GoldJim Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 I'll be the least politically correct, probably. My guitar heroes were all over the place, so the types of guitars were not all the same. I might see a Martin, Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, or Guild depending on who it was. David Gilmour, Angus Young, and Ace Frehley topped my list as a teen. Before I knew or cared about the politics of my guitar heroes, Ted Nugent was one of my favorites. When you go see a show and the guy comes out, playing with one hand while swinging from a vine with another and wearing a loin cloth?!?!?! That was one dude who was comfortable in his sexuality. When I had saved enough to buy a guitar, I remember seeing guys like REO's Gary Ritchrath, Foreigner's Mick Jones, and of course, The Space Ace Frehley himself slinging Les Pauls. I've been through a plethora of makes and models over the years since that '79 LP, but I always get pulled back. It's not just the feel, but the sound, the controls, the look... Everything about the Les Paul. I get one and I want another. It's like Pringles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Did he ever play anything else?... That's the very same pose I adopt when I try to play 'Stairway' as well. Nice to know I'm in good company (my tongue is usually sticking out, though). Looks like he has a H H 2x12 in the background. VS Musician, perhaps???............. And where is the 'forward' strap button? Pip. Ha! Ya said it yourself Pip. The strap button not attached to the strap. PhotoShop. Also the shirts all wrong. It should be checkered, and he rolled the sleeves up higher than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Ziggy... I'm not turned on that much by the Joe Pass Epi either. If nothing else, it feels different. A few folks have gone on record in the forum, however, that they'd not swap their JP for a 175. That's because of their "feel" for an instrument. And Epi 175 copies have varied even more than Gibsons through the years. My point is that to me it's playing geometry. Frankly I wasn't that turned on by the 175 at first, regardless Gibson or in the mid '70s the excellent "patent infringement" Ibanez. That changed about 15 years ago when I messed around with string choices that actually fit my playing far better than "the traditional jazz guitar" choices. The minute I had the 9-42 "on," and plugged in, there was a discovery that for me, this was "the" guitar. The real Gibson, a better Epi piece and the Eastman copy all "fit" in that sense. Again, that's me, my average overall body size and shape and arms shorter than average, as in 32-inch sleeves are too long for me in a dress shirt purchase. Is the Gibson almost certainly a better quality of parts and artisan construction than options today or 40 years ago? Yeah, with some variations on individual instruments. But that's not really what I'm talking about. And again, to me it's the actual geometry of the instrument to the player, and that's my priority along with the more pragmatic of one's purchase decisions. A lot also has to do not just with the player's physical body with the overall guitar geometry, but also with the playing geometry given how a given player uses left and right hands, string choices, etc. I return again to my perspective on the LP: Even the best quality, fanciest edition of an LP simply doesn't fit me, either standing in a band or sitting for a solo instrumental or instrumental/vocal. I can appreciate a lot about the LP, but it just doesn't fit me. You could give me one and it simply wouldn't get played. A 175 probably would, but with my strings and setup to get it working for me personally. One might note that the 175 Gibson made for Joe Pass, there were some slight personal variations to the instrument that Pass wouldn't really be specific on, and that he noted are not a "Joe Pass Special" 175. It was a one-off for him to reflect yet more closely his geometry and playing style. A one-pup archtop often gets bad comments too, but having used one on stage for a wide range of saloon band material in my area in the '70s. I'm not one to take that tack given amplification options. For what it's worth, in other circumstances I've also not really cared about the appearance of guitars I played at home or on stage since around 1972 so much as appropriateness to what I was doing. The AE IMHO also brought me a totally different perspective on guitars and setups for what I was doing. To me also, the major weakness in ways of the Gibson electrics is the normal lack of a master volume. Otherwise again, archetypes of instruments most appropriate for many, many pickers, and why they're so often copied in varying quality. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldorado2001 Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Gibsons were what most my first guitar heroes played, so that was imprinted on my teenage psyche early on. When I got to play Gibsons and Fenders and other quality brands I found the feel of Gibsons appealed to me more, as well as the sound. The neck angle is a significant part of the feel, much different from brand F. And I've never been a fan of thin-sounding pickups. Humbuckers were the voice that spoke to me from the start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 The feel of the guitar especially its neck and fretboard of an LPM in a shop near where I work. I didn't buy that particular one, but after trying it, I just had that fretboard and the solid feel of the guitar in my mind. I've since bought three LPs with similar feel. Can't put my finger on what it is, but they have it and my foreign made guitars and Fenders don't. Bingo. Though I had owned a L-6S previously.....for me it was a stock wine-red LP custom I borrowed, late 80s or early 90s. Always remembered that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Also the shirts all wrong. It should be checkered, and he rolled the sleeves up higher than that. I'm all dewey eyed, m-e. I was young(ish), OK? But we used to play 'Cradle Rock', 'Messing with the Kid', 'Too Much Alcohol', 'Brute Force and Ignorance' (and at least a dozen more RG staples) and more often than not I did wear a check shirt with the sleeves rolled up past the elbows. My hair wasn't anywhere near as curly as Rory's but it was as long if not longer and I LOVED Rory's mix of pure blues and basic rock. "Irish Tour '74" is to a large part, for me, what 'Appetite for Destruction' was to become for a younger generation. Rory was Very Special. Pip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Careful, Seb; you're decade is showing! For most folks of your (and my own) generation Page is the Les Paul player who first comes to mind. For slightly younger folks it's Joe Perry. For younger still it's Slash...etc...etc... For folks slightly older than your (and my own) generation it would be Claptongreenbloomfield. For those of my father's generation? It would be Les Paul himself... Pip. Forest Richard Betts, Billy Jones, Joe Walsh. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Gibson Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 I thought I'd be a chick magnet. Guess I was wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbreslauer Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 it was Ace for me too. :) I've diversified a lot since I was a kid, but I still have a soft spot for early Kiss... D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 In no particular order: Tony Iommi Jimmy Page Angus Young Duane Allman Dickie Betts Gary Rossington Allen Collins Eric Clapton (LP, SG and ES-335 eras) Jeff Beck (Blow by Blow LP era) Johnny Winter B.B. King Albert King Billy Gibbons Alex Lifeson Many others not mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Some fine Les Paul players, only Billy in the middle only played Les Pauls. The other two guys used both kinds of electric guitars. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Right around the time of the rise of KISS, and their album liner notes endorsing Gibson guitars, it was ELO's Jeff Lynne. I saw him on some television program playing a Gibson Les Paul gold top, and then not too many months later, there in the mid-1970's, I bought a 1971 Gibson Les Paul gold top Deluxe. I was just a teenager, and I had saved up all my money to buy that guitar. Loved that guitar, and loved the music of Jeff Lynne. Still do. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyRay Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Tony Iommi - black Sabbath... I saw a picture of him with his SG and I was like... That guitar is wicked *** cool... I have to get one of them... then I'll learn how to play.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody78 Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 When I saw this back in 1991, aged 7. Hooked on Gibson guitars ever since. I've told that story many times, so won't bore you all with it again! Oddly, I never much cared for Wings though (or Paul McCartney). Then the following year hearing/ seeing this for the first time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanH Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Angus Young, Graham Oliver and Jake E Lee are the reasons why I bought my SG. But after that I began to appreciate the resonance, shorter scale, playability, feel and sense of craftsmanship that you get with a Gibson (compared to the other well known brand that screws pieces of very hard wood together and charges a fortune for the privilege). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Angus Young, Graham Oliver and Jake E Lee are the reasons why I bought my SG. But after that I began to appreciate the resonance, shorter scale, playability, feel and sense of craftsmanship that you get with a Gibsom (compared to the other well known brand that screws pieces of very hard wood together and charges a fortune for the privilege). If you can't make a Fender sound good, practice. If you can't make a Gibson sound good, quit. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky Forrest Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 "If you can't make a Fender sound good, practice. If you can't make a Gibson sound good, quit." rct Well said rct. I like that. I was always a Fender Strat guy. I loved, and still do, its shimmer, chime, and low end especially when hooked up to my Fender amp. I like the slim contoured body and maple neck. I tried a few LP's here and there but always went back to my Strat. A few years ago, I tried a another friend's LP. It had a balanced, warm tone and on overdrive had plenty of crunch and power. Also, I really liked the ebony fingerboard and 24 3/4" scale which contributes to the warm tone. The LP felt easier to play too. So I had to buy a Les Paul and for years I've play it far more than my beloved Strat. Go figure. Now I'm looking for an SG. I'll go to GC or somewhere else and play some. Anyone have a favorite SG so I can be sure to give it a try? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vangoghsear Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 If you can't make a Fender sound good, practice. If you can't make a Gibson sound good, quit. rct Love this quote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Frank Zappa Jimmy Page Tony Iommi Angus Young Eric Clapton (the Gibson years) Jeff Beck (Blow by Blow) Alvin Lee The 3 Kings (B.B., Albert and Freddie) Many others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelT Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Enough said.... Ace Frehley for me too was one of my first exposures to Gibson guitars. I loved the Les Pauls he played. The one I liked the most and remembered the most was the one on the cover of KISS Alive! My new 2017 LP Standard Bourbon Burst is similar in color. However, the first Gibson for me was a Flying V purchased in 1984 and it's because Paul Stanley had one and I thought it looked cool back in the mid 70's. I chose the V first when I found one that I could afford. My first Les Paul was 33 years after purchasing the V, and 5 years after purchasing my second V. They last near forever if you take reasonably good care of them. I've played a lot of other Gibsons over the years, as well as other brands such as Fender, Ibanez, Kramer, BC Rich, Jackson, Charvel and others. My three main Gibson guitars continue to be my favorites over all the others, which I why I own them and only played the others. I love the feel, the sound, the look and playability. I pretty much drive people crazy when I go to a music store and all I need to do is pick one up, even if it's a Gibson and either say "Nope" or play it for a while. I couldn't even name all the influences I've had over the years but a fair amount of them played Gibsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 I didn't know what to get when I first decided to play electric. I bought a 94 Les Paul by chance. That's like your first girlfriend being THE ONE. As you can imagine, every other guitar I tried was like, "WTF is this?! Why do all guitars sound sucky compared to my LP?" It was the tone of that Les Paul that made me think Gibson is the reason LP's sound boss. The I realized I love HBs. I can't play a heavy LP for very long though :( I saw the lead singer of Babes in Toyland and the lead singer of Veruca Salt both playing an SG and not only that but I knew they were playing a mid-70s versions of that guitar. I tried the newer and expensive re-issues of the SG but didn't like the neck. Turned out the '73 SG was just my thing. A-MaZing guitar. I knew if this scrawny girl could handle an SG, so could I! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 Hey Izzy! Nice to see you pop by! I hope the songwriting's still going strong. Pip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Izzy... Good to see you back... Hope you're still pickin'! m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkesman Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Fender guitars. rct Ha! Know the feeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Izzy... Good to see you back... Hope you're still pickin'! m OMG MILOD!! I am so happy to see you on here :) Heck yeah, I'm still at it... I use a drum machine now and my timing is way better. That was your suggestion so, THANKS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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