This is the heaviest guitar I have owned. She weighs a tonne and bears all the battle scars on a tuxedoed body. And her P90s sound as vintage as and as fantastic as they can produce. After trading off the Gibson Les Paul Traditional for a James Tyler, I kinda missed having a Gibson Les Paul. And fortunately, this time, I trade off my James Tyler for this 1979 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Pro.
And yes, she belonged to the Norlin era. And no, I never thought I would buy a Gibson from the Norlin era. There were lots of negative takes on Gibsons produced under Norlin. Then a video on youtube opened my mind to a Norlin Gibson. When I was invited to consider this Deluxe Pro as part of a trade with the James Tyler, I agreed at once.
After trying her out and seeing all her mojos on her body, I proceeded with the trade. She’s heavy but she sounds fantastic. I believe she plays better than the Traditional I had. And she’s vintage.
Perhaps, her fetching price could increase over time. The last I checked on Reverb, the Deluxe Pro is priced higher than the James Tyler Classic. I may keep her for good if there are no better Les Paul alternatives. To me, a Les Paul is a must. And this lady here fulfills that.