JimB1

Nice! I don’t have anything with p90s but I really like the sound of them. Sweet guitar, enjoy it! -Jim

Just wondering what other folks have. Currently my collection contains the following: Gibson J-45 Gibson ES Les Paul Epiphone Joe Bonnamasa Les Paul Goldtop Epiphone B.B. King Lucille (new 2021 model 👍) I think I have all the basics covered but a Gibson maple jumbo of some sort is still on my wish list 🙂 What does your collection contain? Anything you still want that you haven’t gotten yet or maybe had and foolishly sold off? -Jim

Ok, finally got around to taking some photos. I think Epiphone is really getting much better at their finishes. I’m not a huge fan of poly on a guitar but it is much thinner now than many older Epiphone’s and looks very shiny as you can see from the glare 🙂 The neck is nice, seems a bit more chunky than the newer Les Pauls out there which is good for me, I like the feel. The finish on the neck is a little grippy, might need to use fret ease or something on it. The ebony fretboard looks very classy. I really like the tuners, both the shape and functionality. Not sure what the ratios are but they are very predictable with no slack or weird stickiness like the ones on my Gibson ES Les Paul have. I really need to change those out. Alnico Pros are the right pickup for this model, not to hot but can still bite when you need them to. No idea what I am doing with the Varitone yet so I can’t comment on it too much. The case is reasonably good. My only real gripe is that there’s no place to put anything other than the guitar. The area that would be a storage space in a hard case is a solid block of foam so you only have an unprotected pocket on top which is ok for a cable, maybe some sheet music but that’s about it. Overall I am really enjoying the new guitar. If you are in the market for a semi hollow, it’s a little more expensive than some but the value is there so I am happy with the cost. -Jim

lt is in stock. Got my shipping info and looks like it will be here Monday 🥳

Well, I broke down and ordered one of the new Lucille models. I have wanted one of these for years but opportunity and money never coincided then they got discontinued. I read the new one was coming a few months back so I’ve been waffling on spending the cash but life is short so I pulled the trigger on it tonight. Not sure when it’ll get here but I’ve waited years so a week more or whatever is not much. Seems like people hold onto this model, you don’t see them coming up for sale used a whole lot. I’d love the have a Gibson version but they are really pricey when they do come on the market. A lot of people are complaining about not having a hard case but I think a lot of the new soft cases are pretty good at protecting for normal use. We’ll see when it gets here. I’ll post more when it arrives. -Jim

Well, I like Epiphone a lot when you get into their higher end stuff. I like my Epiphone LP far better then the lower end Gibson LP 60's tribute I had previously. Biggest things to me are the pickups and the finish. Epiphone uses a poly finish where Gibson uses a lacquer. Lacquer is easier to fix if (when?) it wears but not as protective as a poly. Poly tends to dampen the vibration of the guitar so the sound may be suppressed a little and it has a plasticky feel. Epiphone has gotten a lot better with their poly finishes and they are pretty thin on the higher ends stuff but still thicker then a lacquer is. Far as the pickups go, really that's for your ear to decide. Some people are fine with Epi, others swear by Gibson pickups. My Epi is a special edition that has Gibson USA Burstbuckers and they sound nice to me. Gibson may appreciate over time, but that is not at all guaranteed, modern Epiphones can only depreciate (with the exception maybe of the Japan made models). I like this video, it's a great apples to apples 335 comparison: https://youtu.be/fBmABxBcSGw I know, it's something of a cop out but really I've heard some great sounding Epiphone Dots. I haven't heard any bad Gibson 335s or 355s yet. I have read about needing setups and things like that for both but I kind of think that you need to do that on any guitar you buy, it's just a maintenance thing to me not a negative. If you are looking to save a bit of cash and want a players guitar, Epiphone is your winner. If you are looking for the better guitar overall, Gibson is the choice. Neither is a bad option, just depends what you are looking for and what you are willing to pay. I wouldn't hesitate on an Epi if that is what fits your budget. JMHO -Jim

I ended up picking up a set of TonePros Kluson “upgrade” tuning machines that Stewmac had on clearance. I had a $15 reward from them over the holidays so I ended up spending $15 including shipping on them. For that price, I’ll take a chance http://www.stewmac.com/Closeouts/TonePros_Kluson_3and3_Longpost_Tuners_with_Pressfit_Bushings.html At the next string change I’ll see about installing them. They looks like a drop in fit so, I’m hoping for no drama Hopefully that’ll take care of my issue.-Jim

Thanks for the reply. I’ll take a look at the nut but it seemed ok when I changed the strings. I used a little stewmac guitar grease in the slots too just to make sure but you never know.... -Jim

So a few months back I picked up a NOS 2015 Gibson ES Les Paul in Bourbon Burst. http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2015/Memphis/ES-Les-Paul-Bourbon-Burst.aspx It’s a very nice guitar and I love the feel and sound but the tuners they chose to use are a bit of a pain. They are Kluson style but have a lot of play in them and once you get past the play they are stiff. It’s really tough to get in tune and they seem to slip out of tune more often then my Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Les Paul with standard Grover 14:1 tuners. I figured I’d play it a while and see if things got better with use but they don’t seem to be. I’m a little disappointed that on a premium guitar they went this route on the tuners but maybe I just got a bad set. Anyway, does anyone know a good, drop-in set of tuners for this guitar? I’d like to keep the look of the Kluson’s if at all possible but just a better functioning set. Any ideas on this would be appreciated.Thanks-Jim

Yours and mine could be siblings: Not the best pic, but you get the point :) -Jim

Possibly dumb question... for the purposes of this thread, is a 2013 60s tribute considered a Studio? I know the 2011 and 2012 tributes had studio in the name but the 2013 didn't though they still appear to be modified Studios... -Jim