Joe Cunningham’s Roeboy Customized Gibson LP “Zoso”
In 2008 When I first started teaching at Hostos, The then dean of facilities Steve Delgado introduced me to an outbuilding full of interesting tools and people, none more interesting than my friend Joe Cunningham. Over the years Joe has been the guy I could call up and ask for help finding the right tool for a job, who to most effectively beg for LED bulbs when we wanted to reduce heat build-up in studio rooms, and where to get the best BBQ in Putnam county where we both lived. I even brought him an old Alamo amp that the laminate birch was falling off of, and he replaced the laminate entirely, turning an old harmonica amp into a piece of art. As thanks, I found an old 2nd Gibson Robot Les Paul online that had been stripped for parts, and I renovated it into a heavy-duty rock and roll guitar with vintage 60s electronics.
The wiring template I built along with some Pickups that were donated by my pal Scott Marcus when I rewired his Melody Maker
I always sign my work under the cover plate
The autotune tuners had been harvested before I got the axe, but the serial number is for real, and I put in the cool vintage grovers. Hefty for extra sustain!
Snake wood accents give the plain matt finish some class
Re-fret job with fatter 70s era frets and added a micro-tuning saddle for primo intonation
Joe and his new guitar