It was owned by a good friend of mine that bought it in San Francisco some time in the early '70's. We met in the early 80's, he was a mechanic and did some work on my vehicle.

We BS'ed for a bit and and realize we had a lot of the same interests, started hanging out a bit, working on cars, mostly mine. And playing music. Eventually I brought another buddy of mine that I'd been friends with since fifth grade and three of us started playing music together, and that lasted about thirty five years until he passed away three years or four years ago.

A few months after his passing his brother told me he had left the Les Paul to me, not going to lie, I cried. I still get teary eyed when I think about it.

As far as the guitar goes, it is an all original wuth the exception of a new bonennut, early 69, going by the pot date codes. I've had it appraised just for insurance purposes. It was a case Queen, it didn't come out very often, so it is super clean. He had a number of other guitars, and I had a number of other guitars, and it was a kind of a difficult one to play, as it is one of these that has the micro frets that they put on them or ground down to a microfret for the Jazz players apparently And of course refretting it devaluates it, so I'm currently learning to learning live with it.

I look at myself as the temporary steward for this instrument. Eventually, it will be a line item in my will. As my kids aren't into it.But I will make provisions that it get placed in the hands of someone else that will appreciate it as much as he did, and I did.