“The original owner died while playing this very guitar”: A look at Jared James Nichols’ latest Les Paul restoration project
Jared James Nichols is well-acquainted with the art of resurrecting beaten guitars, having previously undertaken the restoration of ‘Dorothy’, a 1952 Gibson Les Paul that endured the ravages of a devastating tornado.
His latest endeavour sees him diving into another challenging project: the revival of a storm-damaged 1975 Les Paul Custom, aptly named ‘Katrina’, which boasts a history as tumultuous as its namesake storm.
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Explaining the guitar’s origins on Instagram, Nichols says that he was contacted three years ago by an individual named Joe Thompson, who’d sent him pictures of the “weathered and battered” Les Paul Custom “with a look and unbelievable story.”
“The original owner died while playing this very guitar,” Nichols explains. “He was electrocuted by being barefoot and completing the circuit between an ungrounded amplifier and an electronic heat grate in an old farmhouse. The guitar was then placed in his sister’s storage shed for decades until 2005, when that shed was demolished by hurricane Katrina. Against all odds, the guitar seemingly survived.”
“Fast forward to today, I have just become the new custodian of this very, very special Gibson Les Paul Custom. It sounds absolutely incredible as it looks. She is gonna need some TLC, but soon will be right back to her Rock & Roll glory days, and back on stage. I have the chills.”
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A post shared by Jared James Nichols (@jaredjamesnichols)
In a follow-up post, Nichols humorously describes the guitar’s dire state, writing: “This was the other night, right after pulling it out of the box! Imagine the dirtiest LP on the planet, but even worse! It wouldn’t even fret above the 12th fret. Rusty strings/frets/pots…it was rough!”
That said, the guitarist reveals he’s been slowly cleaning up the Les Paul — “It’s still alive!”, and now the axe “plays on every fret and rings like a bell.” The goal is to have Katrina “stage and tour ready” by his upcoming shows with Queensryche, which kicks off on 9 October.
Listen to the guitar in action via Nichols’ Instagram post below.
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A post shared by Jared James Nichols (@jaredjamesnichols)
The post “The original owner died while playing this very guitar”: A look at Jared James Nichols’ latest Les Paul restoration project appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
