PEARL Les Paul

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Hey guys
I came across this forum on a fluke doing some research for something eles but saw this thread and thought I had to post something back.
I have owned my pearl les paul for the last 16 years or so and it's had a hard life I went away for a few years and left it with a family member to find the thing in parts and pieces and the finish was in a horrid shape. since then I have now restored it to a very functional guitar I use it as my main stage guitar all the time and i must say this feels much better to play than any Gibson les paul I have ever played.
I've modified the bridge saddles and nut to graftek's, the pick ups are an older Seymour 59' which is what i originally got with the guitar and a newer JB the machine heads are scholler made in west germany, all the wiring I have re-done myself as the old wiring was a mess and the pots had died, i had to replace some binding on the head stock, the finish was originally a gloss dark red wine stain sort of colour but it was so scratched up i decided to give it a road worn look took most of the sheen of the gloss and kept the rough look i think it ads character to it
The serial is 0510452 I have no idea when or where it was made i was told It could have been made by a company called Gherson of Italy It all seems like a mystery to me.
anyway here are some pics
pearlespaulcopy.jpg
 
japanstrat said:
I read the post from the guy who claimed to have designed it but I've never heard of any Jim Walker. I have heard of Jack Westheimer who was responsible for about fifty zillion different Japanese/Asian brands such as "Teisco", "Kingston" and "CORTez". Westheimer was the guy who had Pearl continue to build the Genesis with the "pearl" name on it after Epiphone gave up on it.

Just because you haven't heard of Jim Walker doesn't discount what he did. Jim became one of the original partners in Hamer Guitars while in college at the University of Chicago (he worked part time at Andrews & Edwards Music). He sold back his shares in Hamer in late 1976/early 1977 to complete work on his Master's degree. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Gibson and was responsible for the Genesis.

I interviewed him at length last year for a book I'm doing.
 
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