screamingdaisy
Well-known member
YellowJacket said:
Yes. 1959 re-issue.
New Guitar Day
- Thread starter screamingdaisy
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Yes. 1959 re-issue.
YellowJacket
Well-known member
And it's THAT much better than the stock production Les Pauls in terms of tone and playability, hmm?
It's kinda sad that you have to get a custom shop order to get a proper instrument.
It's kinda sad that you have to get a custom shop order to get a proper instrument.
screamingdaisy
Well-known member
I do think that going custom shop gives you a better chance of scoring a premium instrument, but I don't think it's really necessary if all you need is a proper instrument.
YellowJacket
Well-known member
Well, my production Les Paul is good if you can ignore the shoddy electronics it came with, the orange peel around the neck pocket, and the less than stellar fret work. I think a manicure / pedicure at a talented local luthiers would serve my guitar incredibly well. It simply sounds and plays great all things considered.
Stock, it wasn't so astounding though. It took new pickups and electronics to really show how good the instrument actually is. OH, and I played a custom shop Les Paul. Totally different league!!!
Stock, it wasn't so astounding though. It took new pickups and electronics to really show how good the instrument actually is. OH, and I played a custom shop Les Paul. Totally different league!!!
dearlpitts
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wow of art-nicereally a piece
lesterpaul
Well-known member
bad-*** top on her-congrats!...alnico II?everyone needs a little A-II in the arsenal..sweet 8)
screamingdaisy
Well-known member
I love this guitar.
I just finished playing for a couple hours and the guitar sounds so bad-*** I felt the need to mention it to people who would actually understand (i.e., not my wife).
That is all. :lol:
I just finished playing for a couple hours and the guitar sounds so bad-*** I felt the need to mention it to people who would actually understand (i.e., not my wife).
That is all. :lol:
YellowJacket
Well-known member
How does it sound with your Electra Dyne!!?? I bet that is pure magic!!
rocksalt7
Well-known member
Really excellent score!!! That top is just gorgeous...very nicely done. I've preferred the "no pickguard" approach for years. It just feels better to me. It also doesn't cover up any of the awesome wood I paid for!! :shock:
Seriously, sounds like you're diggin it...enjoy!! 8)
Seriously, sounds like you're diggin it...enjoy!! 8)
screamingdaisy
Well-known member
YellowJacket said:
I really like the Burstbucker 1 and 2 pickups. They're alnico 2 and have an uneven wind. The alnico 2 gives it a bit of give and compression that really makes it sing while the uneven wind gives it a more edgy attack. Those characteristics jive really well with all my amps, but the Electra-Dyne in particular seems to like them.
YellowJacket
Well-known member
Unbelievable! I can only imagine how sweet that axe sounds with the Electra Dyne.
So the custom shop Les Pauls are the real deal??? My Standard (Premium Plus) had a huge booming problem with the neck pickup, particularly with the Dual Rectifier, but also with an Electra Dyne. The Bridge Pickup, by comparison, was really thin and tinny. It had the Burstbucker Vs in it stock.
Only when I switched to Bare Knuckles and changed the pots and caps did the sound open up and become really clear. It sounds fine now and the pickups are far more balanced.
Acoustically, my Les Paul sounds fine with plenty of midrange so one would think it is a good instrument but ya, it was still plagued with all these problems. (The orange peel around the neck pocket and the shoddy non working electronics notwithstanding. Lets just say it had some problems before I bought it)
Apparently the mahogany that is being used in 'lower end' Les Pauls is far denser than it used to be so the ball of mud tone is caused by overly heavy solid body electric guitars. So now Gibson is chambering the Les Pauls to keep the weight down, something that gives them a decidedly different timbre.
Oh, I wonder if it would be worth it to have a super skilled Luthier give my guitars a fret dress. I'm always afraid I'll give the thing to a hack and then the guitars will be worse than when I brought them there. I just wouldn't have a clue where to go in Toronto...
So the custom shop Les Pauls are the real deal??? My Standard (Premium Plus) had a huge booming problem with the neck pickup, particularly with the Dual Rectifier, but also with an Electra Dyne. The Bridge Pickup, by comparison, was really thin and tinny. It had the Burstbucker Vs in it stock.
Only when I switched to Bare Knuckles and changed the pots and caps did the sound open up and become really clear. It sounds fine now and the pickups are far more balanced.
Acoustically, my Les Paul sounds fine with plenty of midrange so one would think it is a good instrument but ya, it was still plagued with all these problems. (The orange peel around the neck pocket and the shoddy non working electronics notwithstanding. Lets just say it had some problems before I bought it)
Apparently the mahogany that is being used in 'lower end' Les Pauls is far denser than it used to be so the ball of mud tone is caused by overly heavy solid body electric guitars. So now Gibson is chambering the Les Pauls to keep the weight down, something that gives them a decidedly different timbre.
Oh, I wonder if it would be worth it to have a super skilled Luthier give my guitars a fret dress. I'm always afraid I'll give the thing to a hack and then the guitars will be worse than when I brought them there. I just wouldn't have a clue where to go in Toronto...
screamingdaisy
Well-known member
YellowJacket said:
Yes. I have two now and both are excellent, both in sound and fit/finish.
I have a '69 Les Paul with a similar tonal issues. It's has a sort of scooped sound that gives it a boomy bottom end and tinny top end. I've tried an assortment of brands and styles of pickups and never been 100% happy with the sound.
I'm in the same boat with the '69. It's in desperate need of a refret but I have no idea who to take it to.
RectoStudioGuy
Well-known member
Very nice! I prefer that rosewood over the ebony that is so common with Gibson. Enjoy that pretty lady.
Heritage Softail
Well-known member
Very nice guitar. :shock:
One of those that can sit on the couch next to you, so you can pick it up and jam on and off thru the day. Love that top. It has more going on than just a plain flamed top. It is always nice to hear it plays as good as it looks.
Congrats
One of those that can sit on the couch next to you, so you can pick it up and jam on and off thru the day. Love that top. It has more going on than just a plain flamed top. It is always nice to hear it plays as good as it looks.
Congrats
YellowJacket
Well-known member
screamingdaisy said:
Figures. Perhaps I should have spent the extra $$$s when I was in the market for my #1...
Ya, mine has a more round and vocal midrange and in its defense, it worked fantastically well stock with Marshalls. It was just when I combined a fat sounding Les Paul with a fat sounding Mesa, there are massive lows to deal with. Setting up the pickups helps but ya, it was the 'Knuckles that really solved this guitar 100% for me. Luckily it is fine now, really open and clear sounding.
Something that may help could be putting a Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell in the neck and something phatter like a Nailbomb in the bridge. This might help balance out the tonal spectrum. If I had known more about Bare Knuckles when I sprung for a set, I probably would have tried a similar combination.
[edit] Better yet, an Emerald in the neck and a Nailbomb in the bridge would be a great way to balance out a guitar that has a boomy neck pickup and a thin bridge pickup.
See, I might be able to help you. Brian at Ultimate Guitar Works is a good one in Winnipeg. He's down on Henderson highway.
http://www.yellowpages.ca/bus/Manitoba/Winnipeg/Ultimate-Guitar-Works/5214448.html
Heritage Softail
Well-known member
YellowJacket said:
Check out a thread in Rig Talk about BK pickups with high gain amps (Diezel in this particular one)
I'm looking at Motor City or BKP. Cantrell uses Motor City and has one of the best all around tones to my ears.
YellowJacket
Well-known member
I tried an R9 today. I didn't play it through an amp, but I just held it in my hands and played it acoustically. $5,600 guitar.
The frets just felt 'right' and the resonance of the instrument was astounding. It was more open and brilliant compared to the 'duller' sound of my instrument. I like mine a lot better than Gibson USA guitars but those Custom Shop guitars are a whole other league.
When I got my Les Paul, I wanted it to be my #1 guitar. The exchange rate being what it was, I paid good money for it. Seems like I got the thing 9 years too soon!
The frets just felt 'right' and the resonance of the instrument was astounding. It was more open and brilliant compared to the 'duller' sound of my instrument. I like mine a lot better than Gibson USA guitars but those Custom Shop guitars are a whole other league.
When I got my Les Paul, I wanted it to be my #1 guitar. The exchange rate being what it was, I paid good money for it. Seems like I got the thing 9 years too soon!
screamingdaisy
Well-known member
That about sums up my experience.
When I first played it I was hoping it was going to be the best sounding Les Paul I'd ever experienced, but the reality is that I'd never experienced such a great sounding Les Paul. It created a sound and response that I never knew existed before that moment.
It was a big "Ah ha!" moment for me. Frequently we read descriptions on the internet and think we know what the writer means based on our previous experience, and then we try something for ourselves and discover that it sounds totally different from our expectations even though the writer was totally accurate in his description.
To me it has both the low end thump and solid body sound of a USA Traditional and the top end clarity and detail of the weight relieved USA Standard. Now, someone's going to read that and think they know what I mean based on previous experience....
When I first played it I was hoping it was going to be the best sounding Les Paul I'd ever experienced, but the reality is that I'd never experienced such a great sounding Les Paul. It created a sound and response that I never knew existed before that moment.
It was a big "Ah ha!" moment for me. Frequently we read descriptions on the internet and think we know what the writer means based on our previous experience, and then we try something for ourselves and discover that it sounds totally different from our expectations even though the writer was totally accurate in his description.
To me it has both the low end thump and solid body sound of a USA Traditional and the top end clarity and detail of the weight relieved USA Standard. Now, someone's going to read that and think they know what I mean based on previous experience....
YellowJacket
Well-known member
screamingdaisy said:
Exactly, and I can completely understand how people are pissed off at Gibson about this. Did you know that the Traditionals are swiss cheese weight relieved and the Standards are actually chambered? There are people joking that you could rout an F hole in a Standard and you'd have a fantastic semi-hollow body electric!!!
I thought my 2002 Les Paul was a solid body and I found out, only by asking a pointed question to Gibson, that the guitar is in fact, a swiss cheese instrument.
This is what burns me, I even asked the staff at L&MQ what the difference was between a production and custom shop instrument. All they told me was that to go custom shop, you have to add $1,000 to the price of your favourite guitar. I was not told that Custom Shop guitars are legit, that they are the real deal. I was shopping for my #1 axe and I wanted a precision / properly built guitar and I tried every guitar in the store until I found what was the pick of the litter. I didn't know what the hell I was looking for at the time beyond 'listen to the guitar acoustically and make sure it isn't excessively muddy or tinny sounding'. I found one that sounded good acoustically and played well, and I sprung for it. While the bridge pickup was thin when played clean, it just roared like crazy for those mean high gain tones. It took gain like a champ and that is what I wanted. The neck pickup was thick and rich, and it worked well when I dialed in my clean tone to compensate for the huge low end.
That being said, I spent a lot of money and then I had to spend MORE money because when I started to expand my playing styles, the stock pickups didn't work with the instrument. Only now, $400 later, does this actually sound like a real instrument. The guitar was sold to me as a premium plus and then I find out it is only a plus top, which is obvious by looking at pictures on the internet. I also thought it was a solid body, and was the same guitar all the pros use. It is DEFINITELY NOT!
That being said, the 2002 Standards were nice. Now, the Traditionals and Standards all feel cheapily made under my fingers. Somehow the new guitars feel soulless, like they were assembled by a machine (which they are), and I just can't 'get into' the feel and response. My instrument sounds and feels like it's right smack in the middle of a current production Standard / Traditional, and the Custom Shop models. It has a certain heft to the tone and it does roar, but the resonance is not there the same way.
I am annoyed. I still like my guitar and having a family, it's probably the best I'll ever have. But knowing that I got it to have a premium instrument and it was a paltry $1,000 more to get that really bugs me. Worst of all, nobody told me this. As much as I want to say F-Gibson, sell my guitar, and get an army of Godins, I just like the look and feel of the Les Paul. The fact I have the 60s neck makes it all the better. At the end of the day, it's still the same playing and sounding instrument, even if it wasn't what I thought it was.
The only problem is that now, I'd actually like to own an R8 at some point in my life and that looks like it won't be for awhile. I want a new guitar when I graduate in 2 years time, and I'll probably spring for a used Godin LG Signature Series for $500. That's a lot of guitar for the money and Godin makes their guitars with care. I could get behind supporting a Canadian company that is a lot of quality and not a whole lot of hype. I tried a banged up to hell Godin LG Signature at Long & MQ Bloor the other day and acoustically, it was ringing like the fire alarm in a correctional facility. Man, that instrument had TONE! Getting one of these would give me an excuse to buy more Bare Knuckle Pickups!!!
