Tom Bukovac's latest visit to vintage guitar shop mecca Gruhn's in Nashville is a deep dive into the one world of the one-pickup Gibson Les Paul Junior. And it's a real education.
While session man Bukovac notes it could never be his do-it-all electric guitar in a studio gig, he celebrates its unique qualities in this four-man roundtable discussion and demo session alongside Gruhn's repair shop manager Greg Voros, sales staff member Corey Terrell and Music City musician / design engineer / tech Eric 'Ebo' Borash (also of Ebo custom amps renown).
What other guitar's volume can be dialled down to create such a great electric/acoustic hybrid tone? Pete Townsend was a fan of this strummy secret weapon on The Who's Live At Leeds. And while P-90s can be brash and sometimes hard to tame, they do have hidden depths. The Junior proves to be their most unfiltered showcase with a dogear pickup screwed into the body. And even though the '50s Gibson originals usually need a bridge upgrade, they remain the most desirable examples.
There's four great vintage examples of the P-90 Les Pauls (including the two-pickup Special) up for discussion and playing comparison in the video above –including a double-cut. Do they sound different to single-cuts? They get to that too.
Of special note is Bukovac's ability to simulate the delay of Pink Floyd's Run Like Hell – without a pedal – at the 26-minute mark is truly impressive. We've never seen anything like that!
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