Beverly Hills, CA (March 26, 2012) -- Julien's Auctions, the world's premier entertainment and celebrity estate auction house and the Les Paul Foundation have partnered for an auction of extraordinary property and collection of guitars, equipment and musical artifacts from the legendary musician, engineer and inventor Les Paul. The auction event will take place on June 8-9, 2012 in honor of what would have been Paul's 97th birthday (June 9, 2012).
Les Paul, born Lester Polsfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 1915, was on his way to making his mark on the history of 20th Century music at an early age. He was born with an inquisitive streak that he described as, "…curiosity and I got a double dose of it. I've never stopped trying to figure out what makes things work or how to make things work better." It was this curiosity that spurred his lifelong quest to find the perfect sound in his instruments, recordings and performances.
His efforts produced one of the first solid-body electric guitars, which went on to become one of the most widely played and recognized guitars in the world, the Gibson Les Paul. Paul not only revolutionized the sound of the electric guitar, but also the technology behind modern day sound recording. Les Paul pioneered innovative techniques with sound-on-sound recording and commissioned the first 8-track tape recorder, which would become the core technology behind multi-track recording still used today.
Paul was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his achievements in 2005 and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2006. Paul has also been widely lauded for his contributions as a performer and recording artist. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum honored Paul at an induction ceremony in 1988 giving him the title of the "Architect of Rock n' Roll.
The Grammy Hall of Fame inducted Les Paul and Mary Ford's recording of "How High the Moon" in 1979. Paul was also honored with the Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in 1983 and with a Special Merit Technical Grammy Award in 2001. Paul received three Grammy Awards for Best Country Instrumental, Chester And Lester in 1976, Best Rock Instrumental, 69 Freedom Special in 2005 and Best Pop Instrumental, Caravan, in 2005.
The sale will include equipment, memorabilia, personal effects and instruments that span the entirety of Paul's career from his days as Rhubarb Red to his weekly Monday night shows at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City.
Highlights include:
• 1968 Prototype Gibson Les Paul Custom Recording Model (Est. $60,000 - $80,000). White flat top with Bigsby tail piece and note in Paul’s hand reading, “Reward this is the property of Les Paul A.K.A. Lester William Polfuss…Mahwah, New Jersey USA…” The guitar is featured on page 350 of his autobiography Les Paul In His Own Words.
• 1952 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop (Est. $14,000 - $16,000) No serial number, Trapeze tailpiece, tuners have been changed to Grover’s, pat. Pending with original case. This is one of the very first Les Paul guitars produced. The back of the headstock is hand signed, “Les Paul.” The guitar is pictured on page 238 of Paul’s autobiography Les Paul In His Own Words.
• 1955 Steinway & Sons Grand Model B in Ebony (Est. $20,000 - $30,000) Steinway & Sons serial number 348128 (Case #K1304 3035) New York Music Room grand model B piano from Les Paul’s legendary main recording studio in his home in Mahwah, New Jersey, this is the only piano used for recordings made in the house. Steinway records indicate that the piano was completed on August 22, 1955 and delivered to the home of Les Paul and Mary Ford in New Jersey on August 25, 1955.
• Early 1970s Ampex MM1000 (Est. $3,000 - $5,000) Sixteen track recording machine using two inch tape, with custom VSO, serial number 260, with AC cable and side block. Has been re-built in good condition. This was the first Ampex sixteen track machine and is one of the most sought after sixteen track machines to this day. This machine was used in the downstairs recording studio at Les Paul’s Mahwah, New Jersey home. 65 by 41 by 27 ½ inches
• Late 1960s API Recording Mixing Console (Est. $40,000 - $60,000) Twenty eight by sixteen console believed to be one of the first few made with the desirable configuration of twenty eight mic line input channels and sixteen buss. Originally a twenty-channel mixer with an eight-channel side car added later, three 12 point patch bay main console and 144 patch bay on side car. Modules include: five – 558 EQs, one – 550 EQ, four – 553 EQs, 9 – Aengus 8 band EQs, one – old school audio mic pre 580 series size, two – 525 compressors, one – 575 oscillators, one – talk back module, four – 553 EQs, sixteen buss VU meters, and an elaborate master section with buss and cue system. The board is made by Automated Processes Inc. of Farmingdale New York, one of the most notable American made mixing consoles. Original masking tape label with channel identifications in Les Paul’s hand including, “channel 1 Les Guitar.” 45 by 99 1/8 by 35 ½ inches
Free Public Exhibition
Tuesday, May 29th – Friday, June 8th
Monday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (P.S.T.)
Closed Sundays)
Live and Online Auction
Friday, June 8th, 2012
Session I: 10:00 a.m. P.S.T.
Session II: 2:00 p.m. P.S.T.
Saturday, June 9th, 2012
Session III: 10:00 a.m. P.S.T.
Session IV: 2:00 p.m. P.S.T.
Location
Julien’s Auctions Beverly Hills
9665 Wilshire Boulevard
Suite 150
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
For more information:
www.juliensautions.com
Revv G3 Purple Channel Preamp/Overdrive/Distortion Pedal - Anniversary Edition
The Revv G3 revolutionized high gain pedals in 2018 with its tube-like response & tight, clear high gain tones. Suddenly the same boutique tones used by metal artists & producers worldwide were available to anyone in a compact pedal. Now the G3 returns with a new V2 circuit revision that raises the bar again.
If 3 Were 6
With six times the controls found on the 1 and 2 versions (if you discount the original’s on/off slider switch,) the LPB-3’s control complement offers pre-gain, boost, mid freq, bass, treble, and mid knobs, with a center detent on the latter three so you can find the midpoint easily. A mini-toggle labeled “max” selects between 20 dB and 33 dB of maximum gain, and another labeled “Q” flips the resonance of the mid EQ between high and low. Obviously, this represents a significant expansion of the LPB’s capabilities.
More than just a booster with a passive tone, the LPB-3 boasts a genuine active EQ stage plus parametric midrange section, comprising the two knobs with shaded legends, mid freq and mid level. The gain stages have also been reimagined to include a pre-gain stage before the EQ, which enables up to 20 dB of input gain. The boost stage that follows the EQ is essentially a level control with gain to allow for up to 33 dB of gain through the LPB-3 when the “max” mini toggle is set to 33dB
A slider switch accessible inside the pedal selects between buffered or true bypass for the hard-latch footswitch. An AC adapter is included, which supplies 200mA of DC at 9.6 volts to the center-negative power input, and EHX specifies that nothing supplying less than 120mA or more than 12 volts should be used. There’s no space for an internal battery.
Power-Boosted
The LPB-3 reveals boatloads of range that betters many linear boosts on the market. There’s lots of tone-shaping power here. Uncolored boost is available when you want it, and the preamp gain knob colors and fattens your signal as you crank it up—even before you tap into the massive flexibility in the EQ stage.
“The preamp gain knob colors and fattens your signal as you crank it up—even before you tap into the massive flexibility in the EQ stage.”
I found the two mid controls work best when used judiciously, and my guitars and amps preferred subtle changes pretty close to the midpoint on each. However, there are still tremendous variations in your mid boost (or scoop, for that matter) within just 15 or 20 percent range in either direction from the center detent. Pushing the boost and pre-gain too far, particularly with the 33 dB setting engaged, can lead to some harsh sounds, but they are easy to avoid and might even be desirable for some users that like to work at more creative extremes.
The Verdict
The new LPB-3 has much, much more range than its predecessors, providing flexible preamp, boost, and overdrive sounds that can be reshaped in significant ways via the powerful EQ. It gives precise tone-tuning flexibility to sticklers that like to match a guitar and amp to a song in a very precise way, but also opens up more radical paths for experimentalists. That it does all this at a $129 price is beyond reasonable.
Electro-Harmonix Lpb-3 Linear Power Booster & Eq Effect Pedal Silver And Blue
