Les Paul and Al Di Meola… and what is this guitar???

[metropolis_4]

I came across this cool picture of Al with Les Paul. Makes total sense that these guys would have been friends

What in the world is that guitar that Les is playing!?

And I wonder if the LP Al has is one of Les’s own from the ‘50s?

 

[Achilles]

What in the world is that guitar that Les is playing!?

Found this. Most likely a one off he designed with some luthier.

 

[State of Epicicity]

It's funny, my wife and I went to The Les Paul Experience exhibit at the Waukesha Museum just a few days ago. I wish they had that guitar there! They did have some interesting guitars, including prototypes.

 

[Achilles]

It's funny, my wife and I went to The Les Paul Experience exhibit at the Waukesha Museum just a few days ago. I wish they had that guitar there!

Looks like a take on a Coral Sitar. The strings enter the body behind the bridge but then the tuners are across the body from that.
Bet it rings for ever with open chords with the internal drone strings!

 

[metropolis_4]

Found this. Most likely a one off he designed with some luthier.

View attachment 23917

I’d love to know more about it and what his thinking was behind it

 

[Achilles]

@metropolis_4 You know any good translators?

 

[metropolis_4]

@metropolis_4 You know any good translators?

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Ohhhh! I know what this is!

I’d heard about it but I’ve never seen a picture of it before.

It was a headless guitar he designed and built out of aluminum back in the 1940’s. He played it a bit with the Andrew’s Sisters, but he said the stage lights caused it to get too hot and it would go out of tune so he stopped using it

 

[FuzzyAce]

A headLes Paul. He was always ahead of his time.