What a great guitar! It delivers everything you'd expect from a Les Paul but only lighter!
Lighter is the key word here guys and gals. No more back pain, just smooth sailing! Huge sustain together with crunching rock tone this guitar is a rockers dream.
I gigged it the first time I played it and the response was awesome. I could stand in my feedback arch just sustaining a note and turning the guitar letting it sound out different harmonics like some kind of starved demon of rock!
Every time I strap the Paul on it brings a smile to my face, so much so that I ignore my other guitars on stage in favour of it. This also vouches for it's versatility, as I am able to use it for songs where I'd usually use something different.
Right, now the downside.
Now this is a left handed version so here is something they won't tell you on the Gibson web site. The volume pots as well as the tone pots turn clockwise and not counter clockwise as they should for a left handed player. Why Gibson does this I don't know, I have just emailed them about it now. If you are happy to over look this then fine, but if you are used to using your pots the way I am then it just won't do.
The next problem is that with the new wiring set up that Gibson is bragging about you are unable to resolder the pot to change the polarity as you would on any other guitar. So you are forced to rip it all out and go old school. Gavin, the tech at Andertons is doing mine for me now and I'm sure its going to melt faces off when I get it back. Can't wait!
The input jack is another funny. They have installed a locking jack which is not that much of a hindrance, but I just don't get it. We all loop our cables through straps or use wireless so their is no danger of pulling the lead out of your guitar, so for the extra time it takes to swap guitars it isn't really worth having. Besides a lead dangling straight out of the jack doesn't look cool! Maybe to make life easier Gibson can include a line selector with the guitar so you don't need to unplug when changing guitars!!!
All in all though my new Les Paul is going to rule when it comes back from the shop and together with the line selector I'm going to buy I'm sure I am going to be a very happy camper.
It also smells great, no really it does. Sometimes I open the case and just take a wiff.
Buy it and unleash the fury!
