Hal's Guitar Page

1989 Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Les Paul is neck and neck (so to speak) with the Fender Stratocaster as the most popular rock guitar of all time. Just turn on MTV2 and see how many you count from video to video. Some famous Les Paul players are Jimmy Page, Randy Rhodes, Slash, and my boy... Alex Lifeson.


It's hard to see, but the serial number is 80069541. On late model Gibsons, this means that the guitar was made January 6th, 1989 in Nashville and was the 41st guitar stamped that day. Want to know how I know?	Note the mother of pearl inlays and the 24k gold plated hardware.	The thick solid body on the Les Paul contributes greatly to it's incredible note sustainability. Note that the fretboard is ebony.	I've played this guitar so much that I've worn sections of the gold plating off of the pickups.

Originally, this guitar was Ivory white, and it does look white with flash of the camera, but it's actually a deep cream color under normal light. I was told they do that over time.	This is not the original guitar case, but a special Gibson case I bought separately a year or so after I got it. The first guitar case from Gibson was HORRIBLE. I hope that they stopped making them because they sucked!	I'd wave my late 80's heavy metal hair at the camera, but some gremlin's stole it off my head! Oh, who am I kidding...	Oooh yeah! Something just bit my toe. Oooh yeah! Something just bit my toe. Owwww!

1986 Gibson ES335 Studio

This is a very popular and versatile guitar used by rock musicians and jazz musicians alike. I purchased this used from my college jazz guitar instructor when he bought a Heritage. I've used this on at least fifty gigs and I'm sure he used it on a thousand.


The serial number is 82196568. On late model Gibsons, this means that the guitar was made July 9th, 1986 in Nashville and was the 68th guitar stamped that day. Want to know how I know?	What I love about this guitar is that it's a working man's ax. That point is no better illustrated than by the crappy gold painted Gibson logo. This is an excellent professional instrument, but you can't tell by looking at it.	Most Gibson ES335s have f holes cut into the top, but the studio model did not. Although it looks solid, it is actually hollow on the inside. This makes it lighter than my Les Paul, even though it's much larger.	Ebony fretboard with crappy dot inlays. Another example of how this guitar is top notch, but not made to be glamorous.

Want to hear something gross? That's not dust, because I keep it in a case. That's actually buildup of my hand flesh! Ewww....	This case has seen better days. The bottom is actually duct taped on! Wouldn't have it any other way...	Look mommy! That fat guy is really happy playing his beat up guitar! Can I give him a dollar?	Whoops! He's falling over!

What's up pussycat? Whoa-Whoa-Whoa...

And this is my Yamaha LL Acoustic/Electric. Yamaha generally makes crappy guitars, but this one is top notch. It's the best playing action acoustic I've ever come across, and I bought it used for about four hundred dollars!


The model of this guitar is LL-5E-C and the serial number is 109180. The guru at Yamaha told me that this model was made 1985-1991 and retailed for $835. With inflation, that makes it $1200 - $1400 today.	The top right tuning key is a real bear and probably needs replacing. I'll probably install a nice set of grovers in there someday.	This is indeed an acoustic/electric with two internal pickups, and here are the controls for volume and tone. Up around the edge is a fourth knob for balance between the pickups.	Here's where you plug in your amplifier cord. This ax has seen some lovin' over the years...

My old boss from First Colony Coffee House in Norfolk VA sold this guitar to me back in 1994. At the time, since I was only making 4.25/hour, it was a rough purchase... but boy am I glad that I got it. It turned out to be a real honey.	The Yamaha guru said it has a solid spruce top, solid African mahogany back and sides, and a rosewood fretboard and bridge. I need to change the strings...	Mad dog!! Mad dog!! Get the tazer!!! Dear lord somebody get the taaaazeerrr!!!!	The best part about owning a Yamaha guitar, is the massive torque you get out of the engine! Vvvvrrooooooooom!!!!