The single-cut which Jared James Nichols had nicknamed Dorothy was obliterated in a tornado in Washington, Illinois in 2013. But now it is fully restored and sounds badass!
1952 Goldtop Les Paul
I first wrote about this 1952 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop back in April 2021 and now August, the guitar named Dorothy has been fully restored and is sounding great. Nichols wrote in a new Instagram post. “Speechless. I’m in love…”
Dorothy
“One of the first Les Pauls ever made that was destroyed in a horrific tornado, has now risen and [is] ready for a new life. The guitar was restored by luthier Joel Wilkins, who specializes in “early Fender and Gibson guitar restoration, pickup/electronics repair, and custom vintage pickups for artists. Joel [Wilkins] nailed it, completely,” Nichols continues. “He put his heart and soul into this resurrection. Joel, I cannot thank you enough. You are the best I’ve ever had the honor of working with. This guitar plays, looks and feels sublime. It’s beyond my wildest dreams, [and] legitimately rings like a bell. Joel grafted the handmade new neck onto the broken one – insane!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CS4J0DfrJ29/?utm_source=ig_embed
The Repair
Dorothy has a number of new parts including a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and red rubies fashioned into a tornado-like formation on the headstock. Joe Bonamassa allegedly donated some “real-deal genuine 1952 parts” to the restoration as well!
Make sure you check out Joel Wilkins restoration over on Instagram, as the man is insanely talented. You can hear Jared looking very happy and wailing with Dorothy on the Instagram video below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CS5Aq9FF5Z0/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CS_5jVYF6H0/
