NGD

[Lozz196]

So last week I bought myself a used Gibson Les Paul Studio. Although I find Fender guitars easier to play I just prefer the sound of Gibsons. And am I glad I got it, the sound is great. It ain’t ‘arf heavy though!

[ezbass]

[Skinnyman]

I had a 2010 Les Paul Studio in the natural walnut.

It had a sound all of its own and I really regret selling it. I bought another, “proper”, Les Paul years later and it was nowhere near as good build or tone-wise. 

A good, well set up Studio is an awesome thing.

[EdwardMarlowe]

To my mind, the only shame was they went from the dot inlays to the crowns. I preferred the dots. The unbound fingerboard is a lovely thing, though - probably because I'm much more of a Fender man, but I much prefer the feel of a well-shaped,  unbound neck. 

[Skinnyman]

On 09/02/2021 at 09:35, EdwardMarlowe said:

but I much prefer the feel of a well-shaped,  unbound neck. 

Couldn’t agree more. I don’t mind it so much on my acoustic but I much prefer unbound necks on my electrics. And rosewood* rather than maple. 
 

* or whatever the modern, sustainable version of rosewood is

[EdwardMarlowe]

3 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

Couldn’t agree more. I don’t mind it so much on my acoustic but I much prefer unbound necks on my electrics. And rosewood* rather than maple. 
 

* or whatever the modern, sustainable version of rosewood is

Interestingly, I've changed, like Hendrix, over the years. Started out preferring rosewood on a Strat, the 62 vibe, but I've come now to much prefer maple. Every so often I'm tempted to buy a Fender 50s soft v maple boarded neck for my old (1994) MIA Strat, but even if a 42 nut would suit me much better than it's 43mm, I'm a bit superstitious about changing the neck on a stock guitar like that let it's never the same again...  The Big Plan over the next few years is to buy a Tidepool Player with maple, and *maybe* (if I can try one and like it before they get popular and shoot up in price!!) a Shijie in Daphne Blue with their baked maple neck... covers all options.  I was impressed when the Player series was launched and they seem to have what I particularly have always wanted on a neck - glossy fingerboard, satin back. I've been tempted to have the rosewood on my 94 glossed, like a French polish or something, but I've always felt the need to keep that guitar all-original. I even still have the ugly-as-sin square saddles on it!

[EdwardMarlowe]

4 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

Couldn’t agree more. I don’t mind it so much on my acoustic but I much prefer unbound necks on my electrics. And rosewood* rather than maple. 
 

* or whatever the modern, sustainable version of rosewood is

I've yet to try Pao Ferro; for me, the maple preference is cosmetic, really - as I think you're implying for yourself too, given the "'''or whatever".  I still like a dark board on some guitars; as much as anything, I think my developing preference for maple stems from its relative rarity for me - at a time, it was almost impossible to find an "affordable", left handed guitar tat wasn't rosewood. I was never sure why, I could only assume the maple was somehow more expensive. Funny to think that Leo just used whatever wood came to hand - pine, alder, ash.... maple, rosewood - but now it's a whole "tonewood" mojo thing... I've often wondered whether "tonewood" is a product of superstition, guitarists like Eric Johnson with dog-level hearing, or just damn good marketing...  

[Skinnyman]

13 minutes ago, EdwardMarlowe said:

I've often wondered whether "tonewood" is a product of superstition, guitarists like Eric Johnson with dog-level hearing, or just damn good marketing...  

I think, for most of us, it’s the latter. Perhaps if you’re playing an intimate gig with an unamplified acoustic but as soon as you add in effects, amps, cabs, room acoustics, a mad drummer and a screaming vocalist and the subtleties of tone wood start to disappear.

I think I prefer the feel of an unglossed rosewood fretboard - all the maple ones I’ve played have had a high gloss finish on and been really hard under the fingers. Probably my imagination but RW seems to have have just a little “give” which I like.

 

[leftybassman392]

Bit old this one, but it's a response to a request from a friend to post my latest purchase:

Faith Mercury parlour guitar. Englemann spruce top, rosewood back & sides, ebony fretboard. All solid woods. Active system has Faith logo on it but not sure who made it, and really rather good it is too. I know I'm a bit biased, but IMHO a £750 guitar has no right to look, feel and sound this good.

Bought in 2019 from PMT Birmingham. I took delivery on a day when there was a trade show on, and had the good fortune to discuss the guitar (among other things) with the man who designed it

Not the best images I could have done, but hey!

 

Edited July 24, 2021 by leftybassman392

[Skinnyman]

I had a Faith for years and I agree, they’re amazingly good guitars - even more so at that price point. 

That looks very nice - is it really as compact as the pictures suggest?

[leftybassman392]

3 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

I had a Faith for years and I agree, they’re amazingly good guitars - even more so at that price point. 

That looks very nice - is it really as compact as the pictures suggest?

Yup. 24" scale, a whisker over 36" end-to-end. Astonishingly full sound though. At some point I'll try to put together a bit of a demo. My playing technique's for poop ATM though; I keep meaning to get back to it but somehow something else always comes up. Give me  month or two and I'll be there!