BuckFlicks Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Hello! I've purchased my first Gibson and am awaiting its arrival. It's the Studio Les Paul in Smokehouse. I have watched a lot of demo and review videos, talked to local guitar sales guys, and was fairly certain what I wanted. I love the sound of the pickups, I played the Tribute at a store and as far as I can tell, it's physically very similar to the Studio, other than the glossy finish, and everything felt good. I just watched the demo on the Gibson webstie which said that when the push/pull knobs were activated, the humbuckers become P90s. I haven't heard this in any of the other videos or from any guitar shop - is this true? Is it possible? Please refrain from condescending "Don't you know anything?" answers. I'm new to guitar, and especially new to proper guitars like Gibsons. I've done extensive research and this is the first I'd heard anything like that. I searched the forums and didn't see anything that resembled a reference to this. Thanks in advance for your help! BuckFlicks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Hey welcome to the forum and good luck on the purchase. We like pictures so feel free to show us what she looks like. About the "humbuckers become P90s" Usually coil switching will shut off/turn on one or both coils. There's also push pull pots that change phasing, but neither of those would quite do what a P90 does. The physical aspects of humbuckers vs p0s are totally different however. P90s, single coil with massive magnet, humbucker, two smaller magnets. The size of the magnet and the physical structures of each pickup makes a difference. The coil tap will definitely lighten up the tone when only one coil is active, but it wont have the same dynamics and overall tone that P90s do. It's sort of the same kind of situation where people are trying to get a strat style sound out of a humbucker by using coil cuts. It changes the sound, but it will never sound like a strat, same goes for the P90s. OTOH, the coil switching does offer an extended array of available tones and sounds that you can coax out of it. Just play around with it all a bit, and you'll quickly get the idea. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Welcome to the forum BF. kidblast answered with aplomb. I agree completely. I'd like to see your guitar too when you get it (you might want to use a 3rd party pic hosting site though?) ATB ME 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckFlicks Posted August 19, 2020 Author Share Posted August 19, 2020 This is what I figured... I have a guitar with P90s (Epi 339 Pro, which is currently my favorite guitar until the Les Paul arrives) and that's a big fat honkin' magnet and coil that I don't see sharing space with another in that PAF pickup cover. And I have an Epi 339 that does have push/pull pots, so I'm familiar with the coil splitting/tapping concept. Just got thrown for a loop with the claim that pulling the pot up makes it a P-90. Made no sense. Ordinarily I would have discounted that claim as soon as it was said, but since it was on the Gibson website, I had to pause for a second. Thanks everyone, for the welcome and the answers! Looking forward to being a part of the community, and I will definitely post as soon as it arrives. Buck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Buck! what ever that claim was, I don't think it was 100% accurate.. I'd have to see it I guess to understand a bit Also the PRO series are great, I have a Sheraton, Like the stock Pro Bucker pickups. A big step up overall for Epi with the PRO series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckFlicks Posted August 19, 2020 Author Share Posted August 19, 2020 The pickups in the Studio are the 490R and 498T. To the best of my knowledge, they're basically built like most other humbuckers with two standard single coils within. Yes, I'm a fan of the Epi Pros. My 339 P90 and Es-335 are both from the Pro line. Here is a link to the video - I tried to set it so the link starts right when he's talking about the pickups, but the whole video is less than 3 minutes if it doesn't start there. He starts talking about the electronics at 1:35. Gibson TV video about the Studio Les Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanHenry Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 Welcome to the forum BuckFlicks, and congratulations on the new guitar, I hope you enjoy it. Also you won't get "Don't you know anything?" on this forum, everyone here will help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 1 hour ago, IanHenry said: Also you won't get "Don't you know anything?" on this forum, everyone here will help you. correct... that was the hallmark "Fender" Forum, which is no longer.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sybo Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 Oh, by the way, WELCOME! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckFlicks Posted August 20, 2020 Author Share Posted August 20, 2020 14 hours ago, IanHenry said: Welcome to the forum BuckFlicks, and congratulations on the new guitar, I hope you enjoy it. Also you won't get "Don't you know anything?" on this forum, everyone here will help you. That's what I was hoping for... it's just so rampant everywhere on the internet, any time I go to a discussion forum and read a question (no matter where it is) it seems like the first response is either "this has already been answered a dozen times here" or something suggesting that the original poster is the dumbest person on earth for not knowing the question - like the jerk who replied was born with all the knowledge. I am a member of a couple discussion groups that are nothing but helpful and courteous - I was hoping that since this site is an official Gibson site that that kind of jerk behavior isn't allowed or tolerated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 The P-90 reference was just Mark Agnessi taking some poetic license with what he was saying. I am not sure about his, but I think on a Studio the push/pull is a coil tap (not a split). It will sound different (thinner) from the full on humbucker but not very much like a true P-90. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 It that push/pull is anything like it was on prior Gibsons you'll discover that it's a feature you'll use maybe three times in your entire life, ha, ha. I think it's VariTone on the FullWimp setting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckFlicks Posted August 22, 2020 Author Share Posted August 22, 2020 It is tapping, not splitting, I have confirmed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 Let us know what you think when it shows, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckFlicks Posted August 23, 2020 Author Share Posted August 23, 2020 It's here, and it's fantastic. Unfortunately, this website won't let me upload pictures that are larger than a postage stamp, apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 11 hours ago, BuckFlicks said: It's here, and it's fantastic. Unfortunately, this website won't let me upload pictures that are larger than a postage stamp, apparently. ha! nope,,,.. people host them else where, it's one thing I've found a facebook account is useful for actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 I use imgur.com for photos, works well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckFlicks Posted August 26, 2020 Author Share Posted August 26, 2020 So... literally the ONLY complaint I have about this guitar is that the neck gets super sticky if I play it for longer than 15 minutes. Which... is every time I play it. Is this common in new Gibsons with nitro lacquered necks? Will it cure over time, or do I need to think about taking something abrasive to it? And if it will cure over time, will it help if I leave it out of its case? Is there anything I can apply to it in the meantime to slick it up? I'm considering getting some thin cotton gloves and cutting the fingers off so my palm won't get moist and stick to the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Time should do it along with buffing with a clean cloth. One of my Explorers was doing that and I finally hit it with lighter fluid on a clean paper towel and then buffed it with a clean cloth. That guitar is a 2007 model but it spent most of it's life in a case. That glove idea might not be a bad one as you'll be buffing it as you're playing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted August 29, 2020 Share Posted August 29, 2020 Yes I had a bit of sticky nitro with my ES-339. It will eventually cure properly. Right before patina crazing sets in probably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eracer_Team Posted August 29, 2020 Share Posted August 29, 2020 Namptha aka luther fliud probably unstick and clean it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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