Mary Ford signature Les Paul

I just wondered why this never happened,
I searched and could only find this....

1963 Mary Ford separates from Les Paul. Les decides he does not want his name on any new Gibson guitars to avoid having to split the royalties with Mary. Les Paul Standard (with SG-style body) renamed SG Standard. Les Paul Custom (with SG-style body) renamed SG Custom. Les Paul Junior (with SG-style body) renamed SG Junior. Between 1963 to 1968 there were no new Les Paul models produced by Gibson.

Just from what I've read, and based on interviews with Les Paul:
He never liked the sharp shape of the SG and asked that his name not be used on the instrument. This was in early 1960 and I have never heard that it had anything to do with the divorce.
Don

Just from what I've read, and based on interviews with Les Paul:
He never liked the sharp shape of the SG and asked that his name not be used on the instrument. This was in early 1960 and I have never heard that it had anything to do with the divorce.
Don

Thats also what I thought,

most likely both .

I'd never heard the divorce thing either. I do remember reading an interview of him back in the 80s where he said something like: "They designed that guitar without me. The body was too thin and the pickup was in the wrong place so I had them take my name off of it. Turned out to be their best selling guitar."
Probably lots of gray area in these memories and things that may never come out.

No doubt the relationship was not going well by the time the SG/Les Pauls went into production,but I'd be fairly sure there's not much connection between the separation and the end of the endorsement agreement.
Random Thoughts Department: Gibson missed an opportunity by NOT producing a Mary Ford signature model.

I didn't even know they got divorced, I thought they were together until she died.

http://books.google.com/books?id=edChzysHFscC&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=les+paul+divorce&source=bl&ots=4vZS6LLorx&sig=FU5vgVY7X0Cp9Ukz5FO54oIMxS4&hl=en&ei=Bcu0TIvSC4OWsgOF7pGbDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CDYQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=les%20paul%20divorce&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=edChzysHFscC&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=les+paul+divorce&source=bl&ots=4vZS6LLorx&sig=FU5vgVY7X0Cp9Ukz5FO54oIMxS4&hl=en&ei=Bcu0TIvSC4OWsgOF7pGbDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CDYQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=les%20paul%20divorce&f=false

Heavens to Betsy The internets lied ??????

What next.

I thought mary and Les divorced in 1962 and she died in 1977.

So, now we know that Les Paul didn't like the 'SG body guitars, he and his wife called it quits in '62, and....LEs Paul never was totally sold on any of the guitars that carried his name until Gibson built the Les Paul Personal, Professional and Recording guitars with the low impedance picups, which L.P. has always championed for guitar. These are the Les Paul guitars which Mr. Paul played from the time they were introduced in '69 until he passed...
R.I.P. LEs Paul...he changed the music for everyone with his innovative thinking and work.

Les was going through a nasty divorce with Mary and he didn't want her to receive any of his endorsement money. Plus, the LP's were not huge sellers so I suspect that had something to do with the redisgn as well.
Mary wanted to slow down a bit and Les wanted to keep up a breakneck pace. I suspect that Gibson really wanted the relationship with Les and not a semi-retired Mary.

http://www.lilypix.com/photos/data/d18f655c3fce66ca401d5f38b48c89af/1630_p26410.jpg

I think this might be appropriate - after a picture I saw in Les Paul: An American Original biography.

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/142/maryfordmodel.jpg

I don't think Les ever played a stock LP of any kind. Les always modded his guitars to his desires and used those.

I don't know anything about Mary Ford signature LPs, but boy could that gal sing. :smile:



rITJyZVTfy4

I think this might be appropriate - after a picture I saw in Les Paul: An American Original biography.

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/142/maryfordmodel.jpg

I remember seeing a picture of a guitar in a Les Paul interview that was an SG Custom with just 2 pickups and it had a Mary Ford tag between the neck and pickup. The guitar was in a stand over the headboard of their bed. May have been in a Guitar Player magazine.

There was a Mary Ford LP its a Goldtop with an arm rest that has a flowery patteren on it.

Its not the SG body style.

I will look for a pic of one.

Here it is.

http://www.eddievegas.com/images/products/6142d749810bb8392cf77a0bc682b0eb.jpg

Hey, even Phyllis Fender got her own "Blondie" G&L...


Cheers,

BillÆ

I don't know anything about Mary Ford signature LPs, but boy could that gal sing. :smile:

And she made it seem absolutely effortless. I'm always amazed by that.

- D

Mary could play guitar pretty well too.

63Df09Sodpk

As I understand the story, the divorce didn't have anything to do with the redesign, that had to do with sales--and just when the Les Paul Standard was about to become a major force in music, within the next four or five years. But Les didn't like the SG and at that time also was when the divorce situation came about.

My mom used to buy Les Paul/Mary Ford 45s in the early 50s at the drug store. They were transluscent red and we played them to death on a RCA 45 stacked changer, just like in the video. We played into a Heathkit tube Hi Fi set up my Dad buiilt (not stereo). Oh Yea, "South" was the flip and at 5 I thought it really ROCKED!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXZDZ8AWS_A

Some one going through an expensive divorce doesn't usually pass up income - 50% of something is better than nothing.