Silvercrow Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 That is a nice looking combo with the P90 and humbucker. Now I'm confused - I read on the internet that pointers were known "tone suckers" but here I'm being told that there's some variation??? Binding and beautiful tops are great but these really are Gibson's best bang for the buck guitars. They weigh a ton and there's that killer plastic tone vibe thing going on (let's not forget the tuners, gen-u-wine plastic buttons!) - a stroke of genius! Take that, Fender! "Well, Virginia, if you read it on the internet...it MUST be so!" (Apologies to the writers of "Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus") On pointers; pointers, being metallic, ONLY interfere with magnetic gauss WHEN they align directly with magnetic north WHILE AT THE SAME TIME being aligned with the 'north' pole of the treble pickup! (As the pointers are too far away from the bridge pup, the bridge pup does not come into play. It should be noted ERIC JOHNSON believes both pups play a role in this...)When this happens, unwanted overtones occur as a 'north-to-north magnetic field occurs. NOTE: During a particular Isle of Wight concert back in the late 60s, BBC radio transmissions could be heard while bands were performing. Most thought it was due to the amplifiers transformers acting as an antenna. WRONG! It was the pointers on vintage guitars! How to avoid this, you ask? SIMPLE! Go to Home Depot (or your fav local gun store) and purchase a small compass. Glue it to the TOP of your guitar's edge (oriented as you hold it; many make the mistake of mounting it to the bottom- makes it hard to read). THEN, after determining which side of your Treble pickup's magnet is north, avoid standing in that direction! Don't bother thanking me! I'm glad to serve! Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 I'll bet those pointers wreak havoc with P90s. Too bad Gibson doesn't offer plastic pointers, there's an oversight if ever I saw one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Hello Capmaster! It's an often overlooked factor of TONE. I have reflector knobs on all my Les Pauls. It enhances the sustain, as they reflect and project the tone. My L6S has black speed knobs. They, - being black - absorb the waves, thus making the instrument darker sounding. But it's OK on an all-maple guitar. Best wishes... Bence Hello Bence, you make me consider the golden speed knobs and the pointers below are part of the aggressive sound and the richness in overtones of my LP Traditional. I always thought it was just a result of massive body and short-tenon late 50's neck - am I wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 Hello Bence, you make me consider the golden speed knobs and the pointers below are part of the aggressive sound and the richness in overtones of my LP Traditional. I always thought it was just a result of massive body and short-tenon late 50's neck - am I wrong? I'm not Bence but It sure seems that way. The general consensus appears to be the aggressive sound is due to the metal pointers and the richness in overtones is directly attributable to the plastic golden speed knobs - the vintage hue gives it that Bluesbreaker TONE we all aspire to. If you have some black witch hats lying around, could you put them on and see what you get? I'm thinking the sound just goes to Blah if not Meh. There's a good reason they were discontinued. For those who were there, did you ever notice that after Pete Townsend smashed a guitar to bits there was always this one skinny little guy scrambling around collecting the rolling plastic TONE knobs before they got lost in the crowd? There's more to this subject than the average man in the street would ever dream of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 ... If you have some black witch hats lying around, could you put them on and see what you get? I'm thinking the sound just goes to Blah if not Meh. There's a good reason they were discontinued. ... There are a dozen of them black witch hats mounted stock to those three of my SGs which were made in 2013. What should I say - these guitars sound fantastic, so the knobs obviously are matching them nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 A little sleuthing turned up this dead giveaway as to why the plastic knobs give you such fantastic TONE: Well done, Capmaster! Or should we call you "Tonemaster"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADKNOCKER Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Should make an avatar out of that tone knob pic!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skilsaw Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 A studio is too much guitar for me. As soon as I pick one up I get aroused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 I usually keep mine hidden in a closet just for that very reason. Let's see if the new avatar and signature line works. Nope. Maybe it takes a while to update the avatar. Enough silliness with Gibson and their period correct plastics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Hello Capmaster! It's an often overlooked factor of TONE. I have reflector knobs on all my Les Pauls. It enhances the sustain, as they reflect and project the tone. My L6S has black speed knobs. They, - being black - absorb the waves, thus making the instrument darker sounding. But it's OK on an all-maple guitar. Best wishes... Bence Reflector knobs? Hah! Everyone knows that it's really the the binding on the the proper LP's that corral and concentrate the vibration thereby enhancing sustain, not pointers or knobs. That's why a Studio without binding will not sustain as long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 A little sleuthing turned up this dead giveaway as to why the plastic knobs give you such fantastic TONE: Well done, Capmaster! Or should we call you "Tonemaster"? Well, details can make a difference. Look at these witch hat knobs on a Gibson Don Felder doubleneck and note they write "VOLUME" out in full like on my SGs: Fender, however, say 1 to 10 instead of 0 to 10, and abbreviate to "VOL.", probably without considering the effect on sonic results: ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 so, like if you only wanted to have your tone set at 0.5 - i.e very bassy but with a hint of treble in the mix, you couldn't do that on a Fender?? - no wonder they are so unpopular and no-one ever copies their designs. Thanks Gibson for looking after us so well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADKNOCKER Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 0-10 knobs go to 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarusvt84 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Speed knobs with pointers Love the winter tread on them knobs!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 Not so fast - it's not the plastic TONE knobs, it's the plastic TONE binding? This casts things in a totally different light. Looks like it's back to the fireplace for ye olde Studio. I will save the speed knobs, just in case. Fender, please. Leo Fender didn't know beans when it came time to buying plastic. Jimi Hendrix had to use a half dozen Marshalls just to get them to sound halfway decent and if you read his lips when he was setting one on fire, he was mumbling, "Cheap plastic just about ruined my show, I'm gonna burn your a$s". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobF_ Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Love the winter tread on them knobs!! You know, I thought I would hate these knobs at first, but they quickly became my favorite style. I love the feel and the TONE is TD4! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADKNOCKER Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Those knobs remind me some that Electra or Ibanez had back in the day, I think maybe it was Ibanez that had the rubber around the tip? Well anyhow great tone comes from a great tone knob, It's a proven fact!Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Hello! At this point, I can reveal the secret of the superior tone of Les Paul Recordings: One picture says more than thousand words. Look at the TONE gear shifter, too! Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 btoth76, I wonder what would happen if you put on the plastic Snow Tire Speed Knobs and shifted your plastic TONE gearshift into low? It's also all mounted on that big plastic Tone plate - is it possible to have too much of a good thing? I've never seen a Marshall actually catch fire before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Please also note the white dots acting as metal-free pointers. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 ..., I think maybe it was Ibanez that had the rubber around the tip? ... Confirm from here. It was Ibanez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Please also note the white dots acting as metal-free pointers. :) They did not call him The Wizard of Waukegan for nothing, ya know. You'll also note that there's no tone sucking brass truss rod cover, either. Genuine plastic. Now you know why BB King was always fiddling with his TONE knobs - he was trying to compensate for that flashy brass truss rod cover. Looks over TONE? I think not! Good \ Fail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williu Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I am simply in love with my 2015 Studio... Desert Sunburst... It's just a beautiful guitar to look at, and it feels so right in my hands. I still love my American Stratocaster, but the more I play the Les Paul, the closer we get... I just want to play it all the time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Lee Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I have changed cars wives' clothes, habits, (suffocated my pride and cauterized my addictions) but will never ever part with my 1995 LP Studio Wine Red Gold hardware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldorado2001 Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 My 2008 Studio Faded Mahogany might just be my favorite guitar. If I'm going to a jam it's usually the one I take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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