New Guitar: Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s Neck

For more than a year, especially after having heard Steve Ingle's monstrous Les Paul tone at the 2007 Southern Creed Reunion, I've been on the hunt for the perfect Les Paul. Although some might like to argue, I believe that a Les Paul is a necessity for every player's stable, as there are just some tones you can't achieve without one. However, considering the overwhelming lack of Les Pauls in the Memphis area, both used and new, the search hasn't been easy.

I decided that I wanted to get as close to the tone of a real 1959 Les Paul (who doesn't?), without paying an arm and a leg. In this case, my budget was restricted to around $2000. Of course, this limit almost certainly eliminated the prospect of buying a Gibson Historic model (except, perhaps, a used R7). This fact didn't really bother me though, since many of the Historics I've played have left me somewhat unmoved, especially considering the price. Granted, the Historics remain more true to actual late 50s Les Pauls (long neck tenon, ABR-1 bridge, etc...), but I believe you can get a great sounding Les Paul for a lot less money if you just search for the right one. I also did not want a Les Paul Standard made after 2006. Preferably, I wanted one made between 2002 and 2006. In 2002, Gibson revamped the Standard with certain, more vintage features compared to Standards of recent years past. These changes included the use of nickle hardware (vs. chrome), push-in bushing Kluson tuners (vs. lock-in bushings), thin binding (vs. thick binding), correct vintage-era gold top hat knobs (vs. speed knobs), and Burstbucker Pro Alnico V pickups (vs. 490R/498T pickups). Additionally, the Standard also received a AA maple top, as opposed to a plain top. In 2006, however, Gibson started fully chambering their Les Pauls (not Historics), unlike the simple "Swiss cheese" weight-relieving method of the past. I've played a few of the chambered Standards, and although some of them didn't sound bad, per se, they certainly didn't sound like a true Les Paul to my ears. A lot of that signature mid-range growl is lost when all that wood is removed. Thus, these are the primary reasons I desired a Les Paul made between 2002 and 2006.

After looking far and wide, both here in Memphis and in Nashville, I did happen to stumble across a few prospective Les Pauls. Yet at the time, I didn't have the funds to purchase the guitar. And as expected, by the time I had the funds, they had already been sold. So I looked to eBay. I'm normally against buying a guitar before you play it, but in some cases, it's unavoidable. Plus, you can always resell the guitar later if you don't like it and consider any money lost as "rental" time. I took the risk. But the risk was well worth it.

I found a very nice looking 2002 Les Paul Standard '50s Neck model with a Heritage Cherry sunburst finish in very good condition for $1650 on eBay. After checking out the seller's reputation and making sure there were no hidden flaws with the guitar, I sealed the deal with the "Buy It Now" button. The Heritage Cherry sunburst finish was what really caught my eye, and the seller captured the essence of this 'burst with his photos (I usually take my own pictures, but his photos were so good that I decided to use them for this write-up). To me, the perfect 'burst is one that has some amount of visible flame or quilted maple present, yet remains subtle and not too exaggerated. Some of those extremely wavy and/or perfectly matched maple tops (à la Paul Reed Smith) just look too contrived and gaudy to me. This Les Paul's 'burst, however, looked perfect. In fact, the 'burst has a little bit of both quilt and flame present. When you put it to the sunlight at certain angles, different portions of the flame and maple can be see. In fact, a fellow Gear Page member has wittily deemed it a "peekaboo" flame top.

The guitar has all the stock hardware, including the Nashville bridge, vintage-style Kluson tuners (with push-in bushings), gold knobs, and cream plastic parts (pickup rings, switch tip, etc.). However, the previous owner replaced the saddles on the bridge with GraphTech ones. These are supposed to enhance harmonic overtones and prevent string-breakage and slippage. As far as electronics go, it has the stock Burstbucker Pro Alnico V humbuckers, as well as stock pots and capacitors.

I didn't realize just how beautiful this guitar is until I finally got the guitar and opened the case (the seller shipped it in a nice SKB case). It's simply stunning! There's actually a 'burst going for $350K on Gruhn Guitar's website (see here) that looks extremely similar to mine. I also noticed that the rosewood fretboard is very dark and smooth, almost as if it were Brazilian rosewood and not Indian rosewood. Anyways, I took it upstairs and played it for hours through my Splawn Quick Rod. This guitar really makes the Splawn sound amazing. Not to sound too sensational, but it's as if the amp and guitar were made for each other. I was getting really great, late 60s, Plexi tones out of the amp with this guitar (ZZ Top's First Album comes to mind).

Although the guitar sounds great as is, there's always the question of "how much better can it get?" I'd still like to make it a little more like a real '59. Of course, there are some things that just can't be changed (the short neck tenon, for instance), but there are many that can. I'm already planning to replace the zinc tailpiece with an aluminum, as well as upgrade the electronics (possibly with a kit from RS Guitarworks, a company that specializes in Gibson repro parts and vintage electronics upgrades). Until then, though, I'm completely happy with my purchase.

Here is a full body and rear shot of the guitar:



You can view more photos of the guitar here.

For more info on vintage and current Les Pauls, other Gibson guitars, as well as gear in general, make sure to visit the Les Paul Forum! The guys over there are extremely knowledgeable and helpful when it comes to Les Pauls. You can visit the site here.

Southern Creed Reunion Show Review (12/13/08, The New Daisy, Memphis)

Southern Creed (also called Creed, not to be confused with the popular 90s post-grunge band) held their fourth annual reunion show this past weekend at the New Daisy in downtown Memphis. Creed was a very popular classic/southern/hard rock band from Memphis during the late 70s and early 80s. The band comprised Hal Butler (keys, synth, vocals), Steve Ingle (guitar, vocals), Jimmy Rusidoff (guitar), James "The Reverend" Flynn (bass), Chip Thomas (drums), and Luther Maben (guitar, replaced by Rusidoff).


Until last December, I really didn't know much about Southern Creed. However, my dad, who saw the band a lot back in the 70s (and bought/traded some gear with Hal Butler), convinced me to go to last year's reunion show. Suffice to say, I was completely taken aback by the awesome performance these guys put on. The whole band played with incredible emotion and energy. The show this past weekend was no different. In fact, it might have even been a little better.

Last year's show ultimately sold out, so we made sure to get tickets in advance this time. This year, it didn't seem as crowded, but there were still many people present. After the opening act performed their set, Creed finally came on. I might be incorrect, but I think they opened up with "You Never See It That Way," a driving tune with a boogie feel from their self-titled 1978 album, Creed. From the start, the band sounded extremely tight and together. It's amazing that they only play once a year, yet still sound as if they are playing shows every night.

Obviously, since I'm a guitarist, my eyes were trained on Steve Ingle and Jimmy Rusidoff for much of the time. Both of their tones sounded incredible, and they played at a really nice, cranked volume. Ingle played his worn Strings-N-Things '59 Les Paul "Preissue" (and occasionally his Strat) for most of the night of the night through what looked to be some sort of Laney combo hooked up to a Randall 4x12 cabinet. Rusidoff played his Strat through what I'm pretty sure was a Super Reverb. Both of them thoroughly demonstrated their monster playing abilities, both technically and melodically.

But that's not to say the rest of the band are slouches. Hal Butler has a great voice and really knows how to play keyboards and his vintage ARP synth tastefully in a rock setting. On the bass and drums, respectively, James Flynn and Chip Thomas make up a rock-solid rhythm section. In my opinion, they're the ideal type of bassist and drummer to play with. They know when to lay back and when to add their own parts, all without without losing focus of the song.

The band played most of the material from both their first album and their 1984 EP, Believe It!, including their most popular hit, "Firecracker." However, they also threw in a few covers, such as Trapeze's "Coast to Coast" and Captain Beyond's "Raging River of Fear." It's really great to hear a band paying tribute to such relatively obscure, yet undeniably incredible music.

From start to finish, Creed played for almost three hours, which is more than anyone could ask for. This fact really proves just how much these guys enjoy playing. The only downside is that they only play once a year now! And there is also word that this show might have been their last. For now, let's hope that that's just a rumor and nothing too serious. If you ever have a chance to see these guys, by all means, please do so!


You can view more photos I took at this show here.

Visit Southern Creed's MySpace page here.

Paul Gilbert's Intense Rock, Volumes 1 and 2

A few weekends ago, I had a Guitar Center 20% off coupon for one of their often-occurring "mega" sales. Granted, I didn't have the money to make a big purchase, but I decided to see if they had any interesting trinkets I could buy. What better to get than a new instructional DVD?

I had always seen parts of Paul Gilbert's instructional videos on YouTube, but they used to be available only on VHS. Recently though, Alfred Publishing re-released a DVD that inlcudes Paul's Intense Rock 1 (1988) and Intense Rock 2 (1992) REH videos on one disc. Guitar Center had a copy in stock, so I decided to purchase it.


So far, these videos seem to be perfect for the aspiring speed player. Paul explains in-depth the various scalar runs, sequences, and arpeggios that are most prevalent in his playing. But the videos are not just about boring, monotonous "shredding." Paul's easy-t0-grasp examples and explanations make applying the lesson's material to your playing very easy. And there's even a bit of typical Paul Gilbert humor thrown in. As a bonus, the DVD also includes a snippet from both John Petrucci's and Steve Morse's instructional DVDs, as well as a performance clip from Yngwie's "Trial by Fire: Live in Leningrad" video.

Overall, this DVD is a must-have for any guitarist interested in improving his technique and accuracy. It's priced around $30, but a few places online have it for less.

Here's a clip from the video: