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Guitar #1097 details

Owner: Maurice Bourassa : mine (at) dccnet.com
Date stolen 06-05-2011
City/State/Zip Portland OR, 97214
Guitar specs
Year: 1953
Brand: Gibson
Model: Les Paul
Color: green
Type: Guitar
Style: Electric
Orientation: Right
Strings: 6
Fretboard: rosewood
Serial # 3 0621
Proof of ownership? No, I do not have documented proof of my ownership of this guitar.
Reward $500
Description In late 1968, my friend, Ivan, came back from New York with this Les Paul (#3 0621). While I checked it out, he tried my 2 month old Gibson Les Paul Custom (#527043). We both loved each other's guitars, so we decided to trade, straight across. Both of us felt we got the better end of the deal!! It had been refitted with an ABR-1 bridge and stop tailpiece and the top was refinished by Gibson in the late '50's. Some have suggested it could be a discoloured gold-top, but it's been an unusual and unique green since I got it in '68. The green discolouration of gold-tops is not usually as even as this colour is. I've never seen that colour on another guitar. Also, the barrel knobs are the same green. There is a mark where the back of the pick-guard mounting screw wore through the finish. Very visible without the pick-guard on it. I installed humbuckers on it in '72 and tried various pickups until I arrived at the current configuration of an old Gibson and an old Seymour Duncan, mounted in brass pickup rings and without covers. The rest of the wiring is original, and I still have the original P-90's and the pick-guard.. In the mid '70's, I swapped all of the nickel parts and the tuners for original Gibson gold ones. I also put on a "Les Paul" truss rod cover from a '61 SG/LP. When I realized it would soon need re-fretting, I searched and it took ages to find the same fret wire, ultimately at a little repair shop in Montreal. I finally had it refretted in Vancouver in the late '70's. At the same time, the neck was thinned a bit, and the back and neck were refinished. Unfortunately, the serial number was naively stripped off with the finish, and then stamped into the headstock at that time. At the time of the theft, there was a belt-rash oval about 3" x 2" on the back. In the early '80's, my now-deceased brother-in-law made a brass switch ring, jack plate and rear cover plates for it (making the sentimental value of the loss immeasurable). I still have all of the original plastic parts. At the time of the robbery, it had gold strap-locks with a black guitar strap, and it was taken without its' case.
Case Description case not taken with guitar This theft occurred in Ladner, British Columbia, Canada. I have pics, but couldn't reduce them to the 50K size limit.
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