MichaelW
Well-known member
Ugh you said "gold top"......there goes my GAS again.........
Get This and not a Gibson!
- Thread starter music6000
- Start date
Mines a burst, but I was hoping for a gold top, but they were hard to find and I was looking for one below 9lb.
You talk about GAS, I'd like an Epiphone Les Paul 50's gold top with P90's - only they don't make it so I'm safe.
MichaelW
Well-known member
They don’t? Whew then I think I’m safe too. It has to be P90’s on a Gold Top for me. I’ve been eyeing the FGN Goldtops with P90’s.
Although that Epiphone Bonamassa “Lazarus” model looks pretty cool.
vigilante398
Authorized Vendor
Over the years I've found I love the idea of Gibson guitars more than actual Gibson guitars, but I'm obnoxious and still refuse to play Epiphone. So I ordered a Chibson that should be here in a couple weeks.
MichaelW
Well-known member
Definitely want to hear about that. I've been intrigued with the Chibson's but have seen some mixed reviews on them. Pictures sure look pretty though! That Peter Green Les Paul looks cool.
vigilante398
Authorized Vendor
Yeah it can be hit or miss and I've owned a couple Chibsons that were definitely misses. The best results I've heard of are when you can actually talk to the person that builds them and give them specs to work to, that's what I did on this one. I'm still planning to replace all the electronics and all the hardware, but at the end it should basically be my dream guitar and all-in it will cost about 1/5 of what a comparable Gibson would run.
Joben Magooch
Well-known member
I quite like laurel fretboards too and suspect for many in a blind test they wouldn't notice much (if any) difference with rosewood. As far as I can tell it more or less feels/sounds/plays the same and *can* look the same. I feel like laurel is typically lighter, but you can find some that is quite dark (just like you will occasionally see rosewood that is quite light or streaky). I must admit I do prefer the (typical) darker look of rosewood so am a bit picky about finding the right guitar w/ laurel but that's purely an aesthetic thing.
As has been mentioned I very much prefer laurel over pau ferro. But I think that is even painting with a bit of a broad brush as I have seen some do pau ferro very well (off the top of my head I think Ernie Ball / Music Man has been using it for some time now with great results), but I guess I am speaking more specifically to my experience with Fender/Squiers with pau ferro...for whatever reason it seems to me like they always have particularly bad examples of it.
In general though I think we are really living in a great time for "budget" guitars. There are so many options out there at the moment at prices that would've previously got you straight-up trash not that long ago. There's something to be said for a nice all-handmade piece but it's truly impressive just how factories nowadays can crank out such a consistent product and do so at such a low cost, relatively speaking. I'm sure it's probably sacrilege to some but I would go so far as to say that some of these "high-end budget" guitars (think like the Squier Classic Vibe series, not so much the ultra low-end) today are outplaying American-made or handmade instruments from years ago and doing so at a fraction of the price.
As has been mentioned I very much prefer laurel over pau ferro. But I think that is even painting with a bit of a broad brush as I have seen some do pau ferro very well (off the top of my head I think Ernie Ball / Music Man has been using it for some time now with great results), but I guess I am speaking more specifically to my experience with Fender/Squiers with pau ferro...for whatever reason it seems to me like they always have particularly bad examples of it.
In general though I think we are really living in a great time for "budget" guitars. There are so many options out there at the moment at prices that would've previously got you straight-up trash not that long ago. There's something to be said for a nice all-handmade piece but it's truly impressive just how factories nowadays can crank out such a consistent product and do so at such a low cost, relatively speaking. I'm sure it's probably sacrilege to some but I would go so far as to say that some of these "high-end budget" guitars (think like the Squier Classic Vibe series, not so much the ultra low-end) today are outplaying American-made or handmade instruments from years ago and doing so at a fraction of the price.
szukalski
Well-known member
Gold top with P90s.. 45th birthday mayhaps?
MichaelW
Well-known member
That ship sailed a long time ago for me, can it be a retroactive b-day present??
Locrian99
Well-known member
I was in the market for a strat about 6 months ago a good friend of mine buys/sells used instruments. It’s amazing the stuff he finds for dirt cheap anyways. I was looking a maple strat he got this 2020 players strat with the pau ferro and sold it to me for what he paid. Was too good to pass up bought with the intention of selling it when something better came along. It’s also a sunburst (ugh). I don’t see myself selling it. So impressed with how this thing is. Way better than I remember by 90 something USA standard was back in the 90’s. I may pick up a maple fretboard one if the right one comes along though as it does feel a little “soft” but man they really have done wonders with these strats.
MichaelW
Well-known member
For sure it's mind boggling the quality of budget instruments these days. I've said it before, I wonder what kind of guitar player I would be today if I had access to this kind of quality when I was a kid hahaha.
Pau Ferro is growing on me. I had a Pau Ferro acoustic by Dana Bourgeois a long time ago. It was touted as the "next best Brazilian rosewood equivalent". It DOES sound a bit more like braz than Indian in an acoustic, it's got that glassines to it, but almost too much. That particular guitar was missing the deep lush low end that's also present along with the glassiness of a well built acoustic with Brazilian Rosewood.
For fingerboards I really didn't care for it much until the last couple of years. It started with a replacement neck for one of my Strats. It was a Fender branded roasted maple neck. It needed a lot of work to get it to where I liked it. Fender unfortunately does not sand their PF fingerboards enough and it doesn't feel very good. But once properly sanded, buffed and oiled, it makes a world of difference in how it feels.
It's still a brighter wood and harder wood than EI, as I mentioned, kinda splits the difference between Maple and Rosewood to me.
Here's my "New Neck Day" post and my process for prepping a Pau Ferro fingerboard.
SillyOctpuss
Well-known member
Ooh you tease. That's a great idea.
Coda
Well-known member
I’d much rather have a Gibson than something with Bonamassa stamped on it…
MichaelW
Well-known member
Hmmm, I don't see his name anywhere. I'd have thought there'd be some sort of signature or something somewhere......
Epiphone | Joe Bonamassa "Lazarus" 1959 Les Paul Standard
When blues-rock guitar legend Joe Bonamassa found "Lazarus," a rare 1959 Gibson Les Paul™ Standard, it was in poor condition and had been refinished red. Like the Biblical Lazarus, Joe's original guitar was brought back to life. Once it was restored, its stunningly figured top was revealed. Now...
www.epiphone.com
Pretty interesting story about his Lazarus guitar, hidden gem under a crappy over-finish. But of course no longer a "true" 59 since it's been diddled with. I have no idea what version of Burstbucker pickups are in that Epi but they probably sound pretty good.
Joben Magooch
Well-known member
Who did you order through if you don't mind me asking?
When did Epiphone start putting maple caps on their Les Pauls? Was it with the introduction of the ‘inspired by Gibson’ range? It was the maple cap and people taking favourable about the pickups that made me weaken last year.
I ordered the new pots today, I’m hoping the 550k pots will be at least 500k and open up the upper frequencies a bit.
I ordered the new pots today, I’m hoping the 550k pots will be at least 500k and open up the upper frequencies a bit.
MichaelW
Well-known member
Definitely a pain in butt trying to get true 500k pots. Even the TAOT 525k is 10% variance. Which can get you 470k. (It's never higher than spec for some reason). You almost have to order a dozen and pick through them to get a good set of 4 pots.
MichaelW
Well-known member
I know virtually nothing about Epiphone, except that I didn't notice them until the "Inspired by Gibson" line came out. Some cool guitars for sure. I don't exactly care for the finishes on the Les Pauls though. I kinda like the Sweetwater limited run burst and I think it's American Musical that has an exclusive burst color.
