Schon's heel bout

Some time ago, in one of the indulgent pages of this blog, I've mentioned the thoughtful inclusion of a tampered heel in the Gibson Les Paul which was featured in the manufacturer's Axcess model. This allows the more adventurous players among us, notably of the shredder pedigree, to have an appealing access to the upper frets.

That heel design was actually an adaptation of Neal Schon's (Journey) idea which originated from his customized model. Neal Schon has a dated embrace for Les Pauls, my adoration for him is definitely for his dauntless inclusion of a Floyd Rose bridge & the aforementioned heel revision. However, it's all past tense now as Neal Schon had a recent fallout with Gibson. Here's an extraction of this bitter episode:

"... They rubbed me wrong, man. I worked very hard with them on my signature model that we did several years ago, and we got Les' blessing and everything – Les was a good friend of mine. We changed the heel on the guitar, changed the angle of the neck, showed them how you put a Floyd Rose in a Les Paul without the thing sticking five miles out. We did a lot. And they ended up telling me that my guitars wouldn't sell because they were too expensive, even though every one of them sold out – this, despite the fact that they put some ridiculous price tag on them, like $10,000 or $12,000 a guitar. 

"So they took my ideas and stuck them on the Axcess model, which is a cheaper edition of what was my guitar. We got into it legally for a moment about the heel of the guitar, which was very much like a Schon. Eventually I just said, 'I'm gonna let this go. Forget about it.' So I walked away, and I'm glad I did."

This is not my attempt to decamp you Les Paul purists from your chateau- no. I am trying to highlight the harsh endorser-manufacturer relationship especially so when it boils down to financial considerations.

In the near future, the above image will be a familiar sight because Neal Schon had teamed up with PRS for his guitar needs. I certainly like where he's going with this.

The propagation

Epihone's EM-2... remember this one?

This is a reminder of where it got its curves from- Gibson's defunct M III.

Midtown

This is Gibson's new baby- the Midtown Standard. Basically an ES-335-esque model sporting a trimmed headstock design & a scaled-down body. The primary difference here is that Gibson made this one with a solid top instead of multiple laminates like the other model, I have a feeling you know which one that would be.

Sale... still on?

I talked to Kellie yesterday, she told me all the remaining SALE items will still be on sale till they are out of stock. So that's good news for those of us still hunting for good bargains & if you are looking for Gibson pickups, check out the good discounts at Eillekoet.

Have a great Sunday, everyone.

Eillek 500

I was at Eillekoet today to get the above Gibson pickup. The 500T is one furious Gibson pickup & I like it for its clarity; it actually made me like a Gibson guitar (at least for the tone...)! . I've heard it in use many times in Gibson's Les Paul Classic so I know what to expect.

Eillek SALE

If you are looking for some Ibanez (such as the ZR bridge assembly seen above)/ Fender/ Gibson spares, among others, be informed that Eillekoet is currently having a SALE. You have till 27th June to check them out. Also, get to hear your favourite song being played in-store while you shop- no kidding.

Pot!

If you insist on Gibson parts for your em... Gibson guitar, Davis GMC has Gibson pots for you... at affordable prices, of course.

Red rocking 2

Sammy Hagar had a Gibson Les Paul done for him in conjunction with his involvements in the 'super band' Chicken Foot: CLICK. This time round, the Explorer gets the Red Rocker treatment.

The Nighthawk once more

Gibson's Nighthawk returned to production last year as a limited run selection: CLICK

Subsequently, Epiphone featured the Nighthawk as regular production units earlier this year: CLICK

But come summer 2011, the Gibson Nighthawk is here to stay. For how long? I've no idea whatsoever. But the Nighthawk is one of those memorable Gibsons in my books because it features a single coil pickup, something which is not a Gibson staple. Well, the manufacturer dared to consider this inclusion because the Nighthawk is 25.5"; it's the most appealing scale length for that unmistakable single coil snap. Now you know why Fender keeps it within this scale length- it's done for a reason.

B-Les Paul

In the coming days, Gibson will also be releasing the Les Paul Studio baritone model. In terms of feel, this one would be a departure from the traditional Gibson- it is moving away from the established 24.75" scale length, keep this in mind. However, the guitar offers 2 more frets as seen above.

Before you scream 'FRESH!', be informed that in 2004, there was already a baritone Les Paul (2 lesser knobs on that one) but it was an Epiphone product. If I were a hardcore Les Paul wielder (but I'm not), I would thank Gibson for the variety but I will keep my Les Paul in its original  manifestation despite the desire to employ a lower tuning.

Studio bucket

Gibson's releasing the Buckethead Les Paul Studio this summer- good news for fans who are budget conscious in need of a larger-than-standard LP body & some muting trickery on board.

Gibson: Les Paul Traditional Bigsby

Em... here's something 'new' by Gibson, the Les Paul Traditional Bigsby. It's a Traditional series Les Paul, sporting a B-70 Bigsby whammy unit & a pair of '57 Classic humbuckers. I've nothing against Bigsby-equipped guitars (or its derivatives), just that it's a pain choosing a case/ bag for them- fitting issues.

Les Pauls?

Are the guitars in the above pic Les Pauls? No they are not. They are merely copies (my Edwards & Grass Roots singlecuts- I favour them to the Gibsons). I talked to someone recently about Les Pauls & the lad was whining endlessly about the instrument quality & body chambering until he mentioned the Japanese Les Pauls being more worthy in terms of craftsmanship proportionate to the asking price. So my natural question to him was, which Les Pauls are made in Japan? The answer was Edwards, so I duly told him they aren't Les Pauls, they are merely copies. We, lazy folks, find it convenient to refer to them as such. Only Gibsons are Les Pauls. But he insisted they are by virtue of design. So there we have it; insistence based on a personal interpretation. 

Gibson: Les Paul Studio '60s

Gee... I didn't know this is a new offering by Gibson- it's a Les Paul Studio '60s, not to be confused with the Studio '60s Tribute model, the latter featuring a pair of P-90 pickups. The '60s' moniker here alludes to he guitar's specs, some of which are manifestations of the '60s profile eg: the guitar's slim taper neck make. The instrument per se is a sensible offering for those of us who are not into visual attraction but fans are still wondering why such a simple version retails for more than USD2K.

Gibson: RD...

1970s was a down period for many guitar designs & QC, it was also the decade of rejects. The guitar you see here, the Gibson RD, didn't win favours in terms of visual appeal. In giving it due credit for being experimental, some fans could see that it's a fusion of the Explorer, Thunderbird & SG but gone horribly wrong in Dr. Frankenstein lab. Anyway, if you are into such quirks, the manufacturer decided to give it a re-issue run in the mean time. The model you see here is the RD Standard Exclusive.

GIbaon: Les Paul BFG Gator

This is a recent addition to the Gibson Les Paul BFG manifestation- the Gator. Anything special to look out for? Zilch. The 'Gator' reference is the reptilian hue you see above, the manufacturer stated that the scale-like carvings on the guitar's top gave the guitar its identity. If I refinish my current BFG to look like the one above, I might be able to own a Gator without actually having to purchase one. But no such intentions in the mean time.

V-7

All ye Gibson fans... behold the Flying V, 7-string!! (But it's not mightier than Thor's hammer...).

So Gibson finally acted & added 1 more string to the electric guitar (when many others have moved on & added 2 more) & make it standard production. Anyway, if you are wondering why the machine heads there are devoid of tuners, these are the Steinberger gearless, through-headstock, model- not a new idea, they are seen in the Firebird.

Melody Makers

Musikmesse 2011 debut by Gibson- a limited run of Melody Makers; we've seen the LP version before (albeit the different pickup in there)...

... here's the SG take. These are great guitars in terms of simplicity & tone focus but that string pull there- owing to the narrow headstock design- has some tuning instability potential.

But this time, there are 2 more models to consider; the Flying V features a more thoughtful headstock design...

... which is also featured in the Explorer version. It looks out of place, Mr. Gibson, sir. But if it makes you happy...

Differentiated knobs

Those of us with a 4-knob guitar can relate to the fact that sometimes we fumble with our controls- we turn the wrong knob for the pickup in current use. As such, I've differentiated the bridge pickup control knobs from the neck ones (the guitar here is my Gibson LP BFG). This idea isn't new though, Joe Bonamassa (among others) did it with his.

Flood anniversary

The month of May is looming ahead. If you work for Gibson, you'd probably be overwhelmed by the Nashville flood flashbacks; the death of so many Gibson guitars is simply too much. But on the contrary, Gibson had made it a point to remember the flood by having the Flood Anniversary LP Studio (available in green or blue swirl) whose swirl design was actually the product of the flood water mixing with the factory paint & left to dry as the water receded. Gibson fans are debating over the USD2,389 MSRP in the mean time.