New Gibson Day....w00t w00t!!!

[progrmr]

I've been wanting a V for sometime now and I prefer the rounded corners. So I started selling some gear to get a new Gibby faded flying V. They run about $950 + tax new so I was gunning for $1100 to go buy it.

Then I hit eBay - I find a 2009 Gibson Faded V, $650, free shipping, 7-day return with the buyer paying for the shipping. No tax of course. The pictures were so perfect..I couldn't let anyone else have it. Busted out the credit card and today it arrived.

Action out of the box was a bit high, lowered it for a quick adjustment and tuned it up. Oh man, it just plays perfect. I'd heard that the necks on these were chunky, but I guess I have a different definition of that word because this neck is just perfect. Guitar plays great, pickups sound awesome and it's 100% perfect on the body. Not a single ding. In fact the plastic is still on the pickguard.

Happy as a clam! Still have to raise some funds before the CC bill gets here but I've got 1/2 of it covered already.

Obligatory NGD pics:

[Tig***]

Wow, that sure looks sweet! HNGD!

Dang, another faded Gibson... You guys are killin' me here.

[MAXIFUNK]

That AXE porn was great.......... Gongrats what are the specs?

[progrmr]

Mahogany body
Mahogany neck
Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
24-3/4" scale length
1-11/16" nut width
Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
496R and 500T ceramic magnet pickups
Controls: 2 volume, one tone, 3-way switch

[MAXIFUNK]

I love the pickup combo that baby will roar good for you I love to see a good score even when its not my own.

[marnold***]

VERY nice! Is that one of the slimmer necks or is it more baseball bat-like?

[Katastrophe]

Congrats! Enjoy it for a long time, brother!

[progrmr]

VERY nice! Is that one of the slimmer necks or is it more baseball bat-like?

Less baseball bat, more slim. Not ibanez slim, but not Epi DOT thick either. When I think of a thick neck I think of my Epi DOT. This is not like that at all.

I really did not expect to like the ceramic pickups as I've always been an alnico fan but they really do sound good in all 3 positions.

[FrankenFretter***]

Way cool! Good score! I love those Fadeds. I'd like to have the Faded SG. That V is yummy, though!

[Jimi75]

Woah, I love Vs! Great guitar.

[Duffy]

Beautiful V. Congrats. I have always wanted one of those.

I watched my DVD of SRV and Albert King last night - "Sessions". Great DVD recorded in '83. Albert King had a beautiful sort of chocolate brown, fully bound, Flying V with a big BB King "Lucille" type headstock on it instead of the nose cone. Don't know what type it was but it was beautiful and his playing was like no one else, totally full of continuously customized tunings and lots of one finger bar chords. He had an unusual style.

Albert King's V was awesome, but yours is awesome too. Those puppies ought to hit the preamp on your tube amp good and hard, straight in. That should be one whole lot of fun to play.

Beautiful guitar.

[progrmr]

I have got to get that DVD - Born Under a Bad Sign is next on my list!

[Duffy]

I think I got that CD/DVD set thru Borders, ordered it in. It is super well recorded both the video and the CD. Watching Albert King sit there in a layed back studio setting talking and playing with SRV is really a historical experience. The way King played was really unique. He was always reaching up and turning different tuning keys to get the sound he wanted and he got some sounds that are really deep and in the groove, not skimping on high notes either. To watch him play is a wonderment. I saw him live at a small blues club, The Blue Note, in Boulder, Colorado, back around '79 or '80 and it was one of the best musical performances I've seen, truly remarkable. That dude REALLY rocked the house, I mean blues rock city.

[progrmr]

I love iPhone...fired up my Amazon app, searched and got the DVD/CD set for $13.56...can't wait to see two legends working together.

[Duffy]

That's a historical set you will surely like. SRV had just hit it big.

[marnold***]

From what I read, King was struggling to keep his guitar in tune. There's a couple of times during that that I want to say, "Get a guitar tech over, tune his guitar, and let him go on with life."

[deeaa*]

Purty indeed! I wouldn't mind buying one of those meself.

BTW I much prefer the pickup selector switch in place of the first volume. It's insanely hard to reach behind those knobs, but the leads are usually long enough so you can simply move it to the 1st hole without even soldering any. MUCH more accessible!

[Jimi75]

From what I read, King was struggling to keep his guitar in tune. There's a couple of times during that that I want to say, "Get a guitar tech over, tune his guitar, and let him go on with life."

Yeah that's true, but I always wondered f it was King's extreme bending technique that made some tones sound sharp or flat. I have the impression that King also tended to bend chords. If you watch him play you can clearly see this. Must have had strong hands :-)

Other than that...did one of the old Bluesman ever cared if his guitar was in tune? I don't know.... ;-)

[duhvoodooman***]

From what I read, King was struggling to keep his guitar in tune. There's a couple of times during that that I want to say, "Get a guitar tech over, tune his guitar, and let him go on with life."

That wouldn't be surprising--he is one of the most extreme string benders of all time, and had huge, powerful hands. I'm sure staying in tune with his playing style was quite a challenge!

SWEET AXE, Progrmr!!