Zentar Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 In a lot (if not most) player's minds, Gibson is a "Traditional" guitar making company. That's what most Gibson players expect. So, ANY deviation, from those time tested, and beloved model's and spec's, tends to backfire, to varying degrees. But, not to worry, the 2015 model "oddities," at some point in the future, will command ridiculous prices, just because of those oddities. CB I have to wonder if the wider necks become high demand. I have teles with neck widths that are 2mm different in width and I was shocked at the difference it made to fretboard familiarity. When you change the neck in any way it boggles the fingers. Maybe you are right but that was a daring change that failed to attract buyers. I can handle change less in the neck than anywhere on the guitar and I doubt if my fingers are conservative.. I still think Gibby should offer a wider neck for those who liked them. They offer different neck profiles so why not fretboard width choices? I have to assume they will again offer a wider neck. This would end the higher pries for 2015s. Perhaps it is a marketing trick. Maybe we will have exclusively wide neck LP forums on the internet one day like the Edsel clubs.. I think you will see the Etuners again too. It is a great idea but comparable with sendig a man to the moon as far as the design difficulty. I was really impressed with that change because I thought that was impossible until I read an interview by Steven Tyler who used the etuners. Personally I think they need to use a roll pin nut for Etuners. Aerosmith has one song that starts off with an out of tune chord brought up to correct pitch by the etuner. Maybe Tyler says that in his autobio? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Yeah, there have always been those that want a specific spec, and in the old "Kalamazoo" days you could get that, with only a nominal "up" charge, as there was no such thing as a "custom shop," back then. The only other thing you had to consider/deal with, was the longer "lead" time. As to whether or not Gibson will offer the option of different neck widths? Who knows?! Maybe, if there's a substantial demand, they will? Stranger things have happened. What's next, different radius on the fingerboards, too? CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zentar Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 What's next, different radius on the fingerboards, too? CB I have guitars with flat radius and 12, and 14. I have no issues with any radius. Perhaps Henry will see your post and start various LP radii. Perhaps bamboo body caps over mahogany? Change is good isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zentar Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Agree with that thought. If the 'conservatives' had their way the original Les Paul design would not have changed at all. All hail the 2015's! Funny to hear a Swedish guy talk about change and progress. Sweden has offered humanity nothing for change sine the meatball but that was a really good change though. I'm sure that took a lot out of them Swedes to achieve that. I heard Sweden is so desperate for change they are contemplating copying the Swiss Army knife and distributing them to their troops.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Funny to hear a Swedish guy talk about change and progress. Sweden has offered humanity nothing for change sine the meatball but that was a really good change though. I'm sure that took a lot out of them Swedes to achieve that. I heard Sweden is so desperate for change they are contemplating copying the Swiss Army knife and distributing them to their troops.. Harvard Business School compiles the National Innovation Capacity Index, a study of different countries’ innovation potential. In 2010, Sweden was ranked eighth among 173 countries. In terms of the number of trained engineers per capita, Sweden was ranked second, close behind Japan. The study also notes that in the past 15 years, Sweden has had the second-fastest growth rate in the number of patents per capita. https://sweden.se/business/innovation-in-sweden/ They design pretty good guitars too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zentar Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 The Swedes have invented a revolutionary new Army tank. It only goes in reverse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 The Swedes have invented a revolutionary new Army tank. It only goes in reverse. :) If its really revolutionary. it should only go in circles. I've heard it said that its the Italian ones that only go in reverse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zentar Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 No you are confused. The Italians originally designed the Tower of Pizza to lean the other way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1all's Pub Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 No you are confused. The Italians originally designed the Tower of Pizza to lean the other way. Extra pepperoni caused the leaning. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck S Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 For all you purist out there...to each his own...please go ultimate tradition...get a log/block of wood attach some strings to it and you'll have your ultimate relic. I quite enjoy my 2015 SR Standard in Honey Burst perimeter Candy. The hot Rod paint job is awesome and to get the full effect take it out in the sun...the metal flake is awesome. Everyone who has see my Limited to 41 production guitar just ooooos over it. The sound is awesome. The four push pull knobs are the Bomb and give and endless array of unique sound for any guitarist. But you can have your Traditional remakes for 2-3 times the money and IMHO get less of a guitar. The locking tuners work, the ease of fretting is apparent and I get no ping when I bend...haven't noticed any grooves being cut into my Zero fret nut either. If I do I'll let you know. So for 2K for a standard without Gforce, Locking tuners, Zero Frettness, Real Mother of Pearl inlays including the headstock, titanium in the bridge, Detox switching and Limited to 41...I'll live with the Facsimile Auto 100th Birthday Headstock Logo and Hologram (Which no one can see unless they are breathing down your neck from behind you. The only upgrades I wil do to this Guitar is Strap Locks (already done) and pointers for that Classic look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 I actually like the 2015 STD. GForce tuners? I'd give them a fair trial. If found guilty I would replace them. If not, great! I would ask Gibson nicely for a chrome nut/zero fret. I don’t mind about the headstock signature. The hologram? Well, it’s out of sight anyway and was probably just added to help thwart copyists. I would wholly appreciate and enjoy: * The extra neck width * The coil split option * The inverted phase pickup option * The lower profile frets * The weight relief And if I had £1850 spare right now. I would go & buy one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engineer Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 ? You rang? Funny to hear a Swedish guy talk about change and progress. Sweden has offered humanity nothing for change sine the meatball but that was a really good change though. I'm sure that took a lot out of them Swedes to achieve that. I heard Sweden is so desperate for change they are contemplating copying the Swiss Army knife and distributing them to their troops.. The Swedes have invented a revolutionary new Army tank. It only goes in reverse. Hmmm...picking on swedes now are we? Where are you from "Zentar"? Mars? :D Joking aside. It's not really nice making fun of someones nationality based on ill conceived stereotypes. If I were like that, I'd assume you were american. And we all now americans are all redneck gun-nutters who drink water which they call beer. They think they are the world police, yet very few (if any) now any other countries besides "abroad" or "overseas". The rest of the world also wonders how they do that while being overly obese by any standard. If americans invent anything (which is unlikely), the can't build it since all knowledge about building stuff has been transferred to China. Now, luckily I am not like that at all. How could I when loving Fender and Gibson guitars? Or listening to the blues? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engineer Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 "Change" does not equal "progress". The 2015s were full of plenty of "change"... but little actual "progress". That isn't "progress"... this just plain bad decision making. I'm not saying it is, only that a lot of people a writing them off before trying them. For me, I just love the neck, the case, the removable pick guard and the G-Force. My Vintage sunburst looks stunning (see photos in the introduction section). And from the bottom of my heart I can't understand why they didn't think of the removable pick guard sooner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1all's Pub Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 I'm not saying it is, only that a lot of people a writing them off before trying them. For me, I just love the neck, the case, the removable pick guard and the G-Force. My Vintage sunburst looks stunning (see photos in the introduction section). And from the bottom of my heart I can't understand why they didn't think of the removable pick guard sooner. I will give you the removable pickguard... that was a great idea. I'm sure it will return eventually... maybe even this year in the as yet unreleased "modern line" they have coming later in 2016. That said, I read (don't know if it's true or not) that they were having some problems with warping of the slotted pickup rings (that the pickguard fit into). I could see that happening because I actually took a set of rings and cut them to fit a 2015 pickguard for an Epiphone I had had at the the time that didn't come with a pickguard. It worked like a charm (ie, cutting the slots in the rings). I ended up not keeping the Epi, but liked the idea of the 2015 removable pickguard so much I snagged another one off of eBay in case I ever want/need to do it again. I also like the thicker rosewood they implemented in 2015 (and thankfully carried over into the 2016). So see... I do like some of the 2015 stuff after all. But... those are about the extent of what I liked. Everything else was pretty much a loser to me... and yes I did try several before forming my opinion. Believe it or not, I wanted to like the 2015s... tried 4 or 5 with the intention of buying one if I liked it. Every G-Force unit (without exception) I tried was unreliable and klugey. I will admit I wasn't super excited about it in the first place, but I really did give it a fair shot... and IME it failed repeatedly and now I just have no time for it (plus, let's face it, technology being what it is, in 5-10 years one of those on the back of a headstock is gonna be the visual equivalent of seeing someone using an 80s style brick cell phone). But even then... it would always be easy enough to just junk the G-Force and put on some proper manual tuners. The headstock scrawl and hologram aren't attractive, let's be honest. But neither would have been a deal killer on their own. And honestly, the brass nut wouldn't necessarily have been a deal killer either (I'm just very leery of it based on the reports of it prematurely wearing... even then, replacing a nut is not a big deal). And while I'm also not a big fan of the metallic paints, I can see how some would like them (I've never been a "candy paint" kinda guy, in fact, I prefer non-metallic paints on cars as well... just not my thing). Honestly, of all the 2015 things that I just absolutely could not get over... it was the neck width. I know it's not a huge difference, but it was enough to be extremely annoying when I tried the 2015s. I'm not a classical player and do wrap my thumb around the neck often. And the extra width was tangibly irritating... especially on the higher frets where it's even more noticeable. And I recently reaffirmed (inadvertently) my dislike for the 2015 neck at my local Sam Ash store. They had a bunch of LPs down off the wall on display (un-sold, new models from 2013-15) and I was fondling them and noodling around on them and in the process unknowingly grabbed a 2015 and my first reaction to its neck was, "What the heck is wrong this neck???" Then I realized it was a 2015. Yep... I really don't like the neck... and that, unfortunately, is not something easily changed like the G-Force or brass nut... nor easily ignored like the scrawl or hologram. Oh... and I am an American... but I'm not obese (5'10", 180lbs), and I am a cartophile (love maps, especially world maps and globes in particular), I hate watery beer (Bud Light sucks!), I don't particularly agree with the US being the World Police (though any reasonable assessment of 20th century history says things would have been much worse had Americans not been involved in foreign wars/entanglements). But I do have to admit to at least a little bit of redneckness... and I'm most definitely a gun nutter... and proudly so! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engineer Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Honestly, of all the 2015 things that I just absolutely could not get over... it was the neck width. I know it's not a huge difference, but it was enough to be extremely annoying when I tried the 2015s. I'm not a classical player and do wrap my thumb around the neck often. And the extra width was tangibly irritating... especially on the higher frets where it's even more noticeable. Oh yea! The neck! I think it's the most important part of the guitar. It has to feel right. If it doesn't feel right, what's the point? For me the 2015 neck felt so much better than the normal 60s slim taper. So I just made a bargain. I never did like the candy-look, but then the classic is just a Vintage sunburst. No candy, except eye candy. B) Oh... and I am an American... but I'm not obese (5'10", 180lbs), and I am a cartophile (love maps, especially world maps and globes in particular), I hate watery beer (Bud Light sucks!), I don't particularly agree with the US being the World Police (though any reasonable assessment of 20th century history says things would have been much worse had Americans not been involved in foreign wars/entanglements). But I do have to admit to at least a little bit of redneckness... and I'm most definitely a gun nutter... and proudly so! Glad to hear you are not into stereotyping either. It's hard to judge someone you have not met and only exchange guitar related text with. Sadly, a lot of people do it daily anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 re my last post. I bought a Fishman acoustic amp yesterday and had a look at the last few 2015 LPs on the wall. There was a Les Plus in Sunburst and a STD in Red Wine Candy. I tried them briefly, just for handling. They are both nice but need a little adjustment for set up. I am going back tomorrow for a proper test. I must admit I like the Wine colour. I know the metalic is there, though I cant see it. They have plenty of the 2016 speced models in, but they just made the two I played seem more attractive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pspagnolia Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 There should be a wrench in the case. I had one. Its very small, perhaps you missed it? Are you referring to the Midtown with the positive bow? If so, it was found by my tech who took all the tension off the truss rod and the positive bow still persisted. It wasn't pretty and a total shame as I was in love with that guitar. HOWEVER, Here it is about 3 or 4 months after the new Les Paul arrived and I had it professionally set up by Jim Mouradian in Winchester Ma....He's probably the best tech I've ever seen and he indicated that the thing I said about the filler was incorrect. It's actually where the top is thicker than the binding and it's a little bit of maple showing through. No biggie. He reset the pickups, adjusted the guitar and took the bridge saddles and made them little 'U's instead of the 'V's they're cut with originally, Inside the thing he turned down the preamp trim pot as I was thinking it sounded harsh (still does), adjusted the pickup height as they were way too high, and then polished the frets to get rid of some of the machining marks left from the PLEK. It now plays as hot as it can get. I may switch out the guts to a very high quality set of pots and vintage wiring however, I truly don't want to hurt the value of the axe so I may just leave it and never use the turbo boost. It's true bypass so no loss there. Still loving the instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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