2016 Gibson Goldtop Dark Back Les Paul

smitty_p said:
I have 498T/490R pickups in my Les Paul and 57 Classics in one of my SGs. You won't make the 57 Classics sound just like a 498T. The 498T pickups have more gain, for one thing.
Click to expand...

Smitty,

This entire les paul replica adventure is uncharted territory for me. At 51, this is my first Les Paul (not counting the Harmony I briefly had in 1976 from Montgomery Ward) and I find myself moving away from vintage wound PAF's (7-8k) for the first time in my life.

The 498T did impress me...not enough to buy one from Gibson, based on the negative experience I had with the past three sets of Gibson pickups, but it really sounded good and was very quiet too.

I am hoping these covered GFS VEH's (11.5 / 9.5) Alinco V's will get me close to what I heard from this Goldtop.

The next step up is the Suhr Doug Aldrich Signature @ 17.8k....
 
Last edited:
Oh yes...and SCREW the crappy 4mm bridge pins on Gibson. The larger, metric studs are more stable, easier to adjust and just make more sense form a mechanical standpoint...
 
I agree there Robert but the Metric stuff that comes on production overseas guitars is mostly junk from what ive seen.now there might be some high dollar Epis os something thats using the Gotoh or Schaller . i personally like the Gotoh price and quality.
 
i only have one guitar left with a TOM bridge set up.I have mostly wrap around bridges and Teles.
 
JohnnyGoo said:
I agree there Robert but the Metric stuff that comes on production overseas guitars is mostly junk from what ive seen.now there might be some high dollar Epis os something thats using the Gotoh or Schaller . i personally like the Gotoh price and quality.
Click to expand...

Could be...this ABR-1loaner is nice looking. I bought a Pinnacle roller bridge (ABR-1 style) in gold with titanium non rusting rollers and it comes in the correct 14" radius.

I'll post up pics when I get it.
 
Dudes...even with loaner hardware and Epiphone Probuckers I would put this up against any Gibson. It destroys the $4,799 Gibson Les Paul Custom at Guitar Sinner for tone!
 
Robert Herndon said:
Gotta keep an eye out for the "Gibson Faithful. "
Click to expand...

That'd probably be me. A Gibson (Les Paul) was my first "real" guitar and that was just under 40 years ago. I have had many different makes/models, tried everything at least once, but alway go back to Gibson. There is something intangible about the sound and feel of them that really does make them different than any other guitar. I am an unabashed lover of Gibson guitars.

I don't see the bashing of any other make the way I do with Gibson on the all-wise internet. Apparently they can't do anything right: fit, finish, intonation, pickups, string angles, headstock design, weight, nut cutting, neck carve, type of nitro, "that's not how they did it in 1959!" nonsense, etc. People even worry themselves to death about the color of the feaking plastic!

I've yet to personally find one of these mythical Gibson-slaying Epiphones that I keep hearing about, no matter how many times someone hands me one and tells me how it will kill my Gibsons for a fraction of the price. Sorry, it just doesn't happen in the real world,
 
gball said:
That'd probably be me. A Gibson (Les Paul) was my first "real" guitar and that was just under 40 years ago. I have had many different makes/models, tried everything at least once, but alway go back to Gibson. There is something intangible about the sound and feel of them that really does make them different than any other guitar. I am an unabashed lover of Gibson guitars.

I don't see the bashing of any other make the way I do with Gibson on the all-wise internet. Apparently they can't do anything right: fit, finish, intonation, pickups, string angles, headstock design, weight, nut cutting, neck carve, type of nitro, "that's not how they did it in 1959!" nonsense, etc. People even worry themselves to death about the color of the feaking plastic!

I've yet to personally find one of these mythical Gibson-slaying Epiphones that I keep hearing about, no matter how many times someone hands me one and tells me how it will kill my Gibsons for a fraction of the price. Sorry, it just doesn't happen in the real world,
Click to expand...

Gibson's were always laying around as I was growing up. Of course, most were old back then and I'm 51 now, but I don't see that level of quality anymore from Gibson.

Its probably unfair to expect that level of quality from Gibson these days. I played many, bought two new Gibsons. That's enough punishment for me.

I am happy to see people that have really Good Gibson's. I wouldn't wish my experiences on my worst enemy.

I really am starting to love the design of the Les Paul after years of avoiding them because of their weight. The balance on this one...the way it was relieved...it just sits on your leg so nice and I can take my hands off of it and it stays put.

It's just such a pleasure to play...something that's been absent from my musical life for quite some time. All the upgrades I'm doing, from wiring to pickups, NOS bumblebees, to the Faraday cages and Keystone Grovers...just things I really want, not things I must do just to use it.

Maybe there are no Gibson slaying Epiphone as you say, but a modern production line Gibson will be hard pressed to beat a hand made custom.

Maybe that's why Slash played not one - but two Les Paul Replicas???
 
Slash didn't "choose" either the derrig or the max, they were chosen for him. The max was because the guy that did "choose" it knew the luthier, & the derrig I think because it was the best sounding one available. Neither were meant for slash to keep. He has light fingers. He also kept the SIR #36 amp that was used to record AFD. SIR employees had to steal it back. There's also other guitars used by him on AFD, the Jackson for one, you can hear him use the bar on it if you listen. Cheers
 
Last edited:
Actually sorry, looking into it he did speak to Max himself & got the use of the Max, Allen Niven got him the use of the Derrig & he kept it. Cheers
Edit; there's also those who say that the bulk of AFD was recorded with Slash using a rented SG Gibson & the max's & derrig were used for fills etc. Who knows. Cheers
Edit; after further looking, it would appear the bulk of AFD, which many consider the best & definitive Slash tone, was a mix of BC Rich, Jackson & Gibson SG (My Michelle is definitely SG) guitars, with the Les Paul replicas used to overdub fills. By all accounts the derrig isn't an accurate replica & while not badly made, is a little sloopy, due to being hand made without proper routing templates etc. What sets it apart is the use of very old recycled timbers. Oh, Slash snapped the neck on it & its been repaired. Cheers
 
Last edited:
ivan H said:
Actually sorry, looking into it he did speak to Max himself & got the use of the Max, Allen Niven got him the use of the Derrig & he kept it. Cheers
Edit; there's also those who say that the bulk of AFD was recorded with Slash using a rented SG Gibson & the max's & derrig were used for fills etc. Who knows. Cheers
Edit; after further looking, it would appear the bulk of AFD, which many consider the best & definitive Slash tone, was a mix of BC Rich, Jackson & Gibson SG (My Michelle is definitely SG) guitars, with the Les Paul replicas used to overdub fills. By all accounts the derrig isn't an accurate replica & while not badly made, is a little sloopy, due to being hand made without proper routing templates etc. What sets it apart is the use of very old recycled timbers. Oh, Slash snapped the neck on it & its been repaired. Cheers
Click to expand...

Correct, and the repaired neck Derrig is said to be his go-to studio guitar....
 
ivan H said:
I think the biggest part of his AFD tone was the amp. Cheers
Click to expand...

Amp is the biggest factor in my tone, I can assure you. I may only have 3 guitars (4 now but have a potential buyer for the Gibson SG) but I will not hesitate to hoard amps...
 
Great info , interesting reading. I didnt know any of this stuff about Slashs guitar other than the Fact it wasnt a real Gibson.
 
JohnnyGoo said:
Great info , interesting reading. I didnt know any of this stuff about Slashs guitar other than the Fact it wasnt a real Gibson.
Click to expand...

One of my professional contacts is a really talented studio musician here in SoCal. He told me that the Replica Gibson's really started popping up in the late 70's and 80's among the studio crowd. Kris Derrig built a lot of replica Les Pauls for people, but there were other private builders too.

Its not that guys don't want to or cannot afford a real Gibson, often they desire features ans/or a certain attention to detail not available in a production line guitar or rebuilding a relic.

There's a lot of Gibson hype too, and you will find instances where that "Gibson label syndrome" works both for and against you.

For example, when Toto filmed the video for "Rosana," the record label provided a Gibson Les Paul for Luke to "play" in the video, even though the song was recorded on his Valley Arts guitar.

Once I began looking into the Gibson replica thing, I began to find more and more of them in use.

I was told this in strict confidence, and I will honor that request, but Slash is just one example. There is another very famous replica that became a Gibson signature model that only a few insiders know is a replica. Gibson would never acknowledge this fact publicly, but it raises eyebrows when you hear the story from a retired Gibson employee who worked on the project. Gibson upper management even distributed an internal memorandum gushing any mention of the guitar's true origin. I was told a similar memo came down when the AFD Slash signature model was being built from the Derrig replica.

I readily tell people that I am playing a hand-crafted replica that's better than a production line Gibson. Why hide a clearly superior product??? Its like an AC Cobra kit car that has better, more modern features than the original, but still looks the part.

I would be willing to bet the Derrig replica sold more real Gibson's than anything else!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top