For many years I found that most non vintage Gibsons sounded numb and lacked nuance compared to my Strats. So I pretty much played only Strats for many years. Then in 2013, I picked up my first post 2013 historic Les Paul and I was completely blown away. People can say what they want about hide glue, sheathless trussrods, custombuckers etc. but without question, the recent Gibson Historics I’ve had the pleasure of playing, all have a nimbleness, transparency, nuance and dynamic response that easily equal my Fenders. You can’t get an accurate tonal picture of what is possible with an SG, Les Paul, ES or even a Strat and Tele until you’ve played a bunch of them and find the one or ones that truly stand out.
haha, I didn't notice the backward bridge... and plus one on lots of these posts. there is a wealth of experience and info on this thread, pick out what helps your experience and use it. Personally I agree that if you play a lot of Gibsons, you'll hear a lot of different tones. But if you've got one you like, then rock that sucker and don't worry about what ever else might be out there, unless you can afford it. Most hardworking and underpaid guitarists will never even SEE a vintage Gibson, let alone be able to afford to own and play it. So whatever those sound like is a non issue. The rest of us play music with what we can get our hairy palms on. And we all sound fine, of course. *grins If you squeeze a $10,000 Les Paul too hard, it will go out of tune the same as as Squier Telecaster. *shrugs I know, it's only rock an roll but I like it. yes I do. How much you horse your Gibson around is a choice you make, depending on how much you care for your guitar. If it's just a tool then you can stress the glue joint till it cracks and then throw the guitar away and get another one. If it's a guitar of a lifetime (which a fine Gibson can be), then you'd never flex the neck to get a cheesy wah effect. And you'd never allow anyone else to do it to YOUR guitar. Tell them to stress their own guitar and be damned. Maybe you'd buy a wah pedal, and use that. (it works better anyway). You can do the same thing with a Fender guitar. Work the neck back and forth to mess with the pitch... and what you're actually doing is stressing the screw holes that hold the neck on. It's hard wood but it's only wood. Keep doing that and the screws get looser in their threads and your guitar gets wobbly until you get steel inserts installed by a luthier. Bolt that together and it won't flex much any more. Who needs it? Just my opinion, of course.
Agree with the OP that once you start playing in a group, you realize that you have to find a way to cut through. You might suddenly see the need to flip to the bridge pickup...the bass, keys and drums can soften up the bite somewhat. My SG with it's 57 classics and coil tap is amazing, gives me jangle that I never expected.
Get some stiff pointy picks -- Dunlop Big Stubbies are a good choice, or Gravity Picks. Not celluloid or nylon or "ultem," you want something very plasticky. THAT will give you back your pick attack, and some high end.
Welcome, albeit perhaps a little bit late, to Gibson-town in general... I've always considered myself a Gibson-guy, they just feel so beefy, smooth, and sounds so full... I think you got it when you got it...enjoy...
cpm...I'm kind of new to all of the regeneration of various staple guitars...what kind of SG is that?
Hi Darryl No the Futures don't have a coil tap. To be honest with the variety I can get with the pickup switch, volume and tone controls I've not missed it :-) ! Cheers Dave
OP - took some advice and put .10s on there and have been consciously trying to lighten my touch. Wow, what a change! The guitar came to life and is so resonant, notes bloom, the sound is round, sustain is unreal. And after a little head-to-head with a buddy guitarist that gave me tips on how he uses multiple volume/tone knobs, I'm beginning to see how useful this setup can be in a live situation. Stoked! And the little "out of phase" tone when both pickups are on with full volume is such a cool variation. I'm digging it. Thanks! Did a little recording last night to get some different tones down on tape, nothing special but thought I'd share here. Rhythm guitar is on the neck pickup, lead guitar starts with the middle OOP type tone and switches to bridge. Only oddity that remains is that the switch gives a fairly loud *pop* when going in and out of the middle position. Is there anything I can do to mitigate this? Sometimes it's soft, but other times it's louder than the guitar signal.
