AlanN said:
marcusnieman said:
Diamond said:
brokentoes said:
I really like the look of that plaintop, simple and elegant.
Certainly not Gibsons intention to make a simple & elegant plaintop guitar, it was all about making the cheapest guitar possible...some of them have 5 piece bodies.
Not sure what the "50's Tribute" means, the guitar has no body binding, no neck binding, what's "50's" about it?
It's a tribute... not a reissue. Fat 50's neck, solid top, nitro, 50's P90's, orange drops, 17 degree neck angle, etc
They did do these as budget guitars and they knock the socks off of their standards.... make the Epi's look like crap too. I don't own many Gibsons but I couldn't recommend these more highly if you are interested in how they feel, play and sound.... if your just interested in cork sniffing, it's not for you - you should go for the overpriced historics. To me, the most important factor of any guitar is what comes through the amp at a gig.
Bit unfair that, Marcus - almost reverse snobbery. You know I owned (and was bitterly disappointed in) a tribute, and sent it back; since then I've tried every single one I could get my hands on over here - always having in mind that "Marcus found a keeper, there must be one out there!".
Needless to say I'm still looking. They've ranged from average (and therefore overpriced, especially up against stuff like the PRS SE SCs for less money) to utterly awful. The P90s are fantastic, I agree, but I'd say that to me the most important factor of any guitar is how it
plays at a gig. The sound is infinitely more tweakable.
YMMV of course.
Since I got it, went with a full Faber set up.....locking alum tailpiece / studs (top wrap), ABR bridge with brass saddles and lock down posts/collars, Kluson tuners from RS Guitarworks.... kind of icing on the cake because like you said, I think I got a good one to start with. I won't sell this guitar - in fact, since I got it, I've unloaded a Tokai 56 Goldtop P90 and an Epi Limited Lacquer LP Special because tone AND playing wise (weight, neck profile, frets), it's become my go to P90 Les Paul. You are absolutely correct that tone can be dialed in .... playability can't. Major oversight in my comment.
Keep looking at them Alan... you'll find one you like. I don't know if when they were built has anything to do with it. The first batch that came out of Nashville before the flood shut down production was when I first became aware of them..... friend of mine has one and it has a two piece center joined body.... plays like a dream and I had to have one. Three of us put in a backorder with a manager at Guitar Center before they were able to start production again on them.... waited a couple months.... and we got the first batch of the new production run.... two goldtops and my honeyburst (which has a 3 piece back). Out of the three guitars, mine had a larger neck profile (which I like), one of the gold tops had a two piece center join body, the other was a two piece with the seam near the pots. Here's the day we unwrapped them:
