons and one piece bodies from the 50s and 60s are more time consuming & labor intensive but seem to be more for bragging rights these days rather than having a significant impact on tone and durability imo. If anything the multi piece maple neck on Norlins may be more stable and many players prefer the slimmer Norlin neck profiles. I much prefer T-tops to PAF pickups tonally for the music I like to play. I think the only reason Gibson embraces 50s and 60s specs is because that’s what the consumers wanted, but consumers now appreciate the Norlin specs and Gibson/Epiphone is bring back Les Pauls with volutes, maple necks and even recreated the T-top. If this consumer demand was there sooner they’d have likely adopted the 70s build techniques even sooner.
Not much help, still more than I can afford.
I would definitely recommend looking into the Epiphone Adam Jones Les Paul Customs if you like the Norlin specs and vibe…it’s still pricey but under $2K and has similar build and specs to these Norlins. If you’re not particular on specs and just want a quality Les Paul a made in Japan brand like Greco or Burny would prob be the best value. Haven’t had a chance to play one myself but hear great things about them. Best of luck on the hunt. I might need to do a video on good Les Pauls at various budget and price points.
Don't buy a Norlin. Get a Les Paul Studio for 600 bucks, take lessons, practice everyday, start a band, write songs, and play live.
I bought my 76 LPC in 95 for 700. The T Top pickups alone are worth that now and they blow the doors off ANY studio
My Burny RLC55 Randy Rhoads Custom blows away my Gibson 93 Studio...It's a phoking beast of a guitar and I haven't touched a thing on it 100% stock...The Studio is a beast of a guitar too just not as nice to play or as inspiring as the Custom,,,the Burny Vh Gotoh pickups are fkn incredible...
@@StevieZero Sweet. JAPAN. I Have an 81 Ibanez Artist that rivals the LP
Those are nice guitars...The Epiphone DCPro reminds me of them
i was a dealer at this time.....horrible craftsmanship..heavy as hell...stupid designs.....had to sell most at cost or below
That’s a bummer. I can only speak for the one I have. I might have gotten one of the better ones. It has a lot of finish wear on the neck so it seemed to be well played and liked by prior owners.
Norlin Era Gibsons are not under any circumstances better than today's Epiphones plain and simple..
Well I wasn’t really comparing to Epi to begin with so not sure where that came from. But curious to hear your reasoning for that? I really can’t agree with such a broad generalization to be honest.
I’ll concede modern era guitars in general including Epiphone are prob more consistent than back in the 70s but otherwise I much prefer this Gibson 76 Custom to my Epiphone Les Paul standard. And save for a few exceptions most old and new Gibsons I’ve owned or tried have played and sounded better than most off the shelf Epiphones which suffered from poor fret work, muddy pick ups and sub par wiring and I don’t care for poly finishes but that’s just preference. I will say one exception so far has been my Epi Joe Bonamassa ES-335 which has been upgraded with Gibson pickups, and easily holds it’s own with all my Gibsons in terms of tone, feel and set up.
Also, not much point in comparing Norlins to modern Epis. If you want those Norlin specs like maple neck, or T-top pickups then Norlin is the only option. Though I am curious to see how the new Adam Jones Epiphone built with Norlin inspired specs would compare.
Dream on
I have a 1970 les paul custom..best lp i played in my life ..and i am a very old man ...😂
NONSENSE
They piss all over Epiphones.
I had three Norlin era Les Pauls. A 1978 Custom with a wide thin ‘61 SG style neck and it was light for a Paul. Had a 1979 Goldtop Standard that to this day was the BEST Paul I had. Not too heavy with a birdseye maple neck. The next was a 1980 Heritage Std ‘80. Three piece neck was bookmatched so well it looked one piece. Not too heavy and great tone! Having said that I played a LOT of Norlin Gibsons that were awful! Luck of the draw! Played plenty of vintage guitars as well that were awful! Less great guitars under Norlin for sure but they are there! Same with CBS Fenders. Good is good and bad is bad.
So true! One average some eras might have had better guitars but there’s gems and dogs from every year. Gotta judge a guitar on it’s own merits.