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History
is funny sometimes... Often
there's more legend, lore,
hearsay, fiction, and spin than
actual truth to certain stories
as they get passed around over
time. That's certainly the case
with regard to the legacy of Mr.
Les Paul - one of the most
creative, ingenious, and
important musicians and
inventors of this or any other
time. Even though Les is/was a
recent figure in music history
over the last millennium - the man, his
guitars, his contribution to music,
and his influence are covered in
myth... mired in misinformation
and laden with erroneous fable.
One man was there, through it all...
the ups and the downs, the good
times and the bad, the major discoveries
and the foibles - and that was Tom
Doyle. Tom was Les' guitar
builder,
soundman/engineer,
trusted confidant, co-inventor, sounding
board, fixer, and close personal
friend for almost
five decades.
Its been said before, but never
was it so true - Tom Doyle was
"The
man behind the man". |
It is my
honor and privilege along with
Gene Paul to show the world
"NUMBER ONE"
A
dedication and sincere thanks to
Max Stavron for all his hard
work...
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LES PAUL'S LUTHIER/GUITAR TECH/ENGINEER
FOR 45 YEARS
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While Les Paul was certainly more
than a genius in his quest for his
ultimate sound, tone, and
understanding of music and the instruments
that it took to get there, for over
four decades he relied constantly
on Tom Doyle to make his guitars
whole again after he chopped them
to pieces in has mad pursuit of
that sound in his head. Most people
automatically assume that because
there is a famous guitar with his
name on it, that Les was a guitar
builder, tech, bench man, etc.,
and knew how to build, repair and
refurbish guitars. That just simply
was not the case... he relied on
Tom for that. Tom and Les worked
on countless projects over the 40+
years together and Tom is nothing
less than a walking/talking encyclopedia
about all things Les Paul, Gibson,
build specs, musical history, and
knows more about guitars of all
kinds than anyone you will ever
encounter alive today. |
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Tom holds Les Paul's
White Custom Guitar and
Les' Autobiography that
features the very same
guitar on the cover. Tom
has fond memories of
this guitar as being the
guitar Les Paul used as
his benchmark as he
experimented. He would
sometimes play this
guitar in his kitchen
before his Monday night
shows... and of course,
posed with it for his
autobiography - "Les
Paul... In His Own
Words"... Talk about
your history!!! |
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 Tom
Doyle has been making superb guitars
for over 40 years. His instruments
have been played and enjoyed by
top professional and serious amateurs
all over the world. He is also the
inventor of the T.W. Doyle pick-ups
system, which is unmatched in the
resonance and depth it brings to
electric guitars. The unique quality
of Tom Doyle's artistry is attested
to by the fact that he has been
the luthier to Les Paul and countless
other guitar luminaries for many
decades. In addition, Tom is a master
guitarist who has developed his
own distinctive finger picking style
which he combines in his playing
with a rare sense of musicality.
Tom has been a luthier, builder,
restorer, and tech for over 40 years
and currently runs his own guitar
building school in New Jersey.
He has customized, repaired, and
modified guitars for such artists
as George Benson, Sting, Bucky Pizzarelli,
Al Caiola, Al Dimeola, Tony Mottola,
Jimmy Page, and of course, the late
Les Paul. Tom now plays his
own handmade “Doyle 1850 Guitar”
featuring his own low impedance
pickups.
Tom is always pleased to take on
new orders for custom instruments.
He will expertly match the exacting
specifications of the most discerning
musicians. Each of his creations
is assured of providing years of
pleasure, through the beauty, craftsmanship,
and tonal excellence Tom creates
with his rare artistry.
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Keep an eye out for articles about
Tom Doyle in: |
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Les Paul's Ultimate Humbucker |
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Les
Paul was working very diligently
in the last years of his life in
an attempt to clean up the
Humbucker pickup. He felt that
the bottom end of the frequency
response was muddy and unclear,
and he fervently wanted to fix
that. Les had an incredible
passion for making things “just
right”... and would tinker,
test, and experiment on things
he wanted to fix, tirelessly -
almost to the point of
obsession. His constant passion
towards the end of his life was
for getting the high-impedance
Humbucker to come alive, and
deliver that clarity that he so
desired. As an homage to his
longtime friend and mentor, Tom
Doyle has brought Les Paul's
Dream of a clear, articulate,
harmonically lively Humbucker
pickup to life... |
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Doyle Coils
TRU-CLONES PAF |
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Tom Plays & Speaks on
The "Thank You Les" DVD
Featuring such Greats as Keith Richards,
Steve Miller, Billy Gibbons, Slash,
José Feliciano and many more!
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Tom & friends say
goodbye to Les
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