ampfixer
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 09:12:41
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Rain
My favorite "new" option right now - in theory. I still need to try one of these.
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-Les-Paul-Traditional-Pro-II--60s-Neck-Electric-Guitar-108261892-i2654156.gc
I'd prefer a 50's neck, but, all in all - in theory - this is as close as it gets in that price range.
I had a traditional similar to that with a gold top. Best bang for the Gibson buck in my book. No printed circuit cards, no quick connect wiring harness and no damn min E tune. It would give you a foundation that would last for years. I really hope you can snag one. Insert Hitler video here! 
Regards, John I want to make it clear that I am an Eedjit. I have no direct, or indirect, knowledge of business, the music industry, forum threads or the meaning of life. I know about amps. WIN 10 Pro X64, I7-3770k 16 gigs, ASUS Z77 pro, AMD 7950 3 gig, Steinberg UR44, A-Pro 500, Sonar Platinum, KRK Rokit 6
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michaelhanson
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 09:26:47
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Actually, Julien, a lot of Studios still have the maple cap. Mine has pretty nice tiger striped maple. They used to come with a 498T in the bridge and a 490R in the neck. Last year I put a Pearly Gates in my bridge position. A Classic 57 Plus or an Alnico 2 BB3 are still my favorite pickups, though. Some of the older Studios are even solid wood, not chambered.
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craigb
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 12:58:54
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I can't imagine what will happen if Rain ever goes into Ed Roman's store there in Vegas! Ed may be gone, but they still have hundreds of guitars - many of them custom! http://www.edroman.com/
Time for all of you to head over to Beyond My DAW!
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BobF
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 13:38:41
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I've had 3 Gibson LPs. I still have 2 of them. My '99 B7 is my favorite, but at 10-9.6 it's a back breaker. Like the original, it has no maple cap.  Looking for something lighter, I picked up an '07 Studio VM (no maple) a couple of years ago. It had BB Pro pups. Meh. Tried 490/498. Yuch. It's gone. When I saw what Gibson was doing with the '15s, I picked up a Studio Pro from Sweetwater. I yanked the PCB and pups, 57 neck and BB Pro bridge. Hated that set. I dropped in a set of SD Whole Lotta Humbuckers wired JP style. Absolutely love it now.  I think the adjustable zero fret nut is actually a good idea. I've had zero fret guitars before and they sounded great. Making them adjustable makes perfect sense to me. OTOH, Gibson's version has got to be the fugliest thing I've seen done to otherwise nice guitars. I'm prolly LP'd out now. I also have a PRS SE ZM which is an absolutely incredible $600 guitar. The stock pups even sound great. 
post edited by BobF - 2015/03/21 13:47:38
Bob -- Angels are crying because truth has died ...Illegitimi non carborundum --Studio One Pro / i7-6700@3.80GHZ, 32GB Win 10 Pro x64 Roland FA06, LX61+, Fishman Tripleplay, FaderPort, US-16x08 + ARC2.5/Event PS8s Waves Gold/IKM Max/Nomad Factory IS3/K11U
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Rain
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 14:00:41
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craigb
I can't imagine what will happen if Rain ever goes into Ed Roman's store there in Vegas! Ed may be gone, but they still have hundreds of guitars - many of them custom!
http://www.edroman.com/
We wanted to go when a buddy from Quebec visited us awhile ago - but you had to take an appointment to visit. http://www.edroman.com/general/By_%20Appointment.htm "One in Northwest Las Vegas the other in Southwest Las Vegas Both are located about 10 miles from the strip This was to discourage tire kickers & people who still need permission from the wife to buy." Well, they can just F*** off as far as I'm concerned... Incidentally, having spoke with guitar players from other shows on the strip, they pretty much all seem to agree and avoid that place. Those are guys that buy guitars regularly and have a budget for that. Congrats to Ronan's store on losing their business.
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Rain
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 14:07:03
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michaelhanson
I've got a Studio Plus, but have always wanted to get back to a Standard. I had one in the early 80's Vintage Sunburst that I wish I never sold.
As mentioned, the prices are starting to get out of reach on a new LP. I saw the new thin model advertised and went to a local GC to try it out. They had to get it down from up high and when they handed it to me, it had the auto tuner on the back of the neck. I grimaced when I saw that. How ugly. Big turn off....I can tune my own guitar. I've managed to find a way for the last 35 years. The next thing I noticed was the width of the neck. They grew. It was uncomfortably large. I handed it back without ever plugging it in.
I told the sales guy, if Gibson asks why they are not selling, tell him that as a musician of 35 years, I hate the changes made on one of the worlds most loved instruments. If I buy something, it will be used.
Exactly. It's like finding that 61 Cadillac you've dreamed of all your life, looking in and seeing that the counters have been "upgraded" to digital and that the radio replaced by a media hub with color screen and USB ports. 
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craigb
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 16:00:26
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Rain
craigb
I can't imagine what will happen if Rain ever goes into Ed Roman's store there in Vegas! Ed may be gone, but they still have hundreds of guitars - many of them custom!
http://www.edroman.com/
We wanted to go when a buddy from Quebec visited us awhile ago - but you had to take an appointment to visit.
http://www.edroman.com/general/By_%20Appointment.htm
"One in Northwest Las Vegas the other in Southwest Las Vegas
Both are located about 10 miles from the strip
This was to discourage tire kickers & people who still need permission from the wife to buy."
Well, they can just F*** off as far as I'm concerned...
Incidentally, having spoke with guitar players from other shows on the strip, they pretty much all seem to agree and avoid that place. Those are guys that buy guitars regularly and have a budget for that. Congrats to Ronan's store on losing their business.
Yeah, I hear it all changed when Ed passed away a few years ago. He wasn't a boring guy to say the least! I had a few interesting talks with him. Too bad they had to go and ruin the fun, WOW did they have some awesome guitars (most from brands you've never heard of).
Time for all of you to head over to Beyond My DAW!
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Rain
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 16:16:20
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ampfixer
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 19:07:36
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☄ Helpfulby Rain 2015/03/21 19:19:14
Think twice, buy once. I just played a Music Man guitar that blew my mind, kind of like a Wolfgang.
Regards, John I want to make it clear that I am an Eedjit. I have no direct, or indirect, knowledge of business, the music industry, forum threads or the meaning of life. I know about amps. WIN 10 Pro X64, I7-3770k 16 gigs, ASUS Z77 pro, AMD 7950 3 gig, Steinberg UR44, A-Pro 500, Sonar Platinum, KRK Rokit 6
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Rain
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 19:17:36
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I want to try a Wolfgang, just for the sake of it. A few friends of mine have them and love them. But then, people rarely hate the stuff they buy, do they? :/
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craigb
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 21:21:06
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☄ Helpfulby Rain 2015/03/21 21:36:27
I had a Wolfie, but I couldn't play it since the neck around the 12th fret was SOOO chunky! It's definitely meant for the tappers. I also had a Music Man Axis and it was probably my favorite guitar to play. My customs take the shape of the LP Studio Dual Cut (shown above), the neck characteristics from the Axis and the scale length of a PRS. I was able to get rid of about eight guitars that just two customs covered.   The Wolfgang is the top left guitar, sure looks a lot like the Music Man Axis, but BOY did they play differently!
Time for all of you to head over to Beyond My DAW!
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Rain
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 21:36:01
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craigb
I had a Wolfie, but I couldn't play it since the neck around the 12th fret was SOOO chunky!
I'm really not big on tapping, except for self-educational purposes. But I have BIG hands, so chunky is good with me. 
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craigb
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 21:42:28
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That looks easily playable! Maybe "chunky" was the wrong word, the neck is thick, wide and kind of flat. A perfect surface for tapping, but it's not enjoyable to play above the 12th fret.
Time for all of you to head over to Beyond My DAW!
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Rain
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 22:00:27
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craigb
That looks easily playable! Maybe "chunky" was the wrong word, the neck is thick, wide and kind of flat. A perfect surface for tapping, but it's not enjoyable to play above the 12th fret.
Indeed - the focus was to be placed on just how much finger length I had left unused with a regular neck. ;) But I get what you mean.
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yorolpal
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 23:31:59
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☄ Helpfulby craigb 2015/03/22 00:55:31
I actually got a minE Tune system for my new Les Paul 2014 Melody Maker....and, as McDonalds says, I'm Lovin it. Plus they have a new version that's actually better with more presets and more user tunings. It works a treat...although in standard tuning I like my low E tuned just a smidge flat...which I can do...and store. If you don't use any non standard tuning I can fully understand your reluctance to add this convenience to your axe. But if you do...its mighty helpful. Purists, I guess, need not apply:-)
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Rain
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/21 23:56:16
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yorolpal
I actually got a minE Tune system for my new Les Paul 2014 Melody Maker....and, as McDonalds says, I'm Lovin it. Plus they have a new version that's actually better with more presets and more user tunings. It works a treat...although in standard tuning I like my low E tuned just a smidge flat...which I can do...and store. If you don't use any non standard tuning I can fully understand your reluctance to add this convenience to your axe. But if you do...its mighty helpful. Purists, I guess, need not apply:-)
I'm big on alternate tunings - or used to be anyway. But I prefer to have a guitar for each tuning I use. ;) Getting my Gibson is about me being a purist - some guys dream of a particular Ford Coupe or a Cadillac or whatever. For me it's a Gibson LP. In this case, tradition is more important than useful gadgets.
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michaelhanson
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/22 09:22:07
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One of my issue is that the designer/ artistic side of me....I have issues buying something that I don't find visually pleasing. The tuning system on the back of the head stock looks really ugly to me and it's right there in your face.
If it was a little LED fiber optic light that lit red or green behind the tuner, or a small bulb imbedded in the tuner, I could handle that. Less ugliness.
Function wise, what if you want to tune your high E string a few cents short. Will it do that...or does it auto correct that?
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yorolpal
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/22 11:12:21
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You can store most any tuning as a user preset. Whatever you want...within reasonable limitations, I.e. You couldn't store a tuning where any of your strings were several octaves below normal pitch, etc...
It's fast enough that you can actually retune to a new tuning mid song if needed. It's a wonder. Plus...though it does feel different due to the servos...you can manually tune as well, if you prefer.
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drewfx1
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/22 13:27:45
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Rain
Getting my Gibson is about me being a purist - some guys dream of a particular Ford Coupe or a Cadillac or whatever. For me it's a Gibson LP. In this case, tradition is more important than useful gadgets.
Which answers your original question - Gibson creates products for a variety of potential customers - Epi's for kids and working and/or cost-conscious musicians, high end for people with money to spare. In the middle they seem to have decided to add functionality that the Epi's and clones don't have and also are perhaps making their guitars more readily in-tune than the competition in the Guitar Centers of the world. And for purists who dream of a traditional LP, maybe the dream is compelling enough for a number of people to pay a significantly higher price.
 In order, then, to discover the limit of deepest tones, it is necessary not only to produce very violent agitations in the air but to give these the form of simple pendular vibrations. - Hermann von Helmholtz, predicting the role of the electric bassist in 1877.
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Jim Roseberry
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/22 17:08:19
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Rain
If I wanted something else, that somehow looks like a Les Paul but different, honestly, I probably wouldn't buy a Gibson.
What did you think of the brass nut?
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yorolpal
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/22 17:18:50
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Tee Hee...Jim said "brass nut" :-)
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BobF
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/22 17:42:31
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yorolpal
Tee Hee...Jim said "brass nut" :-)
I didn't want to be the one ... I guess buying two would give you the right to say, ...
Bob -- Angels are crying because truth has died ...Illegitimi non carborundum --Studio One Pro / i7-6700@3.80GHZ, 32GB Win 10 Pro x64 Roland FA06, LX61+, Fishman Tripleplay, FaderPort, US-16x08 + ARC2.5/Event PS8s Waves Gold/IKM Max/Nomad Factory IS3/K11U
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Jim Roseberry
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/22 23:51:55
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yorolpal
Tee Hee...Jim said "brass nut" :-)
Someone had to say it...
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smallstonefan
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/23 16:19:55
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☄ Helpfulby Rain 2015/03/23 20:26:30
I hear ya Rain. I was shocked when I first saw that tuning system on a $2,500 Gibson guitar. yuck!
My path to Gibson was through Epiphone. I had an Epiphone Dot, and at least 4 Epiphone Les Pauls before I got Gibsons. I would always change out the tuners and the pickups - always. Sometimes even get a new nut. They would play well for what I had into them, but were never quite there.
One day a used 335 came into my friend's store and the moment I played it, I fell in love with it. I saw right away why the Epiphone was so much cheaper. I've kept the stock pickups in this guitar, but I did put Sperzels on it (they are on all my guitars except my vintage strat), and I did have the lacquer removed from the back of the neck, as I can't stand painted necks.
My Les Paul search lasted years. I would try them locally, try them in stores when I traveled, try old ones, try new ones - I never fell in love with a single one - at least not to the point of forking over the cash. Then one day my wife and I were out by a GC near a theater to watch a movie and we had a little time to kill. We went in and I pulled a few LPs off the rack and BAM, one was my guitar. I had already been talking about getting one for years and always told my wife "when I find the right one" so she was good with it - it wasn't really an impulse buy - honest! :) I believe it's a 2010 Desert Burst, and just a wonderful guitar. It too has the Sperzels and I had the paint removed from the neck. I did put a D'Marzio Super Distortion in the bridge just to get some of that 70s/Kiss rock sound out of it. This is a great guitar and I'm glad I was so picky and waited so long.
If I could only keep one though, it would be the 335 hands down. It can rock out/clean-up, and everything in between. Put 10.5 strings on a 335 and it is the perfect guitar for me (well, after you get rid of the paint on the neck).
Cheers to your search mate - I hope you find "the one"!
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michaelhanson
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/23 19:34:00
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I am becoming a really big fan of the 335, also James. I've got an Epi with Gibson pick ups in it and it is such a versital instrument. My next step may be to an actual Gibson 335/336.
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smallstonefan
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/23 19:35:41
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I'll warn ya Mike, if you haven't played one already, don't until you have the funds. If you love your Dot, the 335 will absolutely steal your heart! :)
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yorolpal
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/23 23:21:59
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I had a Gibbie 339 for awhile. Great guitar...but just didn't speak to me. That's why it's so important to follow Zappa's advice and let the guitar tell you its the one you need. Go with your heart.
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batsbrew
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/24 00:21:12
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there are so many better made guitars out there besides a gibson..
better quality, better design, better sound, better feel, better quality control, just better.
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smallstonefan
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/24 07:09:40
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yorolpal
I had a Gibbie 339 for awhile. Great guitar...but just didn't speak to me. That's why it's so important to follow Zappa's advice and let the guitar tell you its the one you need. Go with your heart.
What he said. :) Keep trying all sorts of guitars and you'll know when you play the one that is right for you.
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Rain
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Re: What were Gibson thinking?
2015/03/24 15:29:14
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batsbrew
there are so many better made guitars out there besides a gibson..
better quality, better design, better sound, better feel, better quality control, just better.
In my case, I don't believe anything fits the bill better than a Gibson LP. First because I've wanted one for so long. Second because it's the sound I love - I find it quite useless to go the long way around and buy a different guitar only to try to nail that LP sound. Feel is a tough one. I mean, this isn't really something all too objective is it? In my case, different guitars have the best feel for different things. Design-wise, I have ultra classic tastes. Call me neurotic, blame it on my background as a poor kid, but I've had to settle for cheap copies and never got to get the real thing as a kid. So getting what I really want is important to me. And since I'm the one playing that guitar... A PRS or a Music Man has no real appeal to me. They utterly uninspiring. And the fact that a Les Paul or a SG please me the most sort of annihilate any rhetorical question of which is better. You can't command inspiration or love, and that's everything when you talk music. IMHO.
post edited by Rain - 2015/03/24 15:39:52
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