2016 Gibson 50's Tribute Les Paul Gold Top - First Report:
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Mr Grumpy
Ambassador of Comings and Goings
I'll be interested to see how this pans out.
I'm sticking to the theory that a dimmed medium to high output humbucker played through a cranked Marshall will be inherently noisy; there's no design error, it's just the laws of physics. But, I will be very happy to be proven wrong, and I hope everything works out as you want it.
OP
Well, I had a 17k humbucker in my 1987 Stratocaster for quite a while that was dead quiet through the same rig and that's nearly 5k more than a 498T.
OP
Got a little side project this weekend that needs some clean guitar. I'm going to take the Gold Top and see if I can squeak by with using it....
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
It's not about DC resistance...it'a about inductance. DC resistance is a horrible, terrible, misleading way to determine the "output" of a pickup.
Here's a nice article on it:
Inductance: What It Is And Why It Matters
OP
I agree, but since it seems everyone is accustomed to using DC resistance values, I posted it that way.
Bottom line is, I've heard nothing hotter than this uncovered, 17.5k bridge humbucker and it is quieter than my lower DC resistance covered pickups....and that 498T has nowhere near the output.
I think its an Artec Dragonfire. Back when I bought it, there wasn't anything "hotter" I could find.
Even the Gibson tech in Arcadia watched the video and said, "Wow. We been seeing this a lot, even on the Gibson replacement pickups..."
So, I'm going to let the Gibson tech work his magic.
OP
Me too!!!!!
OP
Great article by the way!!!!
OP
Wow....after 4 hours of playing (clean!) I gotta say that the 2016 Gibson SG T Series really has the most amazing tone!!!! Its just really rich and clear....it actually impressed me after months in the case!!!!
Kerry Brown
Ambassador of the Great Northern Bar Jams
Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees
I've experienced the same thing. I bought a used SG. It was very nice. I changed the pickups and spent a lot of time time setting it up and getting it right. For some reason I liked my other SG better and it rarely got played. After months of sitting unused I picked it up and was amazed at the the tone and playability. Sometimes you just need to step back and not play a guitar for a while then when you do play it you look at it in a new light.
OP
Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees
Very good observation!
Kinda of like my 2005 Schecter C1 Hellraiser that doesn't get played much any more because I don't really like the 25.5" scale....what an amazingly well made and lightweight guitar!
I think I keep buying new Gibson's in an effort to try to keep from building my own custom guitar.....but I am starting to feel like I might have to build my own to really get what I want.
Kerry Brown
Ambassador of the Great Northern Bar Jams
I have a Terry McInturff guitar. It is the next thing to a custom built guitar. He is a small builder in North Carolina. I got the guitar used in a trade for an amp. As soon as I held the guitar I knew the quality was there. I've and I've played some very nice Gibson's. None of them can hold a candle to the McInturff. You can feel the love that went into building it. I have played better sounding Gibson's but never a better feeling Gibson.
McInturff Guitars | World-Class, Custom Crafted Guitars
OP
Very nice...
Ironically, my best feeling Gibson and my best sounding Gibson is my 2016 SG....which has no Gibson electronics in it.....Hmmmm....that was a very long journey my friend!
OP
That's a big time investment. Not sure I want to go there again!
OP
Saying goodbye to the Gold Top today. Local Gibson warranty tech traced the buzz to a short in one coil of the bridge humbucker and what he described as "bleedover" along two traces on the PCB. Parts would take "several weeks" to obtain, so I decided to avoid a repeat of the time and effort I put into my SG and send it over the Rainbow bridge...
Kerry Brown
Ambassador of the Great Northern Bar Jams
What a shame. Gibson really has to do something about their quality control. The used market is so big and the older guitars so much better they are losing sales and starting to panic. Really all they have to do is better quality control and lower their prices a bit and they'd be fine. Instead they raise the prices on all the good stuff and come out with some lower priced cheap s**t that their own subsidiary, Epiphone, beats hands down for quality control and value for price.
eSGEe
Ferengi Ambassador of Trade
WOW------- that is ----SORRY TO THOSE WHO WILL DEFEND IT ------pathetic. and this (correct me if I am wrong Robert) was not a random off the shelf walk in and BUY guitar---this was ordered for you, direct.
I have ordered CHibsons, Epiphones, Squiers, Agiles, SX, Douglas, no names--AMOON's(for pete sake 48.FRIGGIN dollars DELIVERED) and others from ebay and reverb, craigslist.....back alleys and pawn shops ---- and my "return to function" ratio was not even CLOSE to this......
Sorry man I thought for sure not buying off the shelf from a BIG BOX retailer you would get a good one.........
I have ordered CHibsons, Epiphones, Squiers, Agiles, SX, Douglas, no names--AMOON's(for pete sake 48.FRIGGIN dollars DELIVERED) and others from ebay and reverb, craigslist.....back alleys and pawn shops ---- and my "return to function" ratio was not even CLOSE to this......
Sorry man I thought for sure not buying off the shelf from a BIG BOX retailer you would get a good one.........
OP
Ya, I requested a 50's Tribute Gold Top because I wanted the "clubby" neck and my rep found me one.
After setting the relief and action, it really did play great, but, just like my SG, it needs a circuit board removal and pickup swap...and I just didn't feel like doing it again...