Late Lunch Report - Thursday, May 12, 2011

[CGT]

Good evening, folks. I’d like to apologize for this late lunch report. I’m working on a major project that is due next week and decided to spend the day out of the house— working with paper and pen—away from the temptations of the online world and my many guitars.

In case you’re wondering, my lunch was grilled chicken on French bread, served up Vietnamese style in a bah-minh sandwich.

A FAUX PAS
I do a lot of writing by hand, especially at the early stages of a project or when I run into difficulties. It helps me to focus. It feels more direct and, because I know it’s a rough draft or a brainstorming document, I don’t fret over every little period, comma and spelling mistake. After all, nobody’s ever going to see it. Plus, it feels so good writing long hand, there’s nothing quite like a the feeling of a good pen on good paper, which leads me to a confession. While many of you suffer from GAS, I suffer from a similar affliction, PAS, which is short for Pen Acquisition Syndrome. Although I rarely give in to it anymore, I went on a bender a few years back and acquired a whack of fountain pens. I now own about 18 of them, although there are only a couple I use daily, every single one of them is special.

Most of my pens are contemporary and have been manufactured in the last ten years or so, but I also have a couple of pens dating back to the 1950s. One of them belonged to the father (who has since passed) of a college friend. It was a Waterman student’s pen, a cheap affair with an aluminum barrel and nib (which is a fancy way of saying tip). It was completely clogged when I got it but, as Watermans have a lifetime warranty, I dropped it off at a dealer in Montreal who restored it by leaving the nib in an ultrasonic bath (the same kind used to clean jewelry) for about 8 weeks. I still use that pen occasionally but, as I’ve found through the years, All Waterman pens clog. I have four of them, three of which I bought new, and every single one of them is clogged. I’m going to have to see if that lifetime warranty applies.

I have two everyday pens, a 1990s Sheaffer Pen for Men (since discontinued) which I bought for 10 dollars, and a Lamy Al-Star that I bought last year on eBaY because they are far less expensive when ordered from Europe. And although there have been all kinds of breakthroughs in pen and ink technology I find that nothing writes better than a good fountain pen. If you asked me, I’d say that a Lamy fountain pen is to a Ball Point as a G&L Legacy is to a Squier Starter Pack Strat in terms of feel.

There is a very practical reason I switched to fountain pens. In my first year of university I kept losing my disposable Bics and Papermates and I was running to the campus store between classes and on breaks because I’d forgotten where I’d left them. At 25 cents a pen, who cares right? But I was losing 10 to 15 pens a week. I replaced them with an 18 dollar Waterman fountain pen that I guarded with my life because 18 dollars was a lot of money to a student with a part time job. When you do the math, that 18 dollar purchase saved me hundreds.

This brings me to the non-G&L Question: My fountain pens are a practical luxury, as I write for a living. What are the practical or impractical luxuries (other than G&Ls) in your life? And how do they make things better for you?

LESS PAUL MORE LEGACY?
And now for the G&L Question: My other guitar is a Sonnex 180 Deluxe, Gibson’s resin-bodied bolt-on wonder from the early 1980s. It’s an okay guitar with a sound that’s somewhere in between a Les Paul and an SG. The model’s main claim to fame is that Paul Stanley of Kiss would smash one to smithereens every night during the band’s 1983 Unmasked tour. I love my Legacy but I want something to compete with that dark humbucking Gibson sound. If you were to recommend a Les Paul-killing G&L to me what would it be? Would be a current model, something out of production or something custom. Given that I absolutely LOVE the way the gun oil maple neck feels on my Legacy, as well as its body contours, can I build a Les Paul killer on a Legacy platform and, if so, what would I need in terms of electronics?

Today's video is Michael Angelo Batio's TWO GUITAR solo featuring his takes on everybody else's payer. Up until yesterday, I had never heard of the guy but after yesterday's discussion I looked him up and had to laugh. Still, I can't decide which is more ridiculous: Batio's two-axe shredding or the one-hand-on-the-ivories one-hand-in-the-air-waving approach to keyboards that so many eighties players favored.

[youtube]rutyA12z3Ok[/youtube]

[sirmyghin]

I own a whole tonne of books, the wife and I anyway, 4 bookcases. I don't do E-readers, or libraries apparently. Nowadays I don't do much for luxury time aside from my instruments. they are rather all encompassing. I drink really good coffee, that is all I can think of off my head. I have acquired a taste for 'Kicking Horse', some very good roasts from them, much better coffee than that crap they pass off at Starbucks too. I make it in a french press and grind it by hand with a manual mill. That is probably closer to what you are asking than the books I wager.

Ah MAB, would that I had a tenth of his talent for playing, he definitely rocked the woodshed, and having learned right handed when lefties didn't exist then switching over certainly gave him an interesting set of skills.

For dark buckers, just get some of the many PAF styles on the market, some 500k pots (300K if that is too bright, or even 250k) and go from there. I like to wire my buckers up series/split /parallel for ultimate versatility. The problem is you can't capture the shorter scale in any modern G&L at least, and that is a big factor in the guitars overall sound. Scale length makes huge differences sonically.

[zapcosongs]

Wow. That Michael Angelo Batio is one seriously talented guy. Honestly. Still, there is nothing I hear that would compel me to seek him out to listen to. This may be related to yesterday's discussion (which I elected to side-step), but the handful of guitar players that I enjoy most are not the fastest, or the most steeped in theory or the names that you would most likely recognize. There comes a point where somebody's approach, choice of notes, choice of places not to put notes, etc., draws one in. It comes down to style and tone that comports with your own sensibilities... Frankly, I can't hear and process as fast as some people can play. Much is lost on the limitations of my meager mind. But I know what moves me.

My luxuries? Bagels and G&L guitars. As I reported earlier this week, I start virtually every day with a good bagel. Nothing in my local grocery stores can come remotely close to satisfying my chewy morning urges, so I treat myself to joyous rounds of satisfaction, boiled first, then baked with care and taste, practically right down the street. At $9.50 per dozen they are not cheap, but well worth it for good wholesome satisfaction with which to start the day.

G&L guitars are really my only other luxury (I drink Milwaukee's Best Ice, and Seagram's Vodka, for example, and I drive a Corolla). Given my playing ability and talent level, I am Squier and Epiphone material, clearly. Still, I have a nice collection of G&L guitars, and they make me happy. I even have a couple of great Leo-era basses - and I don't play bass guitar. I have a couple of nice little vintage combos that make me smile as well.

So I'm a simple man. Just give me an excellent bagel to start my day, and a G&L guitar to play and I am a happy guy. - ed

[Philby]

Hi CGT. Good questions!

Re. Michael Angelo Batio, I find myself agreeing with Ed (again).

Luxuries: For years I thought I hated beer, but it turns out I just hated the cheap beer that my mates drank at college. Once I tasted good quality beer there was no going back. Good beer can be expensive and almost impossible to find in supermarket bottle shops, but there's nothing beats cracking open a good brew at the end of a long week.
The other thing my missus and I have decided not to scrimp on is cooking utensils, especially knives. It could get very messy in our kitchen if the marriage goes sour.

Bucker Guitars: I don't have a dual bucker guitar in my collection but I've been trying a few out lately. What has surprised me is that I actually like the shorter scale length of LP style guitars. Like Sirmy says, the shorter scale length makes the guitar sound different, and it's also easier to bend the strings if you don't have massive hands. I don't think having a 2HB configuration in a strat/tele style guitar gives quite the same effect. I'm kinda disappointed that there's nothing Les Paul like in the G&L range, but at the same time I acknowledge that is not G&L's heritage to make LP style guitars.

The nicest off-the-rack LP style guitar I've tried so far is a Japanese Tokai at a little shop up the road from my work. Perfect construction, authentic materials, beautiful sound. The reason I've never been into LP style guitars is that I've played some truly average Gibsons over the years and assumed they were the benchmark. I wish someone had told me that the best LP's are NOT made by Gibson.

[yowhatsshakin]

Luxuries: Like syrmy I'm very much into books. Cases full of technical books, mostly physics and anything I could find on the Apollo project. I love the smell of a new book and even opening up some older ones brings me back to my days as a student and young researcher. I don't really like the electronic book readers of the modern days. Holding a hefty tome has more my fancy even though it makes reading in the bus sometimes hard. Another luxury is CD's; I still buy the hard-copy of almost all of my albums. And since buying an album on artists' websites usually comes along with an immediate download I'm not off the worse. In my job as a software developer, I mainly work on 'virtual' stuff. Maybe it is just that I like to hold 'real' things and that includes guitars, a good glass of wine, and my wife

I have a couple of G&L with double buckers: an ASAT Deluxe, F-100 Return Edition, and the 25th Anniversary model. The latter comes closest to an LP although you cannot vary the volume and tone independently. And I agree with Philby that the best LP's are not made by Gibson anymore. Try a PRS SC 245 and you'll know what I'm talking about. And with their newer version that no longer has the wrap-around bridge, they come even closer cosmetically if that is your thing. As far as a Legacy being able to provide some meaty tones, I would advice to look into the electronics used on the Legacy Special employing Dual Blade and Power Blade pups. I have never tried an HB equipped Legacy but my Special can certainly rock out with some great LP like tones if you use your PTB wisely.

- Jos

[sirmyghin]

Luxuries: For years I thought I hated beer, but it turns out I just hated the cheap beer that my mates drank at college. Once I tasted good quality beer there was no going back. Good beer can be expensive and almost impossible to find in supermarket bottle shops, but there's nothing beats cracking open a good brew at the end of a long week.

I am currently out , but I agree completely about good beer. Ontario is home to some very very good micro-breweries to boot. Probably why it slipped my mind (when it should be at the forefront ). I really like dark beers (real dark bears, with heavily roasted/burnt barleys, not the crap companies like molson call dark that is coloured).

[CGT]

For dark buckers, just get some of the many PAF styles on the market, some 500k pots (300K if that is too bright, or even 250k) and go from there. I like to wire my buckers up series/split /parallel for ultimate versatility. The problem is you can't capture the shorter scale in any modern G&L at least, and that is a big factor in the guitars overall sound. Scale length makes huge differences sonically.

Sonically, I prefer the sound of the longer scale, there's a quality to the attack that I find very pleasing. My Sonnex is wired 50s style and therefore the tone control offers more of a boost than current Les Pauls. I'm pondering swapping out the pickups. At one point I was told it had Dirty Fingers in it, another that they were Burstbuckers, now I think they may be ordinary Gibson zebra stripes. I can't really tell, but they seem to have the OFF or SCREAMING setting that is apparently characteristic of Dirty Fingers. But truth be told, despite the easier bends on the Gibson scale, I prefer the longer G&L neck.

We've got lots of books here too, though for convenience, I have downloaded a few e-books into my phone. It's good to have everything in one package on a commute.

[CGT]

Hi CGT. Good questions!

Re. Michael Angelo Batio, I find myself agreeing with Ed (again).

The nicest off-the-rack LP style guitar I've tried so far is a Japanese Tokai at a little shop up the road from my work. Perfect construction, authentic materials, beautiful sound. The reason I've never been into LP style guitars is that I've played some truly average Gibsons over the years and assumed they were the benchmark. I wish someone had told me that the best LP's are NOT made by Gibson.

Agreed about the Tokais. They are phenomenal guitars. Unfortunately, we can't get them in Canada, due to some kind of trade dispute. (Who knows what the real story is, but apparently there may even have been a Tokai licensee in Canada who owned the names to the rights and was building guitars in Korea that had nothing to do with actual production). I nearly bought an Orville Les Paul Special, which is Gibson's Japan-only brand. I found a really good deal on cragislist but hesitated, and it's good that I did because, although the workmanship is superb, the pickups are underpowered, and the rosewood neck alters the sound. I didn't want something that needed any work. Fortunately, I held out and got a great deal on a Legacy two weeks later.

[sirmyghin]

For dark buckers, just get some of the many PAF styles on the market, some 500k pots (300K if that is too bright, or even 250k) and go from there. I like to wire my buckers up series/split /parallel for ultimate versatility. The problem is you can't capture the shorter scale in any modern G&L at least, and that is a big factor in the guitars overall sound. Scale length makes huge differences sonically.

Sonically, I prefer the sound of the longer scale, there's a quality to the attack that I find very pleasing. My Sonnex is wired 50s style and therefore the tone control offers more of a boost than current Les Pauls. I'm pondering swapping out the pickups. At one point I was told it had Dirty Fingers in it, another that they were Burstbuckers, now I think they may be ordinary Gibson zebra stripes. I can't really tell, but they seem to have the OFF or SCREAMING setting that is apparently characteristic of Dirty Fingers. But truth be told, despite the easier bends on the Gibson scale, I prefer the longer G&L neck.

We've got lots of books here too, though for convenience, I have downloaded a few e-books into my phone. It's good to have everything in one package on a commute.

Not a fan of short scale either, probably a big reason I got rid of the 25" carvin neck through looking back on it. 25.5 minimum for this guy. I am getting into the world of baritone guitar range with a 7 soon, and it will be 27.5". Intonation is supposedly much better on longer scales too, probably as distance counts for less in terms of relative vibrating lengths.

[Boogie Bill]

Well, Miss Leslie is a CPA, so she is the pen maven. My luxuries are pretty simple--other than being a guitar snob. I like good beer, Starbucks coffee, Serengeti sunglasses. I have a small collection of inexpensive Wenger Swiss Military watches. I like Glocks, a far more mundane weapon than a hot-rodded 1911. Simple pleasures, yet all luxuries. Trust me, it wasn't that long ago that I was nearly out on the street. It's ALL luxury. I am so blessed just to have a roof over my head and someone who loves me.

There are four ways to go for HB tones of the G&L persuasion. First is the ASAT Deluxe; though in my opinion it doesn't really sound like an LP. Bolt neck, long scale, only one volume and one tone--and the neck pickup is in the wrong position! Still a good sounding guitar, though. Mine has the DF Vibrato; even though it is solid, I think the springs and the cavity give it an airier tone--closer to a 335. The flame on mine is a good as any Gibson I've ever seen.

Closely related to the ASAT Deluxe are the Legacy HB and 2HB. If you only need the bridge 'bucker and still want Legacy tones, the Legacy HB is the ubiquitous hybrid of the LP and Strat designs. The 2HB is the Big Apple version, named for NYC session ace Hiram Bullock's modded Strat.

Third option might be a Comanche. I set mine really dark, dropping the Treble and Presence on my amp down to where I never thought I would. I get a dark and rich tone, more power than a vintage-style Legacy, but--and here is the really cool part--it stays clear--no humbucker mud. Boost the heck out of the mid-range--it won't get muddy. And, it's QUIET. If you want dark and powerful tones, with clarity and string-to-string definition, then you want a Comanche.

My fave though is the Legacy Special for HB tones. I have written many times about how I use the LS to back up both my Legacy and my Les Paul. The Gotoh dual-Blade humbuckers have a narrow aperture like a single coil, and that does help keep things a little clearer than a PAF. But their tone is so thick and scrumptious--I think Santana would love this guitar. Through my Mesa amps, the "woman tone" on the neck pickup just sings. They have really good output; the hotter bridge pickup can rock with anybody. Turn the PTB Bass down to 0 and the Treble all the way up and will still give credible quack in positions 2 and 4. If you want vintage tones, you have to keep the guitar volume no higher than 5-6, to match the output of a vintage single coil. The Gotoh Blades give you a tone that is very close to PAf tone--and the PTB system works incredibly well to provide nearly infinite shadings.

My favorite LS is my "Marilyn Monroe". This one is Butterscotch Blonde on ash, GOT birdseye neck with an ebony board, and a white pearl guard. Gorgeous guitar, very voluptuous in the tone and looks department--and a little heavier than most of my other G&Ls. I think she weighs in at 9.4 lbs; the ASAT Deluxe is the heaviest and hits 9.6 lbs. That's more than any of my Les Pauls.

I love all of my guitars, but if I had to pick a favorite of my sisteen G&Ls I'd say that Marilyn would easily make the top three (or higher, depending on mood and the job). The ASAT Deluxe would be at the bottom. I prefer to use my Gibsons when I need 2HB tones. A lot of people bad-mouth Gibson, and they have been doing it for one reason or another as long as I've been playing the guitar! But I will say that when Gibson does it right, they build a very good guitar. Their Historic Les Pauls are just amazing. I already have three Historics, and spend most of my waking moments scheming and plotting how get another one!

So, I really love my Legacy Special--it really puts a smile on my face--but I have to say that G&L simply doesn't make a "Les Paul Killer", it's just not their focus. If you really want a LP tone without buying Gibson, then I would look to Heritage, Hamer or Collings.

Bill

[Dr B]

When watching that video - was I the only one thinking it was Nigel Tufnell from Spinal Tap? In fact, without going back and checking I cannot be totally sure that he was not wearing a black Tee shirt with a green skeleton on it or indeed that the amps were set to 11. I honestly thought it was a joke for the first 60 seconds or so...

[klokker]

Pens. I can't remember the last time I bought a pen. They just show up in the mail or in a cup somewhere......there is always one laying around. I usually have to try 2 or 3 to find one that works. Pens are like hobo's really..............just passing through on their way to some other place. But somehow new ones keep appearing.

My greatest luxury is probably my mattress. Paid way to much for it, but the wife wanted it. Every time I sink into that thing I always feel in the lap of luxury.

Yesterday, I realized my saddle lock screw and bushings are missing from my bass. Too bad they aren't like pens...................I guess I'll have to actually pay for them.

[Dave_P]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the g-200 yet(unless I missed it somewhere), though I've never played one and it's long discontinued, that would be the G&L to get closest to a LP, short scale and all http://www.guitarsbyleo.com/AUTOREG/Rarebirds/G200.php3

As for luxuries, as my wife knows(and hates), I like having hobbies/projects. Most of the time guitars have remained constant with one or more in addition to. I had fantastic camera equipment at one point, which turned into a job for a while. Then I put down guitars for a time and switched to cars of the turbo charged variety, mainly subaru wrx's, thoroughly enjoyed racing but that became too expensive.
Currently my only luxury besides the G&L's w/supporting gear, is my bicycle which I use mainly for exercise and racing(when I can afford it). Entry fees have gone up substantially since I started in triathlon four years ago, my first season I did 5 or 6 races, now I'm lucky if I can afford two.

-Dave

[CGT]

@Dave - Cameras were oncde a luxury but that has turned into a job as well. And yeah, I was also surprised that nobody mentioned the G-200. I was hoping somebody who had actually played one woud have offered some insight.

@Klokker To me, those freebie pens are like Disco. 'Nuff said.

@Dr_B: Sadly it's not a joke. It's what passes for music with some people. I realize that my inability to play two guitars simultaneously marks me as a rank amateur but I'd rather be considered a rank amateur than a something that rhymes with ranker.

@Boogie_Bill I turn the treble way down on my Legacy to get a darker humbucker tone, and it works great on clean setting for dry jazzy sounds, but no amount of treble reduction will add oomph to an overdriven sound. I prefer single coils for clean sounds and buckers for distortion, but you're right, humbuckers do sound muddy to my ear, which is one of the reasons that I gave up playing the Gibson, but now with new amp models I am rediscovering its joys.

@sirmyghin One of the traditional defense for short scales is easier bends but a proper set-up makes a longer scale just as easy to play, I find. My uneducated taste is that Fender scale has a funkier attack, whereas a Gibson scale is more aggressive.

[sirmyghin]

@sirmyghin One of the traditional defense for short scales is easier bends but a proper set-up makes a longer scale just as easy to play, I find. My uneducated taste is that Fender scale has a funkier attack, whereas a Gibson scale is more aggressive.

Thing is, to reach a pitch on a string, requires a change in the tension. So shorter scale it may feel easier, but you need to bend farther across the neck. A trade off readlly, the initial part might feel a bit easier is all, in the end I think it all equals out. I like the snap of the long scale more too, I associate it with more immediate and aggressive however. One thing I have always speculated is this: Humbuckers were pretty much placed and designed on that short scale, how far the poles are apart, the whole bit. Longer scales use the same humbuckers, but now the vibrating lengths are longer, so what the humbucker sees will be 'more similar' in its 2 sample points that what it sees on a shorter scale. Might not mean much on 24.5-25.5, but say 27-28" scale baritone tuned guitars, it might start making a difference. The sound might also have something to do about the difference in the sampling points are seeing? It is a very fine balance, but in the end what makes an LP an LP I would argue heavily against the traditional view of mahogany and say it is the scale, the set neck, the humbucker width relative to the scale, and maybe the bridge. Those would be the important factors in my eye.

[CGT]

I like the snap of the long scale more too, I associate it with more immediate and aggressive however.

It's interesting that we both appreciate the snap of the long scale but that we ascribe opposite qualities to it. I think that's the one thing I love about music: it hits us emotionally in so many different ways. When I talk about the varying quality of the Gibson vs. Fender scale, one example I can cite is Jimmy Page: although his playing is equally aggressive throughout his career with Zeppelin, I find his telecaster phase has more funk to it because of the attack of the longer scale. The notes have more fluidity to them and I associate that fluidity with funkiness, which strikes me as more assertive than aggressive. The distinction may not be obvious, but funkiness is relaxed confidence that steps back somewhat whereas aggression is the kind of confidence that needs to be the dominant force. A not so obvious example of this contrast: JImmy Page is a funky player because he doesn't have to fire on all cylinders to impress (think of the soft appreggios and alternating cadences on Since I've Been Loving You), whereas Steve Howe of Yes is an aggressive player because he has to hit you over the head with every bombastic note. It's interesting that, while Yes is one of my favourite bands, Howe is not one of my favourite players precisely because of this.

[sirmyghin]

I like the snap of the long scale more too, I associate it with more immediate and aggressive however.

It's interesting that we both appreciate the snap of the long scale but that we ascribe opposite qualities to it. I think that's the one thing I love about music: it hits us emotionally in so many different ways. When I talk about the varying quality of the Gibson vs. Fender scale, one example I can cite is Jimmy Page: although his playing is equally aggressive throughout his career with Zeppelin, I find his telecaster phase has more funk to it because of the attack of the longer scale. The notes have more fluidity to them and I associate that fluidity with funkiness, which strikes me as more assertive than aggressive. The distinction may not be obvious, but funkiness is relaxed confidence that steps back somewhat whereas aggression is the kind of confidence that needs to be the dominant force. A not so obvious example of this contrast: JImmy Page is a funky player because he doesn't have to fire on all cylinders to impress (think of the soft appreggios and alternating cadences on Since I've Been Loving You), whereas Steve Howe of Yes is an aggressive player because he has to hit you over the head with every bombastic note. It's interesting that, while Yes is one of my favourite bands, Howe is not one of my favourite players precisely because of this.

See one interesting thing, is even my main humbucker equipped axe is 25.5", with a floyd (upgraded tungsten block), and the pickups are Steve Stevens signatures (Rebel Yells, Bareknuckle). And damn these get, huge, mean, and aggressive. Could it be, possibly, that you attribute/associate a lot of the traits of single coils on the long scale, as it more often than not sports the singles? Just an observation there.

[BadJaxx]

i find so many pens where i work, i won't have to buy one for the rest of my life...and only write short notes since i'll use email or Word for anything else...
i have pretty good computers but value models that i upgrade a bit to meet my needs...
i read a lot but since my office is about 15 feet from the library, and they'll order whatever i want that they don't have, i rarely buy a book anymore...
i also went thru a photography phase and had a great stash of camera gear...
i guess my luxury is convenience...i maximize my time for things i like to do and minimize all chores, work, errands, etc...

i guess i'm not very brand loyal when it comes to guitars...i like different ones...back when it was mainly Gibson or Fender, i was a Gibson guy...couldn't afford one....by the time i could afford to shop for a nice Gibby, i couldn't find any i liked...i love PRS bucker guitars...the feel and build quality and playability work well for me...the aforementioned SC245 is my LP...along with a Dean Soltero SL (MIJ)...i did finally, recently, buy an ES-335 and hope i can hang on to it...if forced to sell it, i'll probably replace it next year...i have 4 Fenders but would like to replace one with another G&L eventually...

[dick gibson]

I have another suggestion for a "Les Paul-but not Les Paul ".
Gibson made something called the Les Paul Melody Maker for about 5 years. It has some features from both the LP Junior and Melody Maker, plus something different.
From the LP Jr -- general body shape, single P-90 pickup.
From the Melody Maker -- thinner body, slim headstock (no wings).
Different -- a tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece. Much better than the bridge-tailpiece. And the finish is rudimentary. No sealer, no topcoat. It practically relics itself as you look at it.
The used prices are 400 - 600 dollars. Here's one on eBay, from the higher end of the price range (with some modifications):

http://cgi.ebay.com/2004-GIBSON-USA-LES ... 27b8f7a374

These are very good guitars, better than either the LP Junior or original Melody Maker, imho. Made in the Nashville factory, so simple that it's almost impossible to make a mistake. If you like the P-90 flavour of LP sound it's ready to go. If you prefer humbuckers, you know what your first upgrade is.

Beware of confusing sales pitches. About 2007 Gibson discontinued this model and started selling a reissue Melody Maker. Different pickup, attached to the pickguard, wraparound tailpiece, much lower price. Some sellers offer you this guitar, but post a picture of the "older" Les Paul Melody Maker. Or vice versa. This is partly because of confusion over the names, partly sloppiness on the part of sellers, occasionally a deliberate deception.

If you have a chance to try one of these hybrid models, give it a workout. I'm delighted with mine.
George J

[Dr B]

@Dr_B: Sadly it's not a joke. It's what passes for music with some people. I realize that my inability to play two guitars simultaneously marks me as a rank amateur but I'd rather be considered a rank amateur than a something that rhymes with ranker.

Hey man, I'm with you on this one. it is possible to be flamboyant on a guitar (i.e., performing to the crowd) without being so over indulgent like that dude in the the video. When I see stuff like that I feel parts of my brain groaning and turning to water and running out of my ears. I also feel such 'over-doing' is used to mask and hide other deficiencies (like no sense of melody or actual musicality). Each to their own and i admire the technical ability without a doubt. But feel, emotion, and tasteful playing (while subjective) is itself a technique and one I feel was being over0looked by that dude. I am sure the problem is with me - but i just dont get it.

Have you ever caught yourself humming that tune in the shower? My point exactly.

I hope we are not all amatuers because we cannot do those acrobatics - again, I am with you on that.