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pauloqs

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I'm Paulo and I've been playing guitar for 12 years. I've grown quite a Gibson guitar collection in the last three years. I currently own:

 

  • R0 (G0) Les Paul (Darkburst, 8 lbs 10.5 oz; it's a 2016 model built in 2017 and contrary to what I found online it came with bumblebee capacitors)
  • 2017 Les Paul Standard HP (Honeyburst, 7 lbs 14.2 oz), I've swapped the stock BB pros with Bare Knuckle The Mule (neck)/Bare Knuckle Riff Raff
  • 2017 Les Paul Standard T (Bourbon Busrt, 8 lbs 11.5 oz), I've swapped the stock BB pros with '57 Classic/'57 Classic +
  • 2017 Les Paul Studio T (Wine Red, 7 lbs 11.3 oz)
  • 2018 Les Paul Faded (Worn Cherry, 7 lbs 6.7 oz)
  • 2018 SG Standard (Heritage Cherry, 6 lbs 13.1 oz)

 

There is something about the scale length, the comfort and tone of these guitars that always have me coming back to them. The studio T was my gateway drug. The first nice guitar I've ever had. I tried the Bourbon burst Standard T at the store and I couldn't stop thinking about it for over a month. The guitar almost played itself. Despite its ultra modern weight relief its a pretty hefty guitar, however, it sounds absolutely amazing. Then the store had a sale on them and I had to take it home with me. I got the Standard HP because saw one that I really liked the finish and just light enough that I could play longer practice sessions and gigs standing up comfortably. It was the first guitar I ever bought sight unseen from a seller with a good return policy and I hit the jackpot with that one. I fell in love it's asymmetrical neck carve. It is one of the most comfortable necks I've ever played. I've started reading about Gibson Custom guitars and how they were in a different level. I thought it was a bunch of nonsense of people trying to justify to themselves their expensive purchase. So I made the mistake of trying one out to hear it and feel the guitar for myself. That was just a few months before my daughter was born and I didn't know if I'd ever get another chance of owning one. A few weeks later I decided to sell two of my non-Gibson guitars to help me take the R0 (G0) home. That guitar is an absolute beats both in tone and how it plays. The SG was another purchase searching for a lightweight while still having that Gibson sound, the growl, the mojo, the je ne sais quoi. Amazing guitar, and despite my concerns about the pickups, I was pleasantly surprised of how good they were. Among the Gibson USA pickups the '57 Classic/'57 Classic + are my favorite pickups. I think the 2017 came with the '57 Classic, so I was a bit bummed about the pickups. To my surprise, I ended up absolutely loving those 61 pickups. They are a rock machine, yet they sound amazing clean as well for some tasty jazz tones. I got the SG in mint used condition, which I suspect was a floor model and not an actual used guitar, after the 2019 models were already out. So the price was ridiculously discounted. Finally the Faded, was my most recent purchase. Again, due to the 2019 models being out, I got the 2018 Faded for almost wholesale price. I might be a minority, but I love the 490, and 498 pickups that came on the bridge of my studio for that matter. The Faded is just a joy to play. No frills, a comfortable guitar that sounds amazing. I did roll the fretboard edges a little bit to give it a more played in feel and that led me to dress the fret edges a little bit. Not something that was needed, just something I wanted to do to make an already super comfortable guitar even more comfortable. I'm a pickguard off guys, when it comes to Les Paul, however, I though the Faded looked better with the pickguard on. Another interesting thing is that I noticed that the Maple neck on my Faded was a bit flamed. Score! With any of these guitars, I've never experience any tuning problems whatsoever. Except for my Standard HP that came with the titanium adjustable nut, and my R0, I did touch up the nut slots on all of my guitars, which is fair because they all came stringed with 9s and I switched to 10s. I also add a lot graphite to the nut slots with a 0.5mm mechanical pencil every time I change strings. Cheap and effective solution. I've also had good luck using Dr. Duck's Ax Wax to clean a moisturize fretboards. I used lemon oil for the longest time, but am super happy with the switch. I was told by a tech that the citrus acid in lemon oil can reduce the life of frets, but I've never had any issues before. However, Dr. Duck's Ax Wax does a better job, in my opinion, at cleaning and maintaining fretboards nice and dark. It's also safe on any finish, including Nitro, which gives me peace of mind when I'm conducting regular maintenance work on my guitars.

 

I like what I've seen with Gibson's new CEO and the direction they want to take. I hope, however, that some models, like the Faded, Studio and Classic remain in the lineup, regardless of what they decide to call these models. I hope we see some of the contemporary line with transparent colors that allow you to see the wood grain. The solid colors look great, but personally I like finishes like the ones on my Bourbon burst and Honeyburst even better. I know I might've been lucky, but all of my guitars are amazing, play great and I am impressed by the attention to detail and quality. I do have other guitar brands in my arsenal and some that are notorious for quality, consistency and attention to detail. My Gibson guitars are second to none in terms of quality and comfort. Plus they have that sound that induce a very primal feeling originating from the gut.

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12 years, 6 Gibsons Pauloqs? Thats a nice collection too. msp_thumbup.gif My gosh, Ive been at it for 53 years, started at 13 and only have one Gibson Standard to show for it. Well? A Gretsch, a Vintage Jaguar, A Custom Pro Epiphone, one Ovation Celebrity and a Yamaha 12 string. Congrats on your collection. By the way...Welcome to the forum, nice to have you here.

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Thank you. One cool thing about these Bourbon Bursts is how it changes color depending on how the light hits. Sometimes the lights make an almost wine red pop up a bit, but without looking like a heritage cherry. You can kind of see it on my avatar, which I'm playing that Bourbon Burst LP.

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