Replicate a Billy Gibbons set up?

[circa58]

OK, 15 year old my son wants a Billy Gibbons sound, Pearly Gates style, because he is into blues, can I build a Billy Gibbons type guitar with a different body or do I have to build a Hollow Body 59 type?

 

Or is it better to save the cash over time and just spend the $3500?

[Zeppeholic]

Spend $3,500 on your KID? Jesus, make him save up for it. I bought my first Les Paul brand new when I turned 16 with no help from my parents. Also, Billy used a '59 Les Paul, and he usually wrapped the strings over the stop bar and through the tune-omatic. Get a Les Paul for sure, but get a used one, not a brand new one. Unless he plays like Page or Clapton, which I doubt.

[circa58]

Spend $3,500 on your KID? Jesus, make him save up for it. I bought my first Les Paul brand new when I turned 16 with no help from my parents. Also, Billy used a '59 Les Paul, and he usually wrapped the strings over the stop bar and through the tune-omatic. Get a Les Paul for sure, but get a used one, not a brand new one. Unless he plays like Page or Clapton, which I doubt.

 

thanks for a your .02,,,, give me 250 more of those and i can buy a starbucks, I'm kidding, just kidding,,,

 

We watched some of the videos on youtube about his setup, I know he likes the #7 strings and he had the body hollowed out as well, but if a standard body works, then all the better. Obviously building one with some used parts can save some dinero

[rct]

BFG is so fulla crap it ceased to be funny long time ago, so anything uttered in public about his sound is highly suspect. A Les Paul, some decent humbuckers in it that can be found anywhere today, and moderately gained excellently volumed amp. At 15, oh, I'd give it a good ten years of practice, he might be getting close to Billy's phrasing and thoughtfulness. Physically he isn't a hard guitar player to cop, and he has nothing really remarkable about his sound.

 

Put on Rough Boy and learn it, top to bottom, understand the movement through the solos. That'll learn him more about Gibbons than you building ten guitars. Save your money and time, buy a Les Paul and a good amp, go from there.

 

rct

[circa58]

BFG is so fulla crap it ceased to be funny long time ago, so anything uttered in public about his sound is highly suspect. A Les Paul, some decent humbuckers in it that can be found anywhere today, and moderately gained excellently volumed amp. At 15, oh, I'd give it a good ten years of practice, he might be getting close to Billy's phrasing and thoughtfulness. Physically he isn't a hard guitar player to cop, and he has nothing really remarkable about his sound.

 

Put on Rough Boy and learn it, top to bottom, understand the movement through the solos. That'll learn him more about Gibbons than you building ten guitars. Save your money and time, buy a Les Paul and a good amp, go from there.

 

rct

 

Even better RCT ! , we have Gold Top reissue, a Traditional Pro Chicago Blue, and an ES335, sounds like the T Pro or Studio can do the deal, we only have a Fender Mustang amp though, my son has played for 3 years but he has taken twice weekly lessons for 2.5 years, electric & acoustic and he already plays Bassoon for 5 years and piano for 1

[Eracer_Team]

just an FYI

if you look at YouTube. you'll find Billy G's tech talk about the Rig setup

 

you'll find that Billy is using a guitar processor and that yes he is using 7's or 8's on his High E but... they have taken a graph in the processor of his famous 59.

Then the guitar processor just EQ's every guitar he plays on stage to the same as the 59 Les Paul

 

They do this for a number of reasons, one of which is being consistent tone and volume of each guitar they bring out.

 

so its hard to say when the last time we really heard the original 59 tone from him