I know this is actually a couple months old and, truth be told, I actually started writing this on January 3. 🙂 If you want more details on it, you can read it here. But back when I was writing this article back in January, the focus of the article wouldn’t just be the announcement. You see, that guitar had a huge influence on me as well…
Back in the early to mid-’70s, I was starting to break away from listening to AM pop and really started to get into FM rock; what’s now considered “classic” rock – though it’s still contemporary to me, considering I’m 50. I started collecting vinyls of various rock bands like Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Queen, Santana, The Who… the list goes on… But the definitive album for me was Peter Frampton’s “Frampton Comes Alive.” Looking back on it now, his playing wasn’t all that complicated, but his musical phrasing was unlike anything at the time. My favorite solo of all time is the solo in the middle of the song, “Do You Feel Like We Do.” Turns out that that is also Vinni Smith’s (of V-Pick’s) favorite solo as well. That solo made me think, “I want to be able to play like.”
Don’t know if I could come up with something like that on the fly now, but that solo had a huge influence on me, and it was the guitar that Frampton lost and now has back in his possession that was responsible for creating the sound.
I’m so happy for Peter Frampton, and I’m so glad that he was able to reacquire a real gem of a guitar that had such an influence; not only on me, but on millions of people around the world, as “Frampton Comes Alive” is still one of the greatest-selling live album of all time.
Guitar Gear 
I was just wondering, since you did not mention it, but what kind and model of guitar did Peter Frampton get back. I think he plays Les Pauls, but I’m not really sure.
Thanks.
Steve Z
He did indeed play a Les Paul. It was/is a black Les Paul Custom with three pickups.
So is that considered to be a ‘Black Beauty’?
Not sure. I think that’s a two pickup model.
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We’re both right. I googled it and found that there are 2 bucker and 3 bucker models by Gibson and Epiphone has a 3 pickup model at a fraction of the Gibson cost. I own a Peavey knock-off 3 gold plated humbucker model (SC – 3) which is a low cost copy, looks great but the pickups aren’t that good and all 3 pickups are never activated at the same time. It has a push-pull pot for the middle pickup to engage it and the middle pickup is either in conjuction with the bridge pickup only or the neck pickup only. I plays really nice but as I said the pickups don’t have a very good tone, too tinny. Maybe someday I will look at the Epiphone model, I can’t afford the 5 – 6 thousand for a real Gibson.
Keep Rockin’
Steve Z
Instead of getting a new axe altogether, why not just upgrade the pickups in your Peavey? Seymour Duncan has some great pickups that are affordable. You could put a 59 in the neck, a Pearly Gates in the middle, and an LB in the bridge (lower -> higher output, neck to bridge). I’ve played will all three of those ‘pups and they all sound great. They’re also not too expensive.
Yea I had thought of that. I just had my Gibson SG Faded pickups upgraded ( had 498 put in the bridge and moved the hot 491? from bridge to neck) cost me close to $200 with the labor. The tech at the guitar shop I go to said he could change the Bridge and Neck pups in the Peavey but he is not sure of the middle as it has the push/pull pot in it. I have not been brave enough as of yet to tackle a project like changing out pickups.
Seymour-Duncan has wiring diagram for using a push-pull pot for coil splitting. I imagine similar principles would apply, but I’m no electronics expert and that is why like you I use a tech. However, for that middle pickup, you could do the “cheater’s” way and replace the pickup from the top of the body and just join wires with the new pickup without messing with wiring at the pot. Just a thought…
I think Steve should go the pickup change route if he likes his guitar, but I’d recommend a Seymour Duncan Jazz instead of a 59 in the neck. The Jazz makes a superb combination with the JB (never heard of an LB) in the bridge. I like it’s clean much better than the 59’s.
Thanks for the suggestions and information, but if you add it up it makes more sense to just buy another guitar. Three new pickups are around $250 – 300 and @ $95 / PU labor I’d have $525 to $550 additional cost put into a Peavey LP knockoff. The Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty 3 is priced at $729 @ Guitar Center and they often have coupons too. I already have a Epiphone Les Paul Traditional Pro which I really like (has a push/pull pot 4 the bridge pu). I also have an Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Gold Top. Plus I last Nov I bought a PRS SE Bernie Marsden signature guitar and that is basically a LP copy too. So I am a little top heavy with LP copy’s, LOL. Maybe someday I will demo a genuine Gibson LP and see if I think the extra money is worth it. I’m told it is.
Keep Rockin’ & play Guitar
Steve and Dawg, you are both right. There are two- and three-bucker Black Beauties. I’ve played thm both. Great guitars! Steve, you might want to check and see if Edwards Guitars, made in Japan, makes a Black Beauty. I think they did in the past. They make phenomenal guitars at about the same price as a high-end Epiphone.
I checked out the Edwards Guitar website and the LP type guitar I saw there were in $1200+ range. Too much for me to not be able to try it out first. Also the webpage was not working correctly, so I could navigate it very well.
thanks for the suggestion.
Edwards are great guitars. You might check out Tokai as well. Not sure if they make a Black Beauty, but they make great LP guitars.
Completely agree about Frampton Comes Alive. One of my all time favorite live albums.
Yeah, I still listen to it. I was very saddened when his long-time keyboard player, Bob Mayo, passed away a couple of years ago. That dude was a monster on the keys, and was also a great guitarist in his own right.
Frampton’s black Paul with triple pups is a beautiful guitar! What a nice guy to give it back to him!!!
Definitely!
Hi Dawg, we’re about the same age but back in the seventies I was struggling to listen to offshore stations Radio Luxemburg and Radio Caroline to break away from the mainstream pop on Radio 1 here in the UK. They were both on AM and used to keep drifting in and out so I’d have to keep retuning my radio and turning it round to try and get a better reception.
I remember Peter Frampton most for his single Show Mw The Way, which I think I used to have, and the voice box effect he used, and Baby I Love Your Way.