Gibson Guitars 1550-07 GUS - Manual (Page 17)

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without the “dog ears” are nicknamed “soapbar” because the original cream-colored plastic
covers on the 1952 Les Paul Model resembled bars of soap. When the P-90 was introduced
in 1946, it was the most powerful pickup of its kind. And it still is. Among the many exam-
ples of the P-90 sound are Carlos Santana’s Les Paul Special on Santana’s classic recordings,
Leslie West’s Les Paul Jr. with the group Mountain, and the Who’s Pete Townshend with an SG
Special on Live at Leeds and at Woodstock.
Pickup adjustments. Although the pickups on each Les Paul are set to Gibson standards at the
factory, they can be adjusted. The height of the pickup can be adjusted by the two screws
found at either end of the pickup, in the mounting ring. Individual string volume can be adjust-
ed by turning the polepiece screws. Bringing the pickup or pole screw closer to the strings
makes the signal stronger or “hotter.”
Controls. The standard Gibson electronic configuration is two pickups, four knobs, and a pick-
up selector switch. The four knobs provide individual tone and volume control for each pick-
up. Models with only three knobs provide individual volume and master tone control. Single
pickup models have only two knobs—for volume and tone control—and no pickup selector.