Twang Gang

I had the same problem and so wasn't active for about a month. The other day I decided to try my "display" name which I would refer to as "screen" name and that got me back in. The email and actual username were not effective. All's well that ends well, just hard to know how many other of our regular pals on here haven't figured out how to sign in? I think the older we are the less tech savvy (at least that is certainly true in my case).

A fantastic collection with some rare early instruments. My question is when you have owned these 125 some guitars, and are auctioning them off for charitable purposes - what guitar(s) do you keep? It's not like he's going to stop playing and not own a guitar.

Congrats - nice looking Strat. I bought a MIM a few months ago and have had a lot of fun with it. I do take it to gigs, and play it approximately half the time. My group is a cover band and the songs that were played with a Strat originally just sound more accurate playing the same guitar as the recording. You can do a lot with effects and amp models, but you can't make a LP sound like a Strat or vice versa. I thought the longer scale length might bother me, but I am finding it actually gives me a little more room for the old arthritic hands to move about.

Sticking just with Property tax (on your home) it varies a great deal from state to state, and even from county to county within a state. I lived in the northern suburbs of Chicago for close to 30 years in Lake county. There was very little business or industry in Lake county, mostly residential properties. Many of those houses had children in them that need to go to public schools (buildings, and teachers must be paid for) so property taxes were quite high. I owned a small condo (2 bedroom, 1.5 bath, one car garage) valued at about $200K - taxes were about $5,000 per year. A few miles south of me in Cook county (which contains the city of Chicago and a lot of business and industry) the same property would be taxed at about $1000 per year. I retired and moved to South Carolina, have a single family home on a half an acre lot, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 car garage and my property tax is about $600 per year on a property with about the same $200K value as I had in Illinois. So there is no one percentage of formula for property taxes - it depends on the location and the taxing body. When you buy a new home in the USA you need to find out what the taxes will be. You might be able to afford the house, but find out too late that you can't afford to live there!

Looks very much like the X Vive system I got from Sweetwater a couple months ago - only a little stripped down, and less expensive. Sounds like the same technology which works fine. Like many electronics, they are often cloned and if you can get the necessary parts and have them assembled the cheapest you can sell for a little less.

I'd go for the Les Paul 50s as they are very versatile, twangy, clean, overdriven, jazzy - endless tones available paired with your amplifier.

Great little amps especially on the gritty channel. Easy to carry around and loud enough to be heard over the drummer

Shop looks great Rabs - being allowed to use those tools will greatly improve your production time for guitars, make them more accurate, and you will be able to take on designs you might have been reluctant to try in the past. My Dad was a woodworker (hobby not career) and when he retired he built himself a proper shop onto the back of the garage. But he also built the house I grew up in and there was always a table saw, lathe, joiner in our basement along with bandsaw, jigsaw etc. So I learned early on to be careful around the equipment. In addition to fingers be sure to always wear safety glasses or goggles as wood chips and sawdust in the eyes is no fun. I see Rabswood Guitars expanding it's horizons

We've had a couple guys on this forum with the satin gold tops that polished them out and they came out real shiny. Should work for yours as well.

To me the photos from Sweetwater and the photos you took after you got it - it doesn't look like the same guitar. I suppose it could just be the difference in lighting, but the wood grains don't seem to matchup? Anyway I like the guitar you received much better than the one in the photos from Sweetwater. It's a beauty and I hope you enjoy it [thumbup]

It depends on how you like your action (high or low), but a good rule is to adjust the neck flat, and then back off the truss rod 1/8th of a turn to give just slight relief. This advice came from Gibson Custom Shop on setting up guitars. I like my action about as low as I can get it without any string buzz, and this method has worked well for me on Les Pauls, CS336 and CS356.

I bought a 2017 LP Standard with Burstbucker Pros in it and also thought it was a little too bright. I played around with the guitar controls quite a bit and wasn't getting the sound I wanted. Then I just turned the treble down a notch or so on the amp and found the sweet spot. I don't think your pickup swap helped you at all. The 490 and 498 combo is pretty bright as well. If you really can't live with the Burstbuckers I would recommend the '57 classics as a rounder, mellower sounding pickup. Or as others have suggested just sell the 2018 and search for something else. On the other hand what is point of having 2 Les Pauls that sound exactly the same? If your '96 is giving you the only tone you really want - you don't need another LP.

I bought a CS336 new in 2009 and it had no sticker inside: Then Clayville showed me his 356 and I had to have one, so sold the 336 and got this: Again - no sticker inside. I think the COAs have replaced the sticker. Great playing and sounding guitars - enjoy yours

I think the new line-up makes a lot of sense. It has been simplified somewhat, depending on the features you want (push-pulls, weight relief, no weight relief, various pick ups and neck profiles) there should be something for just about everyone in terms of a Les Paul anyway. And the prices for the most part came down. [thumbup]

I don't think the edges of the body are that rounded, but because the 339 is smaller than the 335 it should be more comfortable to play.

Well the SG Modern does have a maple top inset, hotter pickups, more complicated wiring with the push-pulls, and that ebony fingerboard - seeing as it is the same price as the others - they had to save somewhere thus the gig bag I guess.

The new model specs are due to be announced tomorrow so time to blow out the old inventory. If my exchange rate calculations are correct those are pretty good prices, but I noticed that there is a 20% VAT to be added to the price. My understanding is that VAT stands for Value Added Tax. Now I wonder what value Reidy's added to those Gibson guitars? Or is it just a way for the government to collect more tax?

In the olden days before the internet you would send in a warranty registration and they would actually send you a form letter congratulating (not thanking) you on the purchase. It stated that "Your guitar was hand-crafted by over 100 highly skilled luthiers in our Nashville, Tennessee facility. Its quality lacquer finish has been buffed to a beautiful sheen which will provide your guitar with a rich, durable covering for many years to come. As such, your instrument is unique unto itself with its own look, sound and personality." It went on to say that it was backed by a lifetime warranty and a toll free number for customer service. Nowadays in the world of instant gratification of course everything is done on-line, and there is no personal touch of a snail mail letter. Although when I bought a LP Standard in 2017 inside the case was a photo of my guitar on the workbench being tested out - so that was sort of personal.

Congrats Rabs!! You deserve a break after what you've been going through of late - sounds like it should work out well for all concerned [thumbup]

I bought a 2017 LP Standard that came with Grover chrome locking tuners, kidney shaped keys with the 18:1 gear ratio. Sorry don't know the exact model number as there is nothing on the outside of them that would tell. They look like the ones in Rab's second post.

In an interview with the new CEO of Gibson he pointed out that one of the problems at the factory was there just was not enough light for the workers to spot some of these imperfections. He has vowed to improve the lighting and the QC should follow. Sometimes the simplest things can make a big difference.

No. Middle position on a 339 does not split or tap any coils.

On the guitar front, my search for wood for the body continues. My neighbor is letting me take an ash log (about 10 ft long by 14 in. diameter or so) and a cherry log just a bit smaller, but has splits in it. I'm now trying to figure out how to go from log to 2" thick slabs I can use for body wood. Got a couple local saw mills, might need to call in the big guns for it. Anyone ever slab a log, have tips? Rabs is right - you have to let it cure (dry out) for a couple years. They may already be old, but if laying outside in the moisture more drying is needed. As to cutting it up, the right saw is critical to get a smooth straight cut and doubtful you have a saw that can go through a 14 inch diameter in one cut. So the saw mill is probably a good idea.

The guitar you are looking at is certainly a beauty. As Kidblast mentioned though guitars that are on the sales floor at Guitar Center take a beating. But assuming it is in brand new condition you couldn't go wrong buying that guitar. That being said - you don't have to spend $4000 to get a good Les Paul. There are so many out there, different models, new and used that you probably could get one just as good for less. It sort of depends on what you are looking for. Some of us buy guitars because we are in working bands and the sound and playability are way more important that looks. Others don't make a living playing guitar and it's more of a hobby where how the guitar looks is really important. Get out to some stores and play a few different ones with different pickups so you can decide what you like as to the tone and feel. Then you can make your own informed decision as to what feature you want and how much you have to spend to get them.

You have the same L5CESN as me...great choice you made. Mine is a 2015 Custom Crimson one, what year is yours? We're hijacking the OPs thread - but mine is also Custom Crimson built in 2013. Unlike many other models they don't mess with perfection and they don't change from year to year!!