(new) Proud Gibson Owner

[gizeh68]

So finally bit the bullet last night and got myself a real Lester! It's the Studio Faded, worn cherry. I've been playing an Epi LP Studio now for months and i like it a lot but really wanted the real thing.

 

I could immediately tell the difference in quality between the two the minute i got it home. It sounds better unplugged than any of my other guitars do. The chambering inside the body not only makes it lighter but it makes the guitar more resonant. I always felt that if a guitar doesn't sound good unplugged, its not likely to sound good plugged in (unless you unleash a boat load of distortion).

 

The build quality is outstanding. the fretwork is perfect, no sharp edges. The fretboard seems to be a "purer" rosewood than on my Epi and there's no discoloration.

 

The grain of the mahogany is perfect. The thin nitro lacquer does a great job of sealing the wood but not too much. It just feels like the thing is alive in my hands.

 

Also, it seems that the neck is *not* tapered, or if it is it's not nearly as much as my Epi Studio. This means it will take capos better. and even though the neck is the 50's rounded Gibby neck, its still thinner than my Epi studio, so its more comfortable.

 

I haven't taken it for a spin yet on my 59 Bassman, but i'm sure i'll like the BB Pro pups. I'm using Duncan 59's in my Epi, so i'm used to more classical PAF sounds as opposed to the more modern 490s. anyway, the pups have to be good, they are the stock pups on the LP Standard.

 

This is also the first guitar i don't plan on modding. I usually swap out pups and electronics in my cheaper guitars, but i feel like now i have the real thing, i'm going to keep it stock.

 

I had to go to GC to get it. I was planning on going to a more local site, the place where i got my amp and Fender Strat, but first of all they were all out of the LPVM's. Secondly, even if they had one, they'd only give me the gibby gig bag with it and i'd hvae to pay an additional $80 for an SKB case.

 

So then i thought of going to Musicians Friend... but they'd give me a gig bag as well.

 

But GC not only had them in stock, but it came standard with an actual Gibson hardshell case! For no extra money. I don't know if Gibson has something going on with GC, but the guitar was in the case in the box (it was brand new, just shipped that day).

 

And one more thing: the guitar set up was perfect out of the box. I guess Gibson knows what they are doing down in Tennessee. I've had a lot of guitars and none were set up this well.

 

These pics are kinda bad, they are from my phone. But i'll take better ones later.

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[swleary]

Congrats , the studio faded are sweet

[BigKahune]

Really nice!

 

Man, I've got a soft spot of for the all hog faded. Looks fantastic.

 

Congrats!

[Flight959]

Congratulations!!

[eljay]

way to go! i've got one too and it is one of my favorite axes!

 

here it is with a couple of gibson bretheren:

 

 

enjoy!

[JThunderz]

Good buy- congrats!

I like the cherry faded- the black one too! I almost picked up a cherry a few years back, it sounded pretty ****in good. Does anybody know how much the finish (or lack thereof) affects the overall tone? I think the fadeds look awesome and sound awesome, but it sounded slightly different than what I wanted out of my LP... They have a great sound, and I still might get one some day,but since I was only going to get one guitar and stay with one guitar for a while, I opted out of the fadeds. They're such a great deal, tho! And I think Gibson saves like 20 days or something of spraying and drying, don't they?

[jameslucascalvert]

Congratulations! I've never been disappointed with any of my Gibson guitars, and I hope you're happy with the faded. I'll tell you this--the necks on those things are awesome!! Very fast, doesn't collect all that sweat and gunk the way a glossy LP or SG will. Enjoy it!

[craigh]

Nice

 

Craig

[mooboo]

Love it! The Les Paul studios really kick some butt for the price. Enjoy it!

[Sefrez]

The electronics on the Gibson are much better than the epi, aren't they? eh? That's one major difference between the two. You can turn the volume down to about 5 and play smoothly, but your still capable of making it kick hard, and all with great tone. My Epiphone can't do this. Tone is lost when reducing the volume.

 

Congrats.

[Wild_Rose]

Congratulations!

I was excited to read your post because i've just ordered my first Gibson and the previous guitar I had was a really cheap one, so I can't wait to have it in my hands next week!

 

now, plug that monster in the amp!

[Yaff]

Congratulations, it sounds like you will have many years of pleasure out if it. The feel of the Worn finishes is second to none in my opinion and the clean tone from the neck pick-up is fantastic music with an acoustic feel.

 

Playing it unplugged just before bed, is an absolute pleasure. Its got to be one of the best sounding electric guitars, late at night with just the chambering for amplification.

 

Enjoy and here are some picks of my Worn Brown. Only mods are adding reflectors and removing the pickgard:

 

[deepblue]

Beautiful guitar..Play on!

[BigKahune]

... ...my Worn Brown. Only mods are adding reflectors and removing the pickgard...

 

Yaff -

 

That's a bad *** look you've come up with.

[gizeh68]

Congratulations!

I was excited to read your post because i've just ordered my first Gibson and the previous guitar I had was a really cheap one' date=' so I can't wait to have it in my hands next week!

 

now, plug that monster in the amp![/quote']

 

Thanks. It really is a joy to play a high quality instrument. The difference between my Epi and Gibby are really night and day. I never really expected that, I figured if Gibson licensed the guitar to its step-child Epiphone, and it had Lesters name on it, then it is a "les paul".

 

Perhaps it is so, and even if they look similar, and even when my Epi LPS has really nice pups in it (Seymour Duncan 59's), you still cannot replace the playability of the Gibson, or the resonance for that matter.

 

I guess its one thing to slap some hunks of mahogany together and call it a guitar. It's a whole different matter to craft a finely built instrument (mostly) by hand where attention to detail is the main focus.

 

Its just something you cannot explain to someone who doesn't know. You just have to pick one up and play it to see for yourself.

[phil325]

congratulations and i agree. i can definitely tell between the quality build between the epi's vs. gibsons LP's...

[NeoConMan]

More than anything, I congratulate you on escaping Guitar Center with a guitar and your sanity.

 

Hope you did okay on the money too!

 

[G McBride]

Congrats, it looks really nice.

[fortcon]

Very pretty, that's what mine looked like before I get her repainted. It really is a great playing guitar, congrats.