Tim Jones Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 I received my 2015 Joe Bonamassa Ltd Les Paul this week and am very pleased . After searching since September and coming up with "we don't know" and blank stares, I Purchased through zZounds (they still have a couple in stock if you're looking). The finish and assembly were spot on. The frets were clean and even and the neck relief was excellent. The bridge was a tad high, but a simple adjustment sorted that out. That leaves the Bigsby... I swapped the 10's that Epiphone ships with a set of NYXL 9's from D'Addario (my standard). After setting things up and getting tuned, the The break angle over the bridge was extreme and the 9's played more like 11's on one of my acoustics. I dug around a few sites about Bigsby units and the string angle on short bodies and found that there were as many "modifications" as there were authors. After noticing that a number of units didn't even have the secondary roller for tension, I laid a straight edge across the bridge to the top of the Bigsby main roller and there appeared to be enough of an angle to maintain bridge contact. Therefore, I restrung the guitar and bypassed the front roller on the Bigsby and the break angle was dramatically lessened. This also translated to a much easier playing guitar and the tuning and intonation are now dead-on even after deep drops and lifts. If you've got a LP style guitar where the break angle of the strings over the bridge is very sharp (my high E was actually hitting the bridge block in addition to the saddle), check the angle between the main bar and your bridge. You may discover that the forward roller bar is not needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 VERY pretty guitar!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iRadiate Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 I received my 2015 Joe Bonamassa Ltd Les Paul this week and am very pleased . After searching since September and coming up with "we don't know" and blank stares, I Purchased through zZounds (they still have a couple in stock if you're looking). The finish and assembly were spot on. The frets were clean and even and the neck relief was excellent. The bridge was a tad high, but a simple adjustment sorted that out. That leaves the Bigsby... I swapped the 10's that Epiphone ships with a set of NYXL 9's from D'Addario (my standard). After setting things up and getting tuned, the The break angle over the bridge was extreme and the 9's played more like 11's on one of my acoustics. I dug around a few sites about Bigsby units and the string angle on short bodies and found that there were as many "modifications" as there were authors. After noticing that a number of units didn't even have the secondary roller for tension, I laid a straight edge across the bridge to the top of the Bigsby main roller and there appeared to be enough of an angle to maintain bridge contact. Therefore, I restrung the guitar and bypassed the front roller on the Bigsby and the break angle was dramatically lessened. This also translated to a much easier playing guitar and the tuning and intonation are now dead-on even after deep drops and lifts. If you've got a LP style guitar where the break angle of the strings over the bridge is very sharp (my high E was actually hitting the bridge block in addition to the saddle), check the angle between the main bar and your bridge. You may discover that the forward roller bar is not needed. Hey Tim, Received mine on Christmas Eve, shipped from the JB Store online. It is a beautiful guitar indeed, very striking to look at, the finish was impecable. Interesting comment about the front roller. I'm not sure how much angle is too much but the strings aren't hitting the bridge and it seems to play okay for me. I find the action a little high at the higher frets than I'd like also, so I'll be tweaking the height too. I have never picked up a Les Paul before I got this one, ever. So my frame of reference is my Fender American Deluxe Strat. I find that string bends on the Les Paul are scratchier than the Strat. On the Strat, bends feel silky smooth whereas the Les Paul is rougher. Not sure if the frets need polishing or will smooth out in time. One question for you, does the neck humbucker cover move at all on your guitar, mine rocks back and forth and I'm wondering if it needs a resolder? Cheers, Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Nice guitars to you both! What pickups does it come with; that tag says Gibson pickups? Nice improvising with the Bigsby / break angle problem, Tim! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iRadiate Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Nice guitars to you both! What pickups does it come with; that tag says Gibson pickups? Nice improvising with the Bigsby / break angle problem, Tim! Hi Pesh, Thanks, the guitar comes with: Neck Pickup: Gibson USA BurstBucker 2 Humbucker Bridge Pickup: Gibson USA BurstBucker 3 Humbucker Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass Dude Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Hi there, forum noob. So I'm thinking of buying this guitar, but I'm not sure about the thickness of the neck. Everything I've read has simply said that it's "like a baseball bat" or just really large in general, with some people saying that it's actually too large for their liking. I've searched everywhere, I can't find solid numbers for it anywhere. I've even tried calling several online retailers with pretty much the same results of them telling me the specs that are already abundantly available online.I also don't possess the means to go try one out on my own, unfortunately. (I live in the sticks.) So, to the point: Would it be possible for one of you guys that actually owns the guitar (Actually, I think the JB signature models all have the same neck) to measure the thickness of the neck at the 1st and 12th fret so I can get a better idea of how large it actually is and if it would be a good fit for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iRadiate Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Hi there, forum noob. So I'm thinking of buying this guitar, but I'm not sure about the thickness of the neck. Everything I've read has simply said that it's "like a baseball bat" or just really large in general, with some people saying that it's actually too large for their liking. I've searched everywhere, I can't find solid numbers for it anywhere. I've even tried calling several online retailers with pretty much the same results of them telling me the specs that are already abundantly available online.I also don't possess the means to go try one out on my own, unfortunately. (I live in the sticks.) So, to the point: Would it be possible for one of you guys that actually owns the guitar (Actually, I think the JB signature models all have the same neck) to measure the thickness of the neck at the 1st and 12th fret so I can get a better idea of how large it actually is and if it would be a good fit for me? Okay, I wasn't sure exactly the best way to go about this, so I ended up using a vernier caliper to measure both neck thickness and width at the 1st and 12th fret. Keep in mind, this may not be super accurate but it is the best I can come up with and the results should be pretty damn close. The measurements were taken in thousandths of an inch and converted to the nearest fractional inch. And for clarity, the thickness measurements were taken from the fretboard not the frets (so 1st fret is actually between the nut and first fret, 12th fret is between 11th & 12th frets). And for a bit of comparison I also measured the neck on my Fender American Deluxe Strat. 2015 Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Std Neck Thickness 1st Fret 0.908 = 29/32" 12th Fret 1.008 = 1" Neck Width 1st Fret 1.720 = 1-23/32" 12th Fret 2.095 = 2-3/32" 2010 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster Neck Thickness 1st Fret 0.850 = 27/32" 12th Fret 0.880 = 7/8" Neck Width 1st Fret 1.720 = 1-23/32" 12th Fret 2.035 = 2-1/32" Interpretation Comparing the Strat and the Les Paul, we can see that the neck thickness is 1/16" thicker on the Les Paul at the 1st fret and 1/8" thicker on the Les Paul at the 12th fret. The neck width is identical at the 1st fret between the Les Paul and the Strat, and 1/16" wider on the Les Paul at the 12th fret. It doesn't sound like a lot does it? But they certainly feel different. The Strat neck 'feels' much thinner whereas the Les Paul neck feels 'rounder' and 'fuller' in the hands. Which do I prefer? I actually like both necks. I'd consider myself to have average size hands, they are neither short and stubby or overly large. I have no problems picking up either guitar. But they do feel different. If you're really not sure, go into a store and pick up one up and try it out. All that said, it's a beautiful guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass Dude Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Okay, I wasn't sure exactly the best way to go about this, so I ended up using a vernier caliper to measure both neck thickness and width at the 1st and 12th fret. Keep in mind, this may not be super accurate but it is the best I can come up with and the results should be pretty damn close. The measurements were taken in thousandths of an inch and converted to the nearest fractional inch. And for clarity, the thickness measurements were taken from the fretboard not the frets (so 1st fret is actually between the nut and first fret, 12th fret is between 11th & 12th frets). And for a bit of comparison I also measured the neck on my Fender American Deluxe Strat. 2015 Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Std Neck Thickness 1st Fret 0.908 = 29/32" 12th Fret 1.008 = 1" Neck Width 1st Fret 1.720 = 1-23/32" 12th Fret 2.095 = 2-3/32" 2010 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster Neck Thickness 1st Fret 0.850 = 27/32" 12th Fret 0.880 = 7/8" Neck Width 1st Fret 1.720 = 1-23/32" 12th Fret 2.035 = 2-1/32" Interpretation Comparing the Strat and the Les Paul, we can see that the neck thickness is 2/32" thicker on the Les Paul at the 1st fret and 1/8" thicker on the Les Paul at the 12th fret. The neck width is identical at the 1st fret between the Les Paul and the Strat, and 2/32" wider on the Les Paul at the 12th fret. It doesn't sound like a lot does it? But they certainly feel different. The Strat neck 'feels' much thinner whereas the Les Paul neck feels 'rounder' and 'fuller' in the hands. Which do I prefer? I actually like both necks. I'd consider myself to have average size hands, they are neither short and stubby or overly large. I have no problems picking up either guitar. But they do feel different. If you're really not sure, go into a store and pick up one up and try it out. All that said, it's a beautiful guitar! Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I've had a really hard time getting solid numbers. I even called Gibson / Epiphone and was unable to get a straight answer. I really hate to press, but as a final favor could you possibly use a tape measure to go around the back of the neck at 1st and 12th fret from one edge of the fretboard to the other so I can get an idea of how rounded out and full the neck profile is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iRadiate Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I've had a really hard time getting solid numbers. I even called Gibson / Epiphone and was unable to get a straight answer. I really hate to press, but as a final favor could you possibly use a tape measure to go around the back of the neck at 1st and 12th fret from one edge of the fretboard to the other so I can get an idea of how rounded out and full the neck profile is? 1st Fret 1-7/8" 12th Fret 3-1/4" One more thing with this guitar, you will likely need some modification to the Bigsby unit ie) shim plate underneath, roller mod, or re-route as in first post above. Otherwise, you are likely to go out of tune if you so much as look at the vibrato bar. This video is a good demo of the problem ... I'm taking mine to a trustworthy tech next week and will likely go with a shim underneath the plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass Dude Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 1st Fret 1-7/8" 12th Fret 3-1/4" One more thing with this guitar, you will likely need some modification to the Bigsby unit ie) shim plate underneath, roller mod, or re-route as in first post above. Otherwise, you are likely to go out of tune if you so much as look at the vibrato bar. This video is a good demo of the problem ... I'm taking mine to a trustworthy tech next week and will likely go with a shim underneath the plate. Woah, are you sure on that? My Fender jazz bass is 2.5 inches at the first fret and that neck is super thin. Also, thanks for the info on the Bigsby. I didn't really know that, but it's certainly important to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iRadiate Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 Woah, are you sure on that? My Fender jazz bass is 2.5 inches at the first fret and that neck is super thin. Also, thanks for the info on the Bigsby. I didn't really know that, but it's certainly important to consider. Sorry, my mistake, it's 2-7/8" at the 1st fret. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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