Real quick, I wanted to do a spot-the-differences between my first good guitar, a 1987 Les Paul Junior (right side) and my first vintage guitar, a 1956 Les Paul Junior (left side).

The two look so similar that you might say that nothing's changed at all.  The only glaring difference is that the 87 has a Tune-o-matic and different tuning pegs.  I was surprised myself on the little details now that I have a reference point.

The neck. How the neck joins the body is different.  On the 87, the neck is sunken in so that it's almost flush with the body.  On the 56, the neck sits about a 1/4" above the body.  The neck on the 56 is a little rounder and very comfortable.  It does look like someone did their own strip-the-neck too but it feels fine.

Tuners: OK, so the 56's tuners leave much to be desired and I did order some replacement Klusons.  Seems like they're the only ones that make a "3 on a rail" machine head.  I never liked the plastic button tuners. On the 87, I love the Grovers. Over 20 years I've never had a problem.

Stopbar. This is the first stopbar tailpiece I've seen up close.  I've read about using the allen key to change string length and sure enough, it's there.  The strings sit pretty low and I'll adjust it when I get a replacement bridge.  And the plain stopbar works exactly how you'd think - the intonation is way off.  At least for playing it, I have to tune it fretted and not play any open strings.  That's why having a tune-o-matic is the superior thing to do.

Knobs. I'm a big fan of barrel speed knobs and not the top-hat knobs but that's OK. I always thought the amber knobs looked pretty cheap. Maybe because they're dirty looking.

Logo.  Both are pretty close. The "Les Paul" script is moved up. Then again, there is no "right" position for that, even though some people claim there is.

So they're pretty close and not much has changed in those 31 years. It's basically the same guitar only the 87 is a bit more playable for one main reason: the Tune-o-matic bridge.  A brand new Junior is a big step backwards but I don't feel like griping right now.  I'm just happy to have the two that I have.

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