Newbie to Gibsons... relp!

[tremoloman***]

Ok, I know absolutely nothing about Gibson guitars except that they are expensive yet wonderful guitars. Which model(s) are comparable to the versatility of the Strat and has a similar feel as far as neck size goes? I’m heading down to Guitar Center tomorrow night to try out a Jackson and possibly trade-in my Peavey Classic 50. I’d like to know which models are the ones I should give a test drive.

Unfortunately the few Gibsons I've been lucky enough to try had narrow necks which aggravated my CTS. (Carpel Tunnel Syndrome)

[duhvoodooman***]

Ok, I know absolutely nothing about Gibson guitars except that they are expensive yet wonderful guitars. Which model(s) are comparable to the versatility of the Strat and has a similar feel as far as neck size goes? I’m heading down to Guitar Center tomorrow night to try out a Jackson and possibly trade-in my Peavey Classic 50. I’d like to know which models are the ones I should give a test drive.

Unfortunately the few Gibsons I've been lucky enough to try had narrow necks which aggravated my CTS. (Carpel Tunnel Syndrome)

Similar feel to a Strat--none that I know of! Comparable versatility--the Les Paul or the SG would be my suggestions. Both are classic rock machines.

If you want to avoid the "Gibson sticker shock" effect, look at the Epiphones. To make an analogy, Epiphone is to Gibson what MIM Strats are to MIA Strats.

One other thing--you'll almost certainly do better by auctioning your Classic 50 on eBay than by trading it in at GC. They're famous for giving a pittance on trade-ins.

[Spudman***]

I'll second Voodoo's idea of selling your Classic 50 elsewhere. Those things are getting highly prized. I personally would never get rid of one of the 50's if I had one. They keep going up in value and desirability.

Get a Gibson if you have to, but try it through the 50 before you decide to get rid of the 50. You'll never get what it's worth on a trade in and I'm sure your Gibson will blow you away through that amp.

Try selling it locally first if you have to.

[tremoloman***]

Thanks for the tips guys.

I do love the Classic 50... and it is Made in America, which is pretty rare nowadays.

(In my best Monk voice) "Here's the thing..." I really need a backup Hot Rod DeVille so I can have the same sound at our studio and at home. I know most of you are thinking "why not use your current HRD for both", but this amp is WAY too heavy to lug around regularly. The tubes are also fragile so I prefer not to move it around unless necessary.

[Tinky-Winky]

If you're thinking of getting a Gibson or Gibson copy, then I'd recommend having a look at a brand called "Edwards" - www.espguitars.co.jp/edwards/ (have a look on the "laquer taste" series, for example the E-LP-90LTS). These guitars are made in Japan by ESP, but presumably to avoid lawsuits they are not imported anywhere else. However, if you look around (for example on ebay) then you can find some that have been bought with the purpose of exporting them to another country. I mention this brand as they appear to be offering guitars that, on paper at least, seem to exceed even gibson in some areas, and certainly epiphone elites. For example, they have one piece mahogany backs (like gibson), can be ordered with a nitro finish, and, like historic gibsons, a long tenon neck joint. They also have seymour duncan pickups as standard. The best bit is the price, as the ones I was looking at went for around 850 dollars (including postage), which, according to the prices on MF, is quite a lot cheaper than an elitist.

[marnold***]

Or Agile, for that matter. Even though I'm not much of a Les Paul guy, I had some serious lust after a Black Beauty they had a while back.

[Tone2TheBone]

Edwards makes awesome realistic LP clones. The Japanese make some fantastic stuff.

[Katastrophe]

If you're going the Gibson LP route (as opposed to Epi or another brand), different models have different size necks. Some have the bigger '50s style, and others have the slimmer '60s neck. Gibbys also have a flatter fretboard radius in general over the Strat, unless you start comparing the Deluxe Player's and Eric Johnson Sig models.

I don't know if you'll be able to get the tonal versatility that a Strat has. Even if you get the 3 pickup Black Beauty RI (which is a STUNNING guitar, IMHO), you still only have the 3 position toggle switch to deal with, as opposed to the 5 way switch on your Strats.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, however. The Les Paul tone is absolutely unique, and what it does, it does extremely well.

[ibanez_freak36]

Hello Tremoloman hows things?? I have not been on the site for a while, I apologize, have been busy as you know.The reason I am posting this is maybe I can send some help to you for a change. If you are comparing a Gibson to your strat ( any of them), not too many of the current models will be the same except possibly the SG. Although it is a small guitar it has awesome tone and alot of sustain because of the makeup of the wood and the pickups. It is not too heavy and is easy to maneuver. My friend Haven Quint has one he let me try and I will tell you it is a great guitar. I feel I know your style as I know your collection and you have seen my collection as well even though it is a small one. If you are exploring the Jackson brand try the Jackson Soloist or the SA-20 you will like the feel and the thincker neck for your CTS. I have had the Jackson PS-20 and I chose to sell it because the neck was too thinck for my liking hence the Ibanez collection. No matter which you choose remember this with the combo of your Fender Amp, and the effects you use you may like the SG over the Jackson, but you may preferr the Jackson neck, as you tell me try 'em both and you will buy the one that suits you best. Good luck and talk later......the freak

[Tone2TheBone]

Trem - I thought about your original post for awhile. You mentioned Gibson and Jackson in the same thread. Explain? The Jacksons I remember had wide and sick thin necks which would definately aggravate your CT. Why would you consider a Jackson?

I'm not convinced you want a Gibson though. You don't "seem" like a Gibson kinda guy for some reason. If you want a Gibson can you narrow your choice down? Pretty much all your Gibsons aren't going to have thick necks except for the '50s style Les Paul necks. It's my favorite neck contour btw and the reason I want a '58 reissue.

[duhvoodooman***]

BTW, my "new-to-me" Epi Dot has a fairly beefy neck. Noticeably thicker than my LP, but not as thick as the old 50's-style LP neck.

You might want to check out the Epi Dot while you're at GC, Trem. Being a semi-hollowbody, it will be miles different than your Strats! And they go brand new for only $400....

[Nelskie]

Well, I don't know if this fits the "Fender-like" Gibson category (BTW - isn't that sort of a contradiction of terms?), but I spied this Epiphone Wilshire Re-issue in the Music123 catalog, and it sparked some curiousity. After a little research, I found out that Hendrix played one of these guitars early on in his career.

Again, not sure about neck size / radius, but I'd bet you could drop a HB in the bridge, and set it up so you could split the coils - a' la Fender.

You never hear anything about these guitars, so that in and of itself would be a cool thing, too. And at $249, the price is right, too. Here's the link:

http://www.music123.com/Epiphone-Wil...-i353120.music

PS - Don't trade in that Classic 50, Trem. It's waaaaayyy too good of an amp.

[Tinky-Winky]

It's funny how that model doesn't appear to be offered on the epiphone website, and that it sort of has a G&L headstock. But, if jimi used it, then it's got to be good!